Opinion: Communications tech landscape – 2021 overview and 2022 outlook

Communication platforms such as Twitter and Slack have exploded in popularity over the last few years. Specific channels, such as SMS texting, have shrunk, while email and instant messaging have grown as a critical communication technology, surprising people.

 

Companies in the communications API business will increase their reach in the coming years to accommodate these multitude of platforms and meet consumers where they are. As a result, they will be able to communicate through one centralised location, allowing them to reach customers across all channels with ease.

 

Due to the rise in remote work, there is a strong demand for communications technology. With meetings lined up on zoom, the new technology and tools will allow for the free-flowing, ambient communication of in-person conversations to be replicated virtually. Companies will begin integrating these technologies into their scheduling or communication platforms to ensure seamless cooperation.

 

There is an increasing need to streamline and strengthen communication channels as more organisations communicate with their clientele online and in remote locations. As a result, customers can engage with business operators and services over numerous channels, resulting in an omni-channel approach to customer experience (CX). It's a straightforward procedure that's also accessible and cost-effective. This tendency can be seen in social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, which, are increasingly including business-oriented functionality to ease B2C communication. Similarly, the latest WhatsApp Business platform feature allows marketers to provide an e-commerce experience within a WhatsApp conversation, making online interactions quick, simple, and powerful.

 

Communications technology landscape evolution

 

It's no easy task to streamline communications for thousands, if not millions, of people. However, when this is done correctly, the effects are fantastic. As a result, when companies want to scale, they need to collect many data about the individuals they're communicating with. Also, communication technology has rapidly grown with the rise in social media. All thanks to the influencers impacting the decision-making of youth and millennials through their content and experience.

 

Let’s have a look at the different ways through which the comms tech landscape is evolving.

 

The new wave of 6G

 

A new wireless G is usually the most innovative wireless technology until it reaches the deployment stage. At this point, it becomes a highly defective technology that we must rush up to improve with generation G+1. The day arrived for 5G in 2020, and now it's all about 6G. In addition to tech, buzzwords like immersive XR and critical performance metrics like 1 Tb/s data speeds, 6G debates incorporate social and sustainable aims and ‘connectivity for all’. 

 

AI in communications 

 

Every professor in the world authored at least one article in 2020 that used AI to accomplish something. AI has established itself as a tool everyone may use in their day-to-day work. It turns out that you can only utilise if you have a lot of data to train on (who knew?), which restricts its utility in communications when everything is moving, and bandwidth and power are restricted. We believe that, like Tensors, it will become a valuable tool in the communication engineer's toolbox starting in 2021. 

 

Cognitive technologies 

 

For smooth communication, cognitive technologies are the best ways which enable businesses to personalise and contextualise interactions between their products and services and their customers. With the proliferation of mainstream and niche communication channels, it's more important than ever to employ technology to extract insights from massive volumes of data, maintain constant monitoring across channels, and provide the always-on services that users want.

 

Using cognitive technologies to aid employees, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing, is more cost-effective than recruiting more people. Within the organisation, it permits current employees to devote their time to more valuable and meaningful things. Thankfully, more technology businesses are incorporating cognitive capabilities into their platforms, making them more accessible and lowering the need for specialized knowledge on staff.

 

Actions based on analytics

 

Businesses have become increasingly adept at gathering and interpreting data. For organisations that interact with huge groups, networks, stakeholders, volunteers, and so on, member analytics are only helpful if they are tied to a specific action. Events, polling, RSVPs, tracking member growth, positive activity, engagement rates, active members, targeted follow-ups, and so on are all examples of this.

 

(The author is founder and director, Value 360 Communications.)