And this year, there are a few trends that look to have some actual staying power. And while you might be "on board" right now, there's a good chance that you'll learn to like (and love) these new trends.

1. Using Bots For Social Media Interactions

The first trend I want to discuss is the use of bots for social media interactions. While this seems like something from a sci-fi flick, it's real and it's here - in fact, you've probably had a conversation with a bot without even knowing it.

In the past, bots were very "rough around the edges" and were likely to make mistakes. But through the use of advanced AI and/or deep-learning algorithms, these bots can hold conversations with you and/or your customers without them even knowing it.

Bots take the "press 1 for sales, press 2 for support" up another notch. Now, they can analyze the text from the customer, use proprietary algorithms and present a series of questions that can help it identify the customer's needs. From there, it can make recommendations and/or pass the customer over to an actual representative (seamlessly).

This helps keep customers happy (faster interactions and answers) while reducing customer service bottlenecks (not enough representatives under peak hours).

2. Switching From Traditional Landlines To VoIP

Landlines are "so 1990's" (insert valley-girl voice). There's been a major shift for quite some time, with a lot of companies jumping over the VoIP services.

The reason is simple. They are more cost effective, easier to manage and maintain without having to call a "qualified technician", and they are easily scalable no matter how big and/or small your company is.

Plus, VoIP can be used on traditional phones, mobile devices, and even computers. Plus, you can manage multiple departments, use inter-office messaging channels, and even send and/or receive faxes using a VoIP service.

3. Using Standing Desks

This is a new trend that just recently started showing up more and more in the workplace, but it's not just a trend - it's beneficial to your health.

Research from Healthline actually shows that standing desks help to reduce weight gain and obesity, lower your blood sugar levels, lower your risk of heart disease, reduce back pain, improve mood and energy levels, boost productivity, and even help you to live longer.

That's a lot of benefits for you and the company - it's doubtful this trend goes away anytime soon.

4. Migrating From Desktop Environments To Cloud-Based Platforms

As the demand for employee interaction and/or availability increases, so does the need for access while on-the-go. Which is the exact reason why so many companies are switching over to cloud-based platforms like G Suite from Google and Office 365 from Microsoft.

Now, employees can collaborate in real-time with their coworkers, have instant access to their documents and/or files from any device, and have the peace of mind in knowing that all of their files are backed up in the case of a major catastrophe.

5. Using eLearning Courses For Employee Training

And finally, more and more companies are switching from the classroom to eLearning. Instead of spending a TON of money sending employees to another state for week-long training sessions, now they can enroll their employees in career training that has been developed for remote access.

Plus, some companies have even gone as far developing their own eLearning courses tailored specifically for their employees. eLearning has been around for quite some time, but it's now becoming a trend that can't be ignored.

As you can see, all of these "trends" really aren't trends - or they won't be. Instead, they'll become a part of your workplace in the future (if they haven't already). Don't try to wish them away, but learn to embrace them. It'll boost your productivity and maybe even your mood.