Maximize Telecommunications And Thrive During COVID-19

The Oxford dictionary defines telecommunications as communication over a distance by cable, telegraph, telephone, or broadcasting. Even though we are not sending messages to our teams through telegraph (imagine that today), there is a modern version of all of these tools.

Telegraph Turned Email and Instant Messaging

Emails are the modern day versions of the Telegraph where individual letters are typed and prepped before being sent out. For many businesses, emails are the essential form of communication because of its easy storage of information and great record keeping. Unlike a phone call or other means of communication, emails are flexible based on the receivers availability to review them.

Chat Services - Slack, Whats App, Discord

These instant messaging communication tools are used to informally reach out to colleagues on a closed group. Each has its own advantages, but with a bit of research, you will be able to pick out what is best for your company’s needs. However, since we are here, I am more than happy to offer my personal insite on each of these platforms:

Slack focuses on replacing email and utilizing channel chats for your team’s conversations.

What’s App showcases small business products and services and provides customer support channels to any sized business.

Discord is a communication platform with public and private threads and also incorporates audio and video calls.

Organizational Document Tools - Notion, Evernote, Google Docs

Data and spreadsheets have been powerful tools for many years, and tools like Notion, Evernote, and Google Docs take these documents to the next level. Platforms such as these allow multiple users to work on the same documents in real time, updating different parts of the data as they see fit. This is especially helpful when when different teams come together to collaborate on a project . Yes, you will have to pay for the really cool upgrades on these programs, but each of these communication tools also have a free version that is also useful depending on your specific needs.

Telephone

Wired phone origins can be traced back to 1849. These cables connected the world and opened up communication, and there have been several advancements that have accelerated that communication trend into the modern world’s cell phones.

So how do we maximize our current calls? Most people speak faster than typing, and there is subtle audible intonations that just do not translate easily into emails. Sometimes, going “old school” with a call is the quickest way to clarity. Of course, everyone on your team will have a preference for their favorite form of communication, so it’ll be up to you to decide if writing out an email or just making a phone call is best.

Video Conferencing-Skype, Google Hangouts, Go To Meeting

In today’s demand for communication with social distancing, thanks to COVID-19, companies have started to embrace video conferencing more widely. There are great services like Skype, Google Hangouts, and Go To Meeting that mimic an in person conversation with a face-to-face video. However, these services are not limited strictly to video, but also include chat and audio only options that utilize those 4.78 Billion phones that are in the world. Body language and facial expressions effect any form of communication, and video calls will allow you to utilize those expressions which are missed when using voicemail, chats, or email.

Broadcasting-Webcasting, Virtual Conferences

Typically, broadcasting connects teams through online video on a national or global scale and with the intent to be “presenter focused” meaning the presenter is the keynote and the audience has less involvement in the conversation. These presentations are sometimes seen by hundreds or thousands of employees or customers, and are often held at a higher quality and standard. Therefore, a professional video service is often used in this form of communication.

Corporate Streams is a specialist in online broadcasting and hopes to be a resource to you and your team. Whether you are building the tools into your existing team of communicators and techs, or if you would like to collaborate with a specialist in the field, we would love to help! To find out more about our past clients, services we offer, and other articles like this one, please visit https://www.corporatestreams.com/

Summary

Email, instant messaging, online document collaboration, phone calls, video calls, and webcasts are powerful tools that all have their place in Telecommunication, and they are needed more than ever before. Did we forget to mention your favorite platform? Is there another resource you want to recommend? Please leave a comment.