This document discusses communication options for businesses in the age of mobile devices and online communication channels. It outlines different tiers of communication including individual, team, and company-wide options. Examples of applications for each type are provided, such as Office Bleepster for individual messaging, OneTeam for team collaboration, and Salesforce Chatter or Yammer for internal company social networks. The document argues that businesses should leverage employees' personal devices and these new communication tools to improve efficiency through more flexible communication options.

1. Bring Your own… CommuniCation?
Communication options have exploded with the massive increase in mobile
devices. While the standard phone call and text message definitely have their
place, online communication channels are opening up new avenues for chatting. If
you worry that this could lead to wasted time at the office, keep in mind that it also
allows for the rapid spread of creative ideas and collaboration on a scale that has
never before been seen. While popular social channels such as Gchat and Facebook
Chat remain the most popular, there are specific communication applications built
with business in mind. Even more, there are applications that allow for discussions
at the individual, team, or company-wide level.
Following are some examples from these different tiers to give you an idea of
options available to your organization.
Individual Communication
The need for individual communication is ever present, whether it is a quick
reminder for a meeting, an urgent message to begin damage control, or simply a
request for assistance. For executives, a clear line of communication with assistants

2. or other personnel can maximize office efficiency. My good friend Paul
Brooks developed an iPad app, Office Bleepster, after observing the smooth
interaction that Haim Saban (yes, the producer ofPower Rangers) had with his
assistant through the use of well-structured digital communication channels. Office
Bleepster, and other individual communication apps, allow for personal
communication during meetings, while on phone calls, or even while attending or
presenting a webinar. Office Bleepster also offers one-button messaging; with a
single tap of the finger, you can send a message without interrupting a speaker or
another executive during a meeting or presentation.
Team Communication
Being able to communicate with team members in an organization has numerous
uses from project management to software development and beyond. Team
communication applications allow for the interactions to be maintained for future
use and organized within a specific client to ensure that the communication is
direct and distraction free.OneTeam, by developer “ProcessOne,” is such an app
and derives its strength from integration features. It is optimized for corporate
communication by allowing connection to corporate chat servers through Jabber,
but can communicate with users from many other popular networks,
including Google Talk, Facebook, and Twitter among others. In addition to
maintaining a communications base, OneTeam catalogs chat history so users can
peruse conversations at a later date.
Company Communication
The advantages of social networks for sharing information with personal
connections are well known. However, most popular networks do not offer the
security needed for internal corporate communications. Salesforce, a company that
needs no introduction, has developed Chatter, a social client that can be used by
only the employees of one company to ensure secure internal communication and
collaboration. The service allows for chat, postings, and most other features
common to social networks. It also includes a desktop client that allows employees
to communicate without using a web browser. All of this functionality comes at a
very affordable cost (if you’re already a Salesforce customer): absolutely free.

3. Another service worth mentioning is Yammer, which I wrote about several months
ago. We’ve used it here at my company and enjoyed the extra social element it
brings to the workplace. Yammer can integrate with email and your company’s
Salesforce account, which are big benefits.
Using these flexible tools, and instituting them from the top-down, offers many
advantages to a business. Leveraging the BYOD trend to improve efficiency will
be a hallmark of effective companies in the future as these devices become more
and more prevalent, and one of the first areas to innovate will always be
communication.
Reference Link: http://blogs.cio.com/consumer-it/17172/bring-your-
own%E2%80%A6-communication