Communications in business - OCRThe influence of digital communication on business

Continuity of service, speed and accuracy, quality

Digital communication involves the use of electronic tools to send messages. Common ways of communicating digitally include:

• email
• text messages
• online chat
• video conferencing
• social media

These tools have influenced business activity in a number of ways:

• Improved speed and accuracy of information - electronic tools allow easy editing and checking of written communication, helping to reduce grammatical and spelling errors. Messages can be communicated at a much faster pace, which can help to keep external stakeholders up to date while giving internal stakeholders information quickly to aid decision-making.
• Better customer service - the use of digital communication has enabled businesses to improve the service they provide to their customers by offering a wider range of options for getting in touch. Customers are now able to contact businesses at a time that is convenient to them.
• Improved productivity - digital communication makes it possible to solve many problems with production machinery remotely, eg screen sharing to address computer issues. This reduces costs and lessens the impact of equipment breakdowns.
• Access to a wider audience - businesses can now access a wider audience much more easily. This can be beneficial when targeting customers with marketing materials. However, the human resources function may also find this useful, as they may want to attract a wide pool of applicants for a job vacancy.