The Modernization of Business Communication Through the Use of Technology

By: Steven Graham

Department of Engineering and Computer Science University of Central Florida Technical Report No. 1 March 6, 2013

Abstract The art of a business meeting has been evolving at a rapid pace over the last 100 years. In the past, business professionals were limited to doing business with companies or individuals who were within the drivable vicinity. As commercial flying evolved and became more popular, business men and woman were able to travel across the country in the morning, meet in the afternoon and return home in the evening. The previous behavior evolved into international travel, thus creating a smaller business world and mutually beneficial global partnerships. While these meetings were effective, the travel took a toll on the health of company personnel and bankrolls. The advent of the webcam gave way to a new age of business meetings; video conferencing. Simple video conferencing evolved into the business world we live in today. The challenges that we face with digital communication is the human contact element. Many business leaders want to see how a person carries themselves, interacts with others, and even test their personal hygiene. The future of business meetings is only limited by the minds of our brightest engineers and computer scientists. Hologram technology will be the next wave of communication evolution and who knows where it can go from there. One day, we may even say, Beam me up Scotty and actually mean it.

History The history of business communication goes back to the beginning of time. Whether we discuss ancient men trading food and tools or a father negotiating a business deal with another father for their children to marry, business communication begins in one place: face to face. Face to face communication, which is still regarded by many as the most effective form of communication, is the foundation for communication and, unlike many original business practices is still used more than any other new form of communication. Due to this realization, we must examine the changes in travel technologies that affected how business men and women met face to face prior to the more modern changes in audio and video technologies. Face to face business transactions started between individuals of a small group of villages or neighborhoods where one could walk or ride wildlife to. Fast-forward to the industrial revolution, where mainstream businesses and transportation were available to nearly everyone. Business relationships boomed during this time period because of the ease of transportation over longer distances and the telephone. Business men and women were able to set up meetings on the telephone and meet each other at their respective offices or a neutral location. These transactions created lasting partnerships and relationships because a personal connection could be made and retained through conversations over the telephone and through easily scheduled meetings. Meetings and business conventions could be attended by businesses from many different areas and most professionals could attend due to the improvement of public transportation and affordable vehicles for individuals to own. Networking that took place at these meetings and conventions could spawn into successful relationships from continued communication through the telephone and additional meetings.

The previous time period created relationships between businesses within the same state or close neighboring states, however, the modernization of public transportation through the use of the airplane allowed relationships to spawn across the country. The use of airplanes and improved telephone communication allowed businesses to partner with each other from across the nation. Meetings could be set up and executed with only a days notice. An employee could fly out the morning of a meeting; have a meeting, lunch, and fly back home that evening. This method of travel allowed partners to interact with and get to know each other despite large gaps in distance between the two parties. During this time period, phone teleconferencing evolved and allowed multiple parties to discuss topics on the phone at the same time from all over the country. The advent and advancements of teleconferencing allowed many business men and women to meet while allowing individuals who were unable to attend to listen in on meetings and give input through a speaker phone. Teleconferencing also allowed businesses to have a group discussion on less important topics without requiring individuals to fly to one location from all over the country. The aforementioned form of business communication made a slight evolution forward when world travel became more popular. Creating relationships that spanned the globe drastically shrunk the world of business. Businesses now had more information about other businesses from across the world. One of the major technological advances that made undertaking global business reasonable and effective was the implementation of e-mail. E-mail allowed businesses to communicate instantly over the computer. Hundreds and thousands of emails could be sent and received a day without picking up a phone and dedicating your time to one task. E-mail responses could be written at the businesses convenience, thus making business to business relationships more effective. Meetings with partners from across the world could be

set up through e-mail and plane tickets could be purchased using a computer. Pre-meeting notes, outlines, and suggestions could all be made through e-mail. Consequently, meeting time was used in a more effective manner. This form of business communication and execution is still the most advanced method used by many companies who lack the drive to push the envelope with communication technology or only wish to do business in a face to face manner.

