Keeping up With the Times: 6 Key Changes in Office ...

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Today?s typical office environment looks a little different from what?it did ten years ago. If you want to keep up with the times, then you may want to consider these six changes. Without them, your office?remains?in the dark ages.

Desk Phones Have Gone Mobile

Ten years ago, almost everyone (except maybe the boss) had to sit at a desk next to a VoIP (and that?s if you were lucky enough to have VoIP instead of a standard phone line). If a client called while you were away from your desk, you could land in big trouble.

That?s not the case now. Whether you work at a home office or a huge corporation, many employees now have mobile devices at work. They can go the cafeteria, a meeting room or even a nearby caf? without ever being disconnected from the office.

Mobile Devices Have Replaced Desktop Computers

The mobile device that you use at work is probably the same one you use at home. Canada has become a leader in the BYOD movement. More than?75 percent of Canadian companies let employees bring their own smartphones and tablets to work. Only 46 percent of companies around the world have kept up with this trend.?This increase reflects how Canadians rely on their mobile devices. As of 2012, 56 percent of adults had cell phones and 33 percent had smartphones.

Thanks to the first mobile device management provider, companies can synchronize multiple devices while making sure employees stay on task.

Employers Encourage You to Play Online

?Play? is a bit of a stretch, but today?s companies do encourage their employees to use social media at work. Ten years ago, companies were hiring IT specialists to block sites like MySpace. Today, companies rely on social media platforms to stay in touch with customers.

Sixty percent of Canadian companies let (or even require) their employees to use Facebook, Twitter and other social media applications. Only 50 percent of companies around the world do the same. That?s another score for Canada.

Fax Machines Look Antiquated

Unless you work for an insurance company, you probably don?t use the office fax machine anymore. In fact, your company may have gotten rid of it years ago.

Fax machines aren?t as relevant as they once were. Keep in mind that they have been around since the early 1960s. Today, it?s cheaper and more convenient to use an app that replaces that huge fax machine. Popular fax apps include Faxapp and TurboScan.

Using fax apps also reduces the amount of paper that your business uses. That?s good for office expense budgets and the environment.

Point of Sale Has Become Mobile

If you?re old enough to have worked in an office for a decade or more, you may remember that companies with point of sales machines once had an advantage over other businesses. The machines were too expensive to give to every person in the office. And if anyone ever made a sale outside of the office, they had to use a manual imprinter that copied the client?s credit card information.?No one would accept that kind of security risk now.

Instead, you can use a mobile credit card reader that attaches to a smartphone or tablet. Some of the most popular point of sale apps include:

• Credit Card Terminal
• PayAnywhere
• Square Register
• GoPayment

Inexpensive credit card readers, low monthly service fees and affordable swipe fees have changed the way that employees can take payments in the office and on the go.

Conference Calls Evolved Into Video Chats

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Image via Flickr by jon rawlinson

Remember the conference call? They still exist, but they?ve become less common now that most people have access to devices with built-in cameras.?Conference calls were tricky because you never knew what other people were doing. Did someone doze off during an important part of the meeting? Is someone catching up on unrelated work while sitting in??With video chats, you know who?s paying attention because you can all see each other.

Video solves another problem that so many people experience with conference calls: you can?t tell who was speaking. With everyone using speakerphone, you wouldn?t recognize your boss?s voice, let alone someone you have only met once during a company picnic. With video, you can see who?s talking. That creates a less-confusing environment for everyone.

What are some of the biggest office communication changes that you have noticed over the past decade? What changes would you like to see develop over the next ten years? Leave a comment below.

Source: http://www.getbusymedia.com/keeping-up-with-the-times-6-key-changes-in-office-communication-over-the-past-decade/

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