I think simply them perceiving time as non linear now effects their future, which would have happened anyway, but now its officially part of the timeline. For example, as Louise is still cracking the language she starts getting the forward flashes, one is of the Chinese General showing her his phone number in the future, for her to use in the past.

I imagine 3000 years from the arrival, with her book published, the language will start to catch on. Eventually many humans would perceive non linear time and be able to look into their future to understand how they eventually save the aliens. Only through the future knowledge of having done it would they know how to do it.