The use of telecommunications to expedite business communications in the "office of the future" is addressed in this paper. After briefly describing the development of the telephone industry and its response to consumer needs, the paper discusses the importance of information exchange through word processing, electronic mail, teleconferencing, facsimile devices, and distributed data processing. It also discusses the benefits of a paperless office of the future such as improved office productivity and more effective decision making based on current, complete, and relevant information. The obstacles to using paperless documentation are mentioned, including the question of the legality of electronically stored documents, the current lack of standardization among hardware systems, and the need for retraining all users of the new equipment. Additional potential problems not directly connected to the field of business communications are also discussed. (AEA)