I’ve seen firsthand how technology today offers numerous opportunities for businesses to streamline their internal operations and position in the market. Think of all the ways your teams have become much more efficient just by updating key software applications or introducing a new tool to help their workflow.
New tools that incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning have become more sophisticated in recent years, revolutionizing the workplace and impacting all industries. Although it’s not a new innovation, AI’s continuous advancements will transform industries and individual companies, especially when it comes to business communication.
AI is proven to make communication smarter and easier. In fact, a recent study found that participating customer service agents with access to generative AI tools were 13.8% more productive than those without.
Effective business communication is critical to the success of any organization, and AI has the power to improve the communications process, yielding better results and higher efficiency. As we continue to innovate ways to better serve customers and employees, AI technology will play a significant part in a few ways.
Personalized communication experiences
Applying AI to your company’s communication systems improves the efficiency of your operations. And I know this from experience, having worked with large enterprise customers that report 2-3x productivity gains in their content creation and publishing workflow. In addition, 90% of employees spend up to five hours daily checking work messaging apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams. This makes it even more challenging to sift through the noise to find time-sensitive and more urgent messages. And, even still, they may not fully understand the information sent to them due to poor communication methods.
Employees are not all the same people, so their communication preferences won’t be the same either. As a result, employees are not as receptive to information provided through the same communication channel or curated in the same way. And if they can’t understand the information, customers will likely be confused, too, when the information is relayed.
Incorporating generative AI into your comms strategy can enhance the customer and employee experience by delivering highly personalized communications for people the way they prefer. Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT interpret human language in a form compatible with computers so that systems can develop personalized content that feels more natural. LLMs produce more personalized messages so businesses can respond to customer inquiries faster, increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction.
As generative AI helps content creation become more efficient, companies can tailor messages for every individual. Greater personalization at scale will result in greater resonance and impact.
Automated data analysis
Business communication systems are data-rich hubs where executives can pull information to understand how well their teams perform. AI technology has the ability to analyze all collected data and predict what solutions will make the biggest impact on the business. And it can do so rapidly. The more data you have, the more effective the learning model will be, and ultimately the impact on the efficiency of your communication methods and levels of information retention.
Also, AI can automate tasks tied to communications and deliver real-time feedback and key insights. By having access to large amounts of data, it becomes possible for AI to analyze and understand user behavior and preferences on a deeper level. This can help tailor communication and interactions to suit the individual's unique needs. Additionally, with AI’s predictive capabilities, businesses can anticipate users’ wants and needs, providing valuable suggestions and recommendations that can enhance their experience in a bigger and better way.
Data-driven decision-making enables companies to provide informed solutions to problems that may arise in the workplace. The workplace can achieve harmonious performance with more information about employees’ daily routines and productivity styles, satisfying all parties involved.
Understanding employee habits
Globally, only 20% of employees are actively engaged at work. This leaves 80% of workers disengaged or unsatisfied with their experiences—poor communication plays a role in this sentiment. Not feeling heard, understood, or included in the business’s initiatives for success are all reasons employees could lack company spirit and are fixable with better communication.
Open and effective communication is the foundation of a positive work environment. Employees want to express their concerns and ideas. And they want to be heard, not ignored.
When introducing any new technology, especially AI, many fear its potential to take human jobs. Business leaders must communicate the benefits it can bring and that the main function is augmenting and assisting employees in making them more efficient and productive in their roles. For a better understanding of how their employees and audience feel, AI can access data to help businesses improve sentiment inside and outside the workplace.
Real-time feedback through company surveys or polls allows employers to implement changes for teams to feel comfortable and their most productive selves. Streamlined communication keeps the business running smoothly and can help employees feel valued and respected.
AI is becoming more advanced, and smart business leaders won’t ignore it if they plan to keep their innovative edge. Business communications assisted by AI can accelerate the creation of meaningful content, improve workflows with automation, and provide actionable insights to assist decision-making. AI and machine-learning tools will make future business communications more effective. Here’s the good news: We’ve only scratched the surface of AI’s positive impact on communications at work. There are many more positive outcomes on the way.
