Writer: Mike Cullom

So here we are, my first ever entry into the blog world. All things have to start somewhere and the general basis for this blog is around transformation and how we are entering another period of rapid change in the technology sector.

Over the past 100 years, the car has become widely available to everyone and during this time have changed from something to pootle around the village to cover, for most of us, a journey of 200 miles. The basic principle of the car is still there, steering wheel, four tyres and seats for up to five people, the main thing that has changed is the speed at which these journeys can be undertaken. The same principle can be applied to trains, planes and in fact I’m hard pressed to think of anything which has slowed down during this period, with the exception of getting that tax refund you are owed from HMRC.

This in a roundabout manner brings me onto the work-related element of this piece, the speed at which communication can now take place is blistering – you can be sat on your sofa and texting with a friend on holiday the other side of the world via WhatsApp. The mobile revolution has gone hand in hand with a radical shift in the way we communicate, but why aren’t businesses adopting and introducing services similar to what we use in our personal life to help us get the job done? How many times do you now contact a colleague or even customers via text message and WhatsApp instead of email? In most cases, you will get a quicker response from using these methods. However, from a business perspective it is not ideal as these tools count as “Shadow IT” and it’s very hard, if not impossible, to police the communication that takes place via these methods.

We know that the next generation of workers will be tied to their phones, not their desks. That means we need to design experiences that are incredibly simple to perform on the go. This is where Workplace by Facebook comes in. A mobile-first business application that allows users to communicate via messages or GIFs,  make quicker decisions, manage and share workloads, and collaborate more effectively. What’s more, you get all the advantages of the platform and instant communication that you are already familiar with, without any ties or crossover between your personal Facebook account and your Workplace account.

All of this can help you stay on top of any projects you are working on and get feedback from people, whether or not they are in the office!