There are over 2.5 billion internet users across the globe, and this number continues to grow - with six new users joining the web every second. If you’re reading this post, then you have access to the internet - and chances are, you couldn’t imagine life without it! To celebrate International Internet Day on the 29th of October, we’re taking a look at how the internet has revolutionised the workplace over the years by streamlining productivity in the office.
Long gone are the days keeping in touch was done by using a good old fashioned pen and paper! Email and instant messaging have changed the face of business communication today, with colleagues, customers and clients instantly and constantly accessible at the click of a button. Moreover, mass email services such as Mailchimp provide the capacity to email thousands of people at once - something that would take hours of work during the days of printed messages. 
Have you always dreamed about working from the comfort of your own home? Thanks to the internet, that dream is now reality for almost 3 million Britons. The invention of cloud services such as Google Drive and Dropbox mean you can store all your documents safely on the web and share them with any device you like. This means many businesses are now happy to have their employees work from pretty much anywhere - and more importantly, you don’t need to worry next time you spill that cup of coffee all over your laptop.
Internet connected smartphones allow us to take our work wherever we go, whether you need to access your texts, emails, documents, Skype or, of course, make that all important business call - you can now do it all on the move. The next introduction into this sphere will of course be Google Glass, enabling vast amounts of data and information to literally flash before your eyes. Tablets are also a great resource to improve your productivity both inside and outside of the office. They allow all of the functions of a smartphone, and can also be used to give presentations or make conference calls - the possibilities are endless. 
The internet has completely revolutionised the marketing profession, opening up a whole new world of opportunities to reach customers. It’s imperative that businesses know what their customers want and need - and the internet has put this information at every marketer’s fingertips. Surveys, questionnaires, feedback forms and comments on a website can be used for market research, so businesses can understand exactly what their customers want. Historically market research took months, but thanks to the internet - enormous volumes of valuable consumer data can now be gathered in mere hours. The internet also presents vast advertising opportunities. Customers can be attracted from all four corners of the globe, using ads, search engine optimisation, websites and social media marketing - allowing businesses to reach millions people with just a few strokes of a keyboard.
Once a job for the sturdy office rolodex - keeping contacts safe is now so much easier thanks to the web. Online contact databases and CRM systems allow businesses to quickly and effectively gather information on their customers and clients - making contact details accessible anytime and anywhere. If all of this talk of productivity has got you thirsty to get working - keep your team healthy, happy and hydrated with a water cooler from Eden Springs. We supply offices all over the UK with our eco-friendly drinking water solutions and coffee machines.
