In today's world, technology is constantly accelerating, and key trends are changing with it. What may have been the best practice one year completely changes the next, and the corporate communications industry is no exception.
Corporate messengers have recently become a popular way of communicating both in companies from various industries and in government organizations. The growing need to improve the quality of collaboration makes corporate instant messaging applications an indispensable tool for modern business, along with telephone and email. Corporate communications do not stand still: developers are constantly improving these applications, adding new features and capabilities.
In this article, we will consider what 2024 promises in terms of the development of corporate messengers. We will explain how you can stay one step ahead and keep up with new trending technologies in the field of developing corporate instant messaging applications. So, let's dive into the trends and innovations that will take corporate communication to the next level in 2024.
ChatGPT, AI and Chatbots Lead Corporate Communication
In 2023, we witnessed the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), including in corporate messengers. Services equipped with AI give employees unique opportunities, including automated responses to frequently asked questions and support in solving everyday tasks. Chatbots have become indispensable assistants in processing requests, providing instant responses to standard requests and automating routine business processes. Employees save time, businesses gain efficiency.
What can an AI-based chatbot do:
- Take conference minutes. During the meeting, the bot highlights the key points of the conference, automatically creates notes and tasks;
- Generate texts from scratch or change the text style according to specified parameters (for example, for business letters);
- Analyze data and offer solutions to problems;
- Compose answers to questions;
- Make a brief summary of the conversation in the selected chat, etc.
In 2024, the integration of messengers with chatbots will continue to develop rapidly. The functionality will expand. Active work is already underway to improve natural language processing algorithms, which will allow them to more accurately understand requests, and the functionality of chatbots in task management will also improve. However, issues of information security, personal data protection and intellectual property may become obstacles to the wider spread of AI in corporate communications.
*ChatGPT – AI-powered chatbot launched in late November 2022. It is known to many, even those far from technology, as OpenAI's development instantly became a megahit and began to be used in a variety of professional fields. The trend has not bypassed corporate messengers, for example, MS Teams and Slack have similar chatbots. Among Russian platforms, eXpress can be cited as an example.Таким образом, интеграция искусственного интеллекта и корпоративных мессенджеров в 2024 году обещает стать важным этапом в эволюции бизнес-коммуникаций, содействуя более интеллектуальному, адаптивному и продуктивному рабочему процессу.
Corporate superapp
Corporate messengers, when separated from other business tools of the company, are limited in their use. Employees have to switch between applications. Instead of an official corporate solution, they begin to use public services that do not meet information security requirements.
As Andrey Vratsky, CEO of the corporate platform eXpress, notes, today the client needs a solution that will include a chat, a video conference, and mail. Nobody needs a simple messenger, an ecosystem that includes a large set of functions is important.
A containerized super app is a new approach to organizing corporate communications, which will gain even more momentum in 2024.
Such a super app is downloaded from popular stores, while the data area in it is encrypted, the exchange takes place inside the container. The super app, as a single access point, contains those services that employees use every day. As a rule, this is mail, the messenger itself, video conferences, telephony.
An example of a corporate super app is "Supernika", which won an award in the nomination "Corporate Mobile Application. Project of the Year". Today, over 40,000 Norilsk Nickel employees use the super app. The application offers such popular services as ordering certificates, issuing sick leaves and vacations, and corporate news. It allows employees to save a lot of time searching for the necessary information.
According to analysts, corporate super apps are a technological and promising trend for the coming years, which is still at the beginning of widespread distribution, although more and more companies are interested in launching their own branded super apps that will allow employees to complete several tasks in one place.
Task Manager and Social Networking Features
Functionality is still the key criterion when choosing a corporate communication tool. If a corporate messenger is not as functional as, say, WhatsApp, then employees will end up using the latter. In addition, there are specific features that are typical for corporate tools. The peak in this regard has not yet been reached, and the developers' imagination is working at full capacity.
There is also a trend towards turning corporate messengers into an internal social network for the company, when employees are actively involved both in teamwork and in the life of the company. Among these functions:
- User statuses (e.g. "on vacation", "sick", "working");
- Threads, reactions, regular and animated stickers;
- Digital avatars;
- Communities and channels;
- Highlighting different types of messages in color (e.g. "urgent", "important", "off-topic");
- Conducting surveys (including multi-step ones);
- Setting tasks, timeline, completion status.
Corporate messengers are becoming more emotionally intelligent, developers are taking into account the importance of interpersonal relationships in a team. The capabilities of emoji, animation and other elements that contribute to a richer transmission of emotions in text format are becoming an indispensable function.
Cross-platform
A corporate messenger is an integral part of such a concept as "corporate mobility" (i.e. the ability for employees to perform their functions regardless of their location and the device they use). With the increase in the number of remote employees, corporate messengers focus on mobility and ease of use. A mobile application provides unhindered access to communications and data at any time and from anywhere in the world, while a desktop application or web version is more convenient to use from a stationary computer.
Teams use not only classic Windows and MacOS, but also other operating systems, so corporate messenger developers who want to be "in the market" develop versions for various operating systems. For example, in Russia, due to import substitution of foreign programs, the trend is to develop solutions compatible with the domestic operating system "Aurora".
Video conference
Borders and distances are no longer an obstacle to corporate communication. Videoconferencing allows you to work on projects in real time - teamwork takes on new horizons, uniting employees regardless of their location.
In this regard, in relation to corporate messengers, businesses are showing interest in solutions with videoconferencing functionality. Customers are looking for a replacement for Microsoft Teams on the domestic market, so Russian developers of corporate mobile platforms will build up and develop videoconferencing functions in their products.
The VKS function significantly improves work organization:
- thanks to the ability to record a video conference, participants can return to the discussed issues at any time;
- exchange of information in real time, the ability to ask questions during video conferences create a favorable environment for effective work and problem solving;
- integrated chat and discussion functions allow participants to exchange opinions, ask questions and share thoughts without interrupting the main flow of conversation;
- users can easily exchange files and documents in real time. This simplifies collaboration processes and ensures the rapid exchange of necessary information.
In addition, the ability to hold meetings without the need for the physical presence of employees allows for significant time and resource savings for both the company and employees.
Corporate Federation
As the volume of digital information increases, the importance of data security also grows. One of the key differences between corporate messengers and public services is “advanced” information security. Public services (such as WhatsApp and Telegram) have end-to-end data encryption, but they are still not suitable for exchanging confidential corporate information. In this case, companies cannot control where such data is transferred and where it is stored.
Corporations, enterprises from “sensitive” sectors of the economy, and departments choose on-premise solutions as a corporate communication tool. This means that the solution is deployed on the company’s servers, and all data is under its control.
Moreover, there is an “advanced” on-prem level – Global Federation. This is a unique communication protocol that allows employees to communicate with colleagues registered on trusted corporate servers (including from other companies), and at the same time safely interact with public users of the messenger. This approach includes secure on-premise servers and full control over data flows with the ability to create workgroups with both internal and external users.
Conclusion
In 2024, corporate messengers continue to evolve, offering companies innovative opportunities to improve teamwork, information sharing, and overall employee interaction. Implementing a corporate messenger can be a key step in ensuring effective internal communication in a company.
We have listed the main trends in the development of corporate messengers in 2024. We will continue to monitor how the situation changes in a year and update this article with information on trends for 2025.
