The Challenge of modern team communications
In the modern workplace, communication is key. However, the current landscape of team communication is fragmented and often inefficient. Teams communicate across a variety of platforms such as email, chat applications, and physical meetings. Each platform has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, but none provide a comprehensive solution to team communication.
Emails can also be slow and the contents open to interpretation, or have long chains of conversation that require frequent re-reading of tge entire chain to understand context and progress, all of which leads to delays in decision-making and action. Chat applications offer real-time communication but can lead to information overload and missed messages due to the high volume of chatter. Physical meetings provide face-to-face interaction but can be time-consuming and difficult to schedule. Online meetings at least can be recorded and transcribed but they are difficult to extract information (for example, actions) and to allocate/track the next steps. Each of these platforms individually presents challenges but once combined, when performing a complex task or cross-function process, it becomes almost impossible to manage efficiently to reach the desired outcome. And that’s before new influences come in, such as customer feedback or changes in the market.
This fragmentation inevitably leads to information silos, where important information is confined to a specific platform and not easily accessible to all team members. This can result in miscommunication, delays in decision-making, and ultimately, decreased productivity.
The Promise of AI Orchestration
Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers a promising solution to these challenges. By integrating AI into the back office to support the efficient and effective exchange and progress of task information, we can streamline communication and reach outcomes faster and more accurately.
Centralization of Information
AI can help centralize information across different platforms. By using natural language processing (NLP), AI can understand the content of emails, chat messages, and even transcribe physical meetings. This information can then be stored in a central location, can be summarised (even in accordance with the individual focus of team members) and breaks down information silos and making it easily accessible to all team members and for future learning opportunities.
Prioritization of Information
AI can also help prioritize information. By analyzing the content of messages, AI can identify urgent or important messages and bring them to the attention of team members, extract and track tasks, identify bottlenecks and interdependencies and generally keep the flow going. This can help prevent important messages from being missed in the sea of chatter on chat applications.
Automation of Routine Tasks
AI can automate routine tasks such as scheduling meetings or following up on tasks. By understanding the context of conversations, AI can identify tasks or action items and automatically schedule them or send reminders. This can save time and ensure that tasks are not forgotten.
Facilitation of Decision-Making
AI can facilitate decision-making by providing data-driven insights. By analyzing team communication, AI can identify trends or patterns that may not be obvious to humans. These insights can inform decision-making and help teams make more accurate and timely decisions.
How we can help
While current team communication platforms have their limitations, the integration of AI offers a promising solution. By centralizing information, prioritizing important messages, automating routine tasks, and facilitating decision-making, AI has the potential to make team communication more efficient and effective. As we continue to advance in our understanding and development of AI technologies, we look forward to seeing these benefits realized in teams around the world.