Impact of technology advancement in business communication.

The age of electronics and more specifically, computers, has caused a tremendous shift in the way we do business today. Just 15 years ago, innovations such as the Facsimile(FAX) machine, and the Personal Computer(PC) were state-of-the-art and considered cutting edge. Today, many business people wouldn't be able to function efficiently without these tools. Furthermore, communications as we know it, would almost cease to exist without E-mail, fax-on-demand and teleconferencing. We have gotten so accustomed to the presence of computers and the services they provide that many of us don't remember what it was like before.

Flexible Workspace
In the past, workers were required to be physically present in the business office during "normal" business hours. That is where they performed their job function and interacted with other employees. Today, many organizations are permitting, if not encouraging, flexible work environments. Telecommuting is the technology that made this flexibility

possible. Some employees connect from their home computer to the office network and perform their job function from home. More than two million corporate employees are now telecommuting full-time, and three times that number are involved in this type of communication one or two days a week. If an individual's duties don't require them to be physically in the office, this flexibility is an excellent way of performing their job while controlling their own schedule. For example, if an employee is working on a project and prefers to do this type of work in the evening, he/she could simply logon to the corporate network at their convenience and access the required data, use E-mail etc..

The Internet
Today, the number of Internet users is doubling every 6 months Studies show that one out of every eleven people are connected to the Internet.The Internet is a replete source of information, software and communications. Many would agree that the future of communications and business commerce liens in the Internet. Although the Web is great for recreation, its primary focus is business. Most medium to large companies have their own "Home Page" and use these pages to provide information and services to their customers. For example, a computer hardware distributor could provide a means for customers to search through online catalogs and manuals, download sales presentations, software and hardware drivers. In addition,

a customer could fill out a shopping list and make a purchase right from their computer.

E-mail
Electronic Mail (E-mail) - E-mail has transformed business communication like no other technology. In addition to simple inter-office communications, E-mail has helped to advance the global market and provides immediate information transfer. In the modern business world, E-mail has all but replaced conventional postal mail for simple communications and has put a significant dent into the overnight delivery services. In addition, although the telephone is an immediate means of communication, some people would still prefer to communicate via E-mail. Their logic is E-mail gives them an opportunity to better articulate themselves and expound on their thoughts. This is particularly effective for technical communications where specific details are important and would be prohibitively tedious to transcribe over the phone.

TeleconferencingIn some companies, Teleconferencing has all but replaced "physical" meetings, thereby drastically reducing travel costs and the loss of productivity as a result of the travel time required to attend the meetings. Teleconferencing is particularly useful when remote teams

are working at different locations, but on a common project. It also provides a means for adhoc meetings where spontaneity is desirable or necessary.

FaxFax machine is used to transmit a copy of documents necessary in business transaction. These documents may include forms, receipts or contracts. With the latest faxing technology, you can send and receive faxes with out the use of fax machine. This is called the internet fax service. Requirements for the service are internet connected PC, online fax account, online fax number and service provider. Fax documents are either in PDF, TIFF or plain text formats.

Summary
Technology is growing at a rate that is faster than many of us can understand after much thought. An ancient Chinese curse states "May you live in interesting times! We are extremely fortunate to be living in such interesting times. It is our duty as members of the business community and as common shareholders in this point in history to embrace these Technologies and assimilate and integrate them into the way we do business.