Efficient team communication is the prerequisite for collaboration, which in turn ensures high productivity and innovative thinking. In other words, team communication is at the core of a competitive business. However, the way teams communicate has profoundly changed. Long gone are the days of casual office talks and counting on everyone to be on-site every day 9 to 5.

The world is reopening and the future of work is here. We have fortunately made it past the worst of a worldwide pandemic and are now thinking about what comes next. Conversations about returning to the office are starting, the shift to a semblance of normalcy is here but didn’t the immediate rush to work from the home showcase that remote work is here to stay?

We don't need to tell you how important it is for your team to talk to each other. Whether it's collaborating on a project or brainstorming a new product feature, team communication tools are the glue that holds your people together. Without effective communication, one in every five projects will fail, so it pays for your team to have the right toolkit. Team communication software comes in many shapes and sizes.

Every year, Simpplr Research conducts a study on the current state of internal communications. The State of Internal Communications 2020 (pre-COVID-19) report is Simpplr Research’s most downloaded report and provides useful benchmarking data for internal communications professionals. Insights from this report should still be relevant for most programs.

In the early 2000s, the thought of companies connecting with customers over instant messaging would have seemed ludicrous. But in 2021? That’s the norm. According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2021, messaging channels like WhatsApp and Facebook are becoming new consumer favorites. Nearly a third of customers said they messaged companies over communication apps for the first time in 2020.

Communication is not easy. Especially at a professional level, poor communication can ruin relationships and, eventually, entire businesses. It’s hard to communicate effectively even in a small business with a few employees, let alone in an organization of hundreds or thousands. Then how do you succeed at it? Is there any secret? First, you need to learn the real importance of effective business communication. Then, put your best efforts into constantly improving this aspect within your team.