13 February 2012
Email will always have a place in organizational communication
Nearly half of internal communicators believe email will always have a place in organizations as an internal communication channel.
An analyst prediction by Gartner, back in 2010, an revealed that by 2014, social networking services would replace email as the primary vehicle for interpersonal communications for 20 percent of business users.
The reason cited was that the greater availability of social networking services, both inside and outside the firewall, coupled with changing demographics and work styles will lead one-fifth of organizations to make a social network the hub of their business communications.
Leading the charge to become a zero email company is IT firm Atos, which last year pledged to switch off emails between employees in the 42 countries it operates in order to help stop the "pollution of the wrong environment". Instead workers are encouraged to use social media to communicate with each other.
Now at the half-way point of the predicted change, we asked internal communicators, in a recent global Melcrum poll, if they foresee social software eventually replacing email in their workplace. It seems for many email will never be entirely defunct.
Nearly half (42.9%) believe that, while their workforce has latched on to social software, the organization remains email dependent. In addition, a further 21.4 percent said email remains fundamental to connecting employees and driving productivity.
However nearly a tenth (9.2%) think that email will one day be a redundant feature, with social software already doing everything email can, while also reducing "noise" and driving bigger business outcomes.
A few are still unsure, with one commenting that it is still too early to say, "The paradigm is being challenged by social tools but it hasn't totally shifted yet. It could go either way."
Have your say
How important is email as a communication channel in your organization? Will social software eventually replace email in your workplace? Share your views...
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