The drastic changes in the way we work and communicate that technology has brought about

The changes that technological advances have brought about in the way we work and communicate are evident. In recent decades, innovations have come one after another, redefining the way we live and relate to our environment. Here are just a few of these technological advances.

Mobile communications and video calling platforms have changed the way we work

It is fair to say that the conventional telephone facilitated work in companies for a long time. It is worth noting that many companies still use it to get feedback from their customers and as a channel for after-sales support. Even so, it was inevitable that technology would continue to evolve to the next level: mobile telephony.

Mobile communication made it easier for employees and executives to interact with their companies from anywhere. So did the interaction between journalists and the media they worked for, in order to transmit news to the press or do live interviews. This reduced dependence on fixed telephones. However, it is worth mentioning that this type of communication continues to be used today in media such as radio and television.

Subsequently, the incorporation of the Internet to mobile devices was the next IT leap. With it came the possibility of interacting in social networks via cell phones. Soon after, the improvement of video calls over the Internet — first for computers and then for cell phones — made possible the simultaneous transmission of audio and image. And with it, the emergence of a new way of working: teleworking.

Teleworking, another way of working

By now, can you imagine what would have happened in the world without video calls and video conferencing in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic? This telecommunication technology now plays a decisive role in the economies of several nations. Even before the state of alarm, the Spanish government was promoting the implementation of teleworking in companies. According to a study conducted by EAE Business School in 2020, the health situation of Covid19, boosted the implementation of telework by up to 88%. On the other hand, the labor flexibility generated by this remote work modality would not be feasible without a powerful and quality connectivity. In this case, it is reasonable to recognize that the development of 3G, 4G and currently 5G connection networks were, at the time, significant technological advances.

Social networks as a means of interaction and a way of working

Initially, social networks were used as platforms for schoolmates and friends to meet up. Soon after, they became the most common means of interaction between people. As a result, their creators were quick to detect their potential as marketing tools. So much so that the concept of social media marketing has become a proven and effective strategy for a large number of brands.

But the use of this strategy not only benefited the product promotion area but also provided an extremely valuable source of unstructured data. Social media are “sounding boards” where users comment on their experiences with brands. From the quality of the products themselves to customer service and after-sales support. The positive opinions of a user awaken the interest of their contacts, which can lead to more sales for the company. However, negative opinions tend to go “viral” (a term coined by social networks); and this can end up generating an image crisis with effects that can be disastrous for brands.

New professional profiles generated by social networks

All of the above has led to the emergence of new professional profiles in the marketing area, such as: the community manager and the social media manager. The former would be in charge of managing the community of followers of the brand in social networks. That is, share content of interest to these followers, monitor their reactions and respond to comments. While the second would be in charge of functions more focused on strategies and corporate decisions on the orientation of communication in social networks. And so on, the positions can multiply according to their functions and depending on the size and needs of the company. Therefore, the current demand for: social media strategists, social media planners, social media content managers, etc. is not surprising. Undoubtedly, social media has also created a new way of working.

As we said, social media are a source of unstructured data derived from followers’ comments and reactions. The volume of data generated by this form of interaction has led to its management being included in customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. In this way, the capture, analysis and monitoring of this data is more efficient. Incidentally, this is one of the actions we work on most at Nuvolar, developing customized solutions on Salesforce CRM for our clients.

Innovation in the way we work through Big Data, IoT, AI, and applications.

Although it may seem repetitive, when we talk about digital transformation in organizations we do not limit the concept to the incorporation of technology. We link it more to a change in corporate culture and, evidently, in the way of working. Indeed, when we introduce Big Data and Advanced Analytics tools, Artificial Intelligence or the Internet of Things, we do so in order to automate and streamline processes. Therefore, we must train human talent to manage such resources and get the most out of them.

A few decades ago, predicting changes in consumer behavior was a costly and arduous process for brands. Personalization of offers and products was not an issue within agencies or marketing departments. Today, thanks to a combination of technologies, it is possible to collect large amounts of data generated by consumer interactions. Whether from off and online purchases, comments and reactions on social networks or contacts with after-sales support; Big Data and analytics solutions using Artificial Intelligence algorithms make it possible to collect and process this data. From this, we extract the really valuable data that another resource, Machine Learning, will be in charge of interpreting, generating suggestions for decision making. In other cases, the latter is even capable of executing routine decisions on its own.

IoT, solutions and applications

The IoT, understood as communication between machines or between sensors, terminals and devices, is another source of data. In this sense, its applications are very diverse. On the one hand, it is used in the management of fleets of transport vehicles and in the monitoring of the supply chain of industries. On the other hand, retailers that build customer loyalty use it to make suggestions via cell phone messages in their stores. Even in the so-called precision agriculture, IoT is vital to capture detailed information about crops; in particular, data related to soil, climate variation, pest and disease control in real time.

We have already talked about solutions and applications on other occasions. You know that they are our specialty at Nuvolar. But it goes without saying that in the various areas in which they are used, they facilitate the work, either by automating routine tasks or allowing the monitoring of processes, as in the case of CRM and ERP, for example.

Cryptocurrencies, what technology was lacking

It is true that in this tight summary we cannot cover all the technologies that are influencing the way we work. However, it is necessary to make a brief mention of cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies. Undoubtedly, after so many advances that the technology sector has generated, the only thing it needed was to create currencies. And it has been doing so for years! Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin and many others are accepted as exchange value. Many of them owe their price to the trust given to them by investors and common users. This is due to the fact that their management is not directed to a Central Bank or government, but to another technology: Blockchain. The same that was created in principle to ensure the security of transactions with these virtual currencies. But it is already being applied in other areas such as legal and public administration.

In recent months, cash payments have fallen sharply. This could accelerate the long-predicted replacement of cash by virtual currencies managed by central banks. So it is not unreasonable to think that “cryptos” will soon become common currencies. All this will generate sensitive changes in the economy and in the value of work.

At Nuvolar we adapt to the changes generated by technology.

At Nuvolar, our passion for technology leads us to develop excellent applications and customized web solutions. For this purpose, we implement agile methodologies, UX and UI as part of our work philosophy. But, at the same time, these changes motivate us to be aware of all the advances in the digital environment, so that we can introduce the most appropriate ones to our products. In addition to adapting to change, we drive innovation through research and the application of new resources. Contact us and see for yourself that we are the technological partner your company needs.