Unified communication means that people can use their preferred method of contact to communicate whether they are a recipient or a sender.

We all have personal preferences welcome to communication but there is also our environment and the situation we are in. When we need to be discreet text is often the better option. There are the times when we are sending out a message to the whole of the business where a video or voice note will convey emotion. It depends on the type of communication your conducting and the audience.

If you’re speaking to your developers tell prefer you to text them. Sales staff on the move are probably going to prefer voice notes or videos to get their updates and communicate back.

If you’re trying to explain a complex subject and you need a supporting document then screencast videos are a fantastic way to strengthen and understanding. How many back-and-forth emails or text messages which you need to do to explain a complex matter. A picture most certainly is 1000 words.

More often than not we find ourselves stuck in one channel. We might be on the phone where audio-only exists. If its inbox zero is more often than not email chains and text is the only channel.

This is where unified communication messaging platforms give greater flexibility and authenticity to communication.

For example on Watch and Learn you can choose to do a live video or is it an asynchronous video. Similar to voicemail if you try and call somebody to do a live video and they don’t answer you can simply leave a video message.

If somebody sends you a video message and it’s not appropriate to send a video message back you can simply text or send a voice note.

And because all video messages and voice notes are transcribed they can be searched historically building up a knowledge base and resources repository.

The way we communicate is changing, as the way we work is changing. You will be seeing fewer fix line telephones on desks because people are either hot-desking or they’re working from home. Laptops and mobile phones are now much more popular in the workplace than five or 10 years ago where it was the desktop computer and the fixed-line phone.

People want to use messaging apps similar to WhatsApp in the business world. The issue is WhatsApp can’t be branded for your business and is not searchable. This is where Watch and Learn gives you greater control for IT security and ensures compliance by having searchable conversations.

Our relationships are under threat in the world of business because we are on the move more often working from home or travelling we don’t have as much face-to-face communication. Video messaging, voice notes combined with text messages can helpers continue conversations when we are not close by. This means when we do meet face-to-face there should be fewer surprises, stronger relationships and therefore a stronger business.