Near the end of 2020, Teknion began researching the changing face of business communications in light of the behavioral shifts brought on by the pandemic. They surveyed 1,000 participants representing multiple industries and job functions, and were able to glean valuable insights into the new ways we relate to – and communicate with – our coworkers.
“The pandemic has changed the way we communicate, and text messaging, in all of its formats, is a legitimate type of business communication now,” said Steve Delfino, vice president, corporate marketing and product management at Teknion. Indeed, while email remains the predominant method of sharing information, over 70% of respondents reported increasing communications using text messaging as well as email.
Texting may seem impersonal, but Delfino noted that it actually helped foster camaraderie at the height of the pandemic. “We were productive out of the office, but the way we were interacting was very mechanical. It just seemed that this was one more mechanism that humanized us. It has allowed us to maintain social bonds,” he said.
The pandemic has taught all of us that socialization is important no matter where we work. Our productivity and creativity thrive when we are able to collaborate with others. “We know that so much of office culture is built around how we stay in touch, and the social activities that take place at work. We were intrigued, and wanted to learn more about these interactions and how technology allowed them to continue,” Delfino added.
As we have all adapted to working from home and have become less formal, from casual clothes to working from anywhere, our communication is less formal, too. “The word ‘informal’ kept coming up, and that made a lot of sense to us. People didn’t like the formality, and even a Zoom call is informal,” Delfino said. Users have little patience for the process of logging in, unexpected interruptions, and muting. There are plenty of reasons why more and more of us are experiencing Zoom fatigue. Coworkers want to stay connected when they are away from the job site, but they prefer relaxed and brief communications that have a bit of humor.
Delfino shared some of the key findings of the survey, and his thoughts on what the results tell us about companies and communication.
“Email is still the most popular form of communication,” said Delfino. While emailing may not be as fast as texting, it still is important for conducting day-to-day business. Inboxes are continually filled with everything from simple greetings to spam, and the survey results indicated that emailing will not disappear anytime soon. Sending an email is still an effective way to receive data, or to simply touch base with a team member. Respondents noted that they used email for three primary reasons: sending attachments, requesting approvals, and more security. “People said anytime there was a chain of conversation or attachments, they didn’t touch the informal communication tools,” he added.
Many employees also want to establish a paper trail, especially when they are working on a high-level project or sharing personal details. Emailing adds a layer of privacy that texting lacks.
Text Messaging
The survey found that text messaging is now a major business communication tool; a surprising finding. “The assumption would have been that digital natives were the ones that were texting the most, but we didn’t find that—it was across all age groups,” noted Delfino. Texting is a quick way to deliver or receive a message, ideal when everyone seems to be pressed for time. In fact, 93% of those surveyed noted that they expected a text message to get a quicker response than an email. Fast and efficient, it is likely that texting will continue to gain in popularity.
A text is often sent when someone has a simple or urgent question that needs to be addressed. Texting is also used to arrange times for calls and meetings. Texting allows users to avoid awkward, face-to-face conversations. “With a mobile phone always in our hand, texting is the easiest way to get in touch. You’re putting the other person in control of the response, and it’s not considered overbearing,” Delfino explained.
Texts are usually short, so It’s notable that over 60% of people are likely or very likely to use acronyms like Be Right Back (BRB) or Talk to You Later (TTYL) in their messages. More than half of survey respondents, 65%, reported that they text during video meetings.
Most Used Methods of Communication
Aside from email, the four most used methods of communication are SMS, corporate messenger, instant messenger, and social media. SMS is the text messaging component of most mobile phones. Corporate messenger platforms include Salesforce, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. Instant messenger apps like WhatsApp and WeChat were identified as the third most popular by respondents. And finally, social media messengers like Facebook and Instagram round out the list.
“People communicating via Facebook or Instagram for business purposes surprised me a little bit,” Delfino said. Most people love to have fun chats during the work day, and since they are already logged in, they won’t hesitate to use social media to converse. Interestingly, over 60% of respondents said they were very likely to reach out to coworkers on a messaging app, but only 8% were likely to reach out to senior management.
Optimism and Encouragement
Last year was a tough one for many, but those surveyed were optimistic, evident by the most popular emojis selected. The group surveyed reported that they use the thumbs-up emoji most often, followed by the smiley face. Sending an emoji is a way to show support, or to brighten someone’s day with something lighthearted. During the pandemic, emojis have brought much needed levity to our work. “It was the pat on the back that we were no longer able to give, encouraging and happy,” Defino said.
If text messages have mistakes in them, most people won’t be too critical of others. They will, however, be harder on themselves for any errors made. A significant portion of those surveyed, 82%, said they were likely to overlook spelling and grammar mistakes in texts from colleagues—yet 42% won’t overlook them in their own text communications.
