In the modern world of work, the majority of communication with our colleagues, partners and clients has moved online.

We almost solely rely upon email, using it as the primary tool for communication. In fact, for many of us, it’s the norm to see hundreds of emails fill our inboxes each day.

We remain glued to computer screens, laptops, tablets and smartphones, responding to and sending out emails throughout the day. But in today’s virtual environment, how can we better facilitate communication in the workplace?

For the foreseeable future, email will remain the most common method of workplace contact, and for good reason. Employees can keep track of their workstream from anywhere, since all messages are stored in one place, accessible from a variety of devices. However, this reliance does have its downfalls. Being bombarded with emails can impact our ability to concentrate, and it’s harder to convey the nuances of verbal communication.

It can also feel a bit old fashioned for new generations entering the workplace, for whom instant methods of communication and messaging are now the norm. We should look beyond email to see how we can introduce fresh ways of contact that boost engagement and productivity, aligning with the unique needs and preferences of employees.

It’s increasingly important that we speak with teams in a way that they are most comfortable and familiar with, ensuring they are able to stay in touch with their contacts and colleagues in a way that suits them and their role. Many firms have introduced internal messaging platforms, teleconferencing capabilities, social networks, and other tools to provide their employees with a more diverse range of tools to build connections.

While having so many streams of contact does make communicating with employees a little more complex, this is part and parcel of our work. Keeping track with communication trends will be even more important moving forwards, especially since the workplace is only going to expose us to increasingly innovative and tech-savvy ways of contact.

We need to ensure we remain on top of the latest developments and new innovations as they arrive, so we provide our employees with engaging communication opportunities, fuelling their workplace satisfaction.