With automation increasing at breakneck speed, what will 2015 provide businesses? Whether it's reaching out to customers to make a sale or searching for potential candidates to fill openings, 2015 has a lot in store to help businesses reduce errors, redundancy and increase efficiency.
Recruitment Goes Mobile and Social
With smart phone sales outpacing traditional cell phones since 2013 and mobile content becoming more valuable, recruitment has expanded beyond traditional job boards and word-of-mouth referrals to platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Job seekers are using mobile-based recruiting methods. Based on a recent study by SimplyHired, seven in 10 individuals looking for a new job are using their mobile devices to research and apply for jobs. Seventy-two percent of this demographic are hungry to get upcoming job opening details via their mobile device, reports Reconverse Research.
Storage Goes Virtual
Whether it's stored on an individual computer or a companywide server, 2015 will see files migrate to the cloud. Increased usage of cloud storage comes with benefits. Highlights include employees' increased ability to instantly access and share data. Since cloud storage is not local, it can reduce downtime from server crashes. Redundancy and confusion from files that have been updated is reduced because the central file location eliminates the need for flash drives and self-emailing files. Cloud storage has the capability to be cross-platform compatible with Macs and PCs, along with iPhones, Android and Windows mobile devices.
Voice Recognition is Growing Up Fast
Building on voice-activated virtual assistants, mobile device users will soon be able to use voice commands to comb through their e-mails, digital appointments and contact lists to search through existing data to see what appointments and tasks need to be done – all without the manual sorting.
Social Media is More Than Communication
Platforms such as PayPal, Square and other social media and payment platforms are blurring their differences. Social media sites are adding payment portals while payment processors are creating their own user communities. New and existing media will enable businesses to streamline the social conversation, selling and payment process into fewer steps.
Mobile Apps Get More Agile
The cloud will begin merging with smart phone and smart watch applications. Mobile and web apps will slowly merge into single, shared applications over the cloud. The use of mobile apps also can increase business productivity. For example, security and smoke detectors for a building can be controlled over Wi-Fi or the Internet.
Social Media Gets a Bigger Brain
Social media is becoming a more comprehensive platform. Channels such as Twitter are projected to develop strategies to increase activity of existing users. Building upon its one-size-fits-all profile, Twitter is expected to add features that will be able to help businesses target customers within a certain geography.
Other projected improvements include more control over text and video within Twitter. Tweets are expected to be shared publicly and privately, interchangeable between public Twitter feeds and private direct messaging channels. Building on Twitter's existing ability to let users insert photos into Tweets, users will soon be able to insert, upload and publish video directly into the channel's posting capabilities.
While these changes are projections and only time will tell what technology is implemented, businesses can take advantage of these Internet-based productivity tools.
