Texting has become an essential communication tool at work, according to a survey of 254 U.S. adults age 18 and over. The survey was conducted by Instantly and commissioned by RingCentral.
The survey found 80 percent of people use texting for business and 15 percent said more than half of their text messages are sent or received for business purposes. Nearly a third of respondents said they text from a device other than a mobile phone.
Nearly a third of respondents also claim to receive 21-40 texts a day, and 0 percent of respondents said they receive a whopping 60 or more text messages daily.
More than a third (35 percent) of business professionals claim they can’t go over 10 minutes without responding to a text, indicating worker habits with quick response time and text protocol are evolving.
The vast majority (88 percent) said they could not go more than a day without responding to a text, and just 4 percent said they did not have a texting plan with their carrier.
However, 42 percent of respondents admitted feeling communication overload from time to time, with too many apps to check for messages on a daily basis—the survey found that more than half (56 percent) of respondents use two or three messaging apps on a regular basis, though 72 percent admit they prefer SMS texting.
Nearly 30 percent of respondents admitted they use text for full-blown conversations, while 71 percent said they send texts for quick responses.
The survey also revealed worrying statistics about texting while driving– 20 percent of business professionals admitted to texting and driving that same day, while 8 percent of the general population said the same thing.
In addition, the survey indicated employees are bringing habits from personal communication, such as using emojis and voice to text dictation, to their texting habits at work.
Seventy percent say they always or sometimes use emojis and images in texts for business communication, and half said they use voice- to -text dictation.
“Our survey suggests the dire need for companies to adopt the right business communication tools, policies and procedures to empower texting, calling, messaging, and online meetings—through more efficient communication platforms—at work,” Carolyn Shmunis, RingCentral’s marketing manager, wrote on the company’s blog. “As new communication preferences emerge, employees and employers must devise a system that prevents communication overload, while enabling efficient communication both internally and externally. Preparing employees with the right tools to call, text or message one another should remain a top priority to help workplace productivity and efficiency.”