January 25, 2021
Near the end of 2020, Teknion began researching the changing face of communications within business in light of the behavioral shifts brought on by the pandemic. Representing multiple industries and job functions, 1,000 participants responded, giving us insight into the new ways we relate to and communicate with our co-workers.
Amongst the findings: Over 70% of respondents reported increasing communications using text messaging over email.
Age is also a factor in the frequency of communication and choice of messaging platform usage. WhatsApp emerged as the clear choice of Generation X and Millennials. Generation Z preferred social media messaging. And Baby Boomers were most likely to pick up the phone.
“The global pandemic has really influenced a shift in how we connect with co-workers,” says Steve Delfino, Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Product Management at Teknion. “The informal and personal channel of text messaging, as an example, gives us connection that feels less ‘corporate’ and more ‘personal’ – maybe compensation for that missing connection from being face to face in an office.”
About the informality, 82% of survey respondents said they were likely to overlook spelling and grammar mistakes in texts from colleagues – yet 42% won’t overlook them in their own text communications.
Beyond text versus email, the used methods of communication are (in order of preference): SMS (text), Corporate Messenger platforms (Google Hangout, SLACK, Microsoft Team, Salesforce Chatter), and Instant Messenger (WhatsApp, WeChat).
What was the piece of data that most excited the Teknion team? The most popular emoji used in business communications is: 
. Despite this incredibly challenging time in many of our lives, optimism remains.
As workers return to offices in greater numbers will these communications trends continue? We believe modes that impact efficiency and informality will prevail and that impromptu encounters and meetings will further enrich the experience. .