This figure shows that the evolution is business technology is now the building block for the evolution of businesses.

Current Territory The world of business is currently in a state of transition and experimentation. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Skype, Go2Meeting, and countless other internet based social networking and information technology websites and taking the business world by storm. There are different views on how to use these social networking and video streaming resources. Some businesses have built their communication environment around the use of these innovative websites and

some businesses refuse to adapt to new technologies and stand pat with more traditional business communication technologies. Many businesses are finding ways to use social networking and video streaming technologies as the sole form of communication. This business tactic takes away considerable travel responsibilities. Meetings can be held between businesses through video conferencing on a number of the mentioned websites. These technologies allow business men and women to see each other (from the shoulders up) without traveling across the country or world. Such meeting environments allow for flexibility and convenience for all involved. Many times, meetings can be saved and reviewed at a later date if need be whether for recollection or even legal purposes. One issue that some businesses are running into when solely using this method of communication is lack of authenticity from the partners they are dealing with. Microsoft often employs video conferencing for initial employee interviews. This method is well suited to save money for both the company and the potential employee; however, a false sense of identity can be portrayed through a web based interview. Some interviewees admit to only dressing in business attire from the waist up. Others admit that it is easier to lie, stretch the truth, or even create a different persona when you are talking to someone through a computer. Challenges arise in all forms of communication and these are some of the risks when using video conferencing technology in the business workplace. Businesses are using the technologies they use to communicate with each other to reach customers as well. If a business wants to get a promotion to their customer base, they can post about it on Twitter and all of their followers will be aware of their current promotion within seconds. A Google+ hangout can be created immediately following the tweet to let partners

know about the current promotion and be prepared for increased traffic. Technology is speeding up the way businesses to business, not only with each other, but with their customer base. Other businesses are trying to slowly implement digital meetings and communication into their current communication environment. Most of the businesses implementing this strategy are older businesses trying to keep ahead of the curve against their main competitors. Over time, these businesses will have an edge on other companies who are unwilling to evolve with digital communication technologies. Such implementation may help these businesses obtain new business and grow to levels unattained previously.

This figure shows how old and current technologies are being used to create a profitable business communication environment.

The Future The future of business communication technologies is limited only by the minds of our engineers and computer scientists. What we couldnt even imagine could exist 100 years ago exists today, therefore we have no idea what our future holds. Google is creating glasses that can incorporate all of the technologies mentioned above into your eye and can be controlled using your voice. The mentioned hands free Google device will be the next step forward in

revolutionizing the communication world. Engineers are currently working on realistic hologram technology that may eventually reduce the need, or self-imposed need, of actual face to face communication. Such hologram technology has already been tested at a recent music concert where a hologram of deceased rapper Tupac was projected on stage and started rapping. A quick glance at the stage and many people believed a real person was on stage speaking to them. Being able to observe how people carry themselves through hologram technology may greatly reduce the need for global travel and will greatly help the pollution problems that we face today. Another possibility, however farfetched it may be, is teleport technology. By teleport technology, I am referring to being in one place at one moment and being transported across the country or world within seconds. This kind of technology only exists in science fiction movies at the moment, however; if a technological idea is presented to an engineer or computer scientist, actions are being taken to create and perfect that technological idea.

Conclusion To conclude, the world of communication technology is constantly evolving. Business communication first evolved due to increased access and advances in transportation. Later, improvements in voice and written communication allowed face to face business to be more productive, valuable, and less necessary. The advent of social networking and video conferencing websites has launched businesses into a digital world where face to face business is beginning to decline and become a thing of the past. By the time one technology is integrated in a business strategy, a better, more intuitive, more productive idea, service, or product will come along. Smart businesses know strong communication with their customers and business partners

is key to long-term success. Businesses that will stand the test of time are those that are in the forefront of communication technologies.

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