Top 5 Phone Messaging and Chat Trends in the Workplace 2023

Text messaging, also known as SMS (Short Message Service), was first introduced in the early 1990s as a way to send short messages between mobile phones. According to some estimates, the number of text messages sent worldwide per day is around 23 billion. This is not some phone messaging trend, but rather a new way of life for people globally. 

Messaging and chat trends are not confined to text messages. In addition to traditional SMS text messaging, there are also many other ways to send messages electronically, such as through messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or any other work chat app. It is difficult to estimate how many messages are sent through these platforms on a daily basis, but it is likely to be a huge number. Below are some of the innovative ways technology is further empowering text messaging trends in the workplace in 2023 and beyond. 

1. Use of Consumer Messaging Apps for Client-Facing Conversations

A growing trend in phone messaging and chat in the workplace involves the use of consumer messaging applications–such as WhatsApp, Signal, or WeChat – for client communications. This trend grew in prominence over the years but really exploded around the COVID-19 pandemic. With companies of all kinds forced to adopt hybrid and remote working conditions, the lines between conventional business and personal communication channels began to blur. 

This has produced a world of headaches for regulators and compliance specialists interested in maintaining secure business communications, as consumer apps may lack the same protections as business-facing tools. Major financial institutions have already seen penalties from failing to maintain compliance in these areas, and as remote work continues, we expect more companies to experience similar issues. 

2. Collaboration and Productivity

One trend in phone messaging and chat in the workplace is the increased use of collaboration and productivity tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace. These tools allow team members to share files, collaborate on projects, and stay connected even when they are not physically in the same location. 

Many software startups have started to build products aimed at the needs and wants of this growing market including federated instant messaging technology. Furthermore, established companies are paying more attention to their employees’ workplace messaging and collaboration needs in an effort to increase productivity.

3. Messaging Bots

Businesses are also using messaging bots to automate tasks and communicate with customers. These bots can handle simple queries and tasks, freeing up human customer service representatives to handle more complex issues. However, these bots come with a risk, too. 

The use of chatbots is increasing in the workplace, but it can potentially lead to more work for less pay for workers and make them feel underappreciated. There are already known instances of some companies taking away workers’ jobs by replacing them with chatbots that offer information about the business. 

Additionally, automated chat solutions produce a host of new challenges related to data security and compliance management, which all organizations will need to contend with before instituting any type of solution. 

4. Data Privacy and Security

As the use of messaging and chat tools in the workplace increases, there is likely to be a greater focus on data privacy and security. Businesses will need to ensure that their messaging and chat tools are secure and that they are compliant with relevant data privacy regulations. 

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has a number of requirements that businesses must comply with, and it’s considered among the toughest, if not the toughest, security and privacy legislation passed to date. For example, they need to demonstrate that they have obtained consent to process personal data (Article 6) and protect the confidentiality and security of personal data (Article 32). 

Furthermore, the GDPR is likely to have an impact on business use of chat tool platforms as these companies will need to ensure that their messaging and chat tools are compliant with relevant data protection legislation and adapt them accordingly.

5 – Integration with Other Tools and Systems

In the future, messaging and chat tools are likely to become more integrated with other tools and systems, such as project management software, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, and Human Resources (HR) systems. This will allow teams to more easily access and share information, and streamline their workflows. Some tools already have these capabilities, such as Slack and Google. 

By integrating systems, companies improve productivity by reducing the need for users to hop between messaging platforms. The right solution can also improve security by reducing data silos across applications. Modern integrated messaging platforms can centralize these communications and create accessible digital records of all interactions carried out over mobile–including both personal and business communications. 

 

Embrace client messaging while being compliant and safe

Phone messaging and text messaging are on the rise and advancing steadily. Data privacy and security is becoming increasingly important as the use of messaging and chat tools in the workplace increases, and businesses will need to ensure that they are compliant with relevant regulations while integrating with other tools and systems in the coming years.

The LeapXpert Communications Platform is an enterprise communication platform that captures and archives all client conversations conducted over messaging and voice channels. It federates, orchestrates, and unifies messaging and voice and provides unparalleled visibility into data from any communication channel. 

Our platform gives you peace of mind by creating an accessible digital record of your company’s business communications while enabling conversations to take place via instant and mobile messaging applications for regulatory compliance and strict data governance. It ensures that clients can continue reaching out using their communication channel of choice while safeguarding and securing client-facing business-related conversations. 

Check out our recent blog post on 7 things you need to know about recordkeeping compliance when running your business.