In the last decade or so, the modern workplace has changed drastically. We’ve evolved from being groups of people tethered to specific desks and end-points, to remote workers travelling across the globe, and taking our must-have tools with us wherever we go. Though the evolving digital workforce has a lot of benefits to offer, including greater productivity, improved employee engagement, and access to a wider talent pool, it presents a few challenges too.
For instance, how do you make sure that your team has the tools they need to collaborate on projects and customer problems when they’re not always working in the same space? Innovative business collaboration tools can improve your company’s productivity by up to 30%. Of course, you can’t tap into those benefits until you convince your entire workforce to embrace and enjoy your team collaboration strategy.
So, how do you encourage a UC love affair?
1. Choose the Right Tools
The first step in implementing a collaboration strategy your team will love is choosing a tool that empowers your employees and serves their needs. Find out what kind of features your users would benefit from – whether it’s file-sharing applications, scheduling and calendar apps, or tools for video conferencing.
Find the workflows in your business that would benefit most from a digital transformation (DX) upgrade and work backward from the needs of your employees to find the tool that’s right for you. Remember, some people may need different tools to others, and the needs of your workforce are likely to evolve with time. Choose a service that’s scalable and flexible.
2. Prioritise Integration
Achieving enterprise-wide adoption of new technology isn’t easy. A good way to minimise disruption and ensure that your people feel as comfortable as possible with the change is to ensure that they can continue using some of the tools and endpoints they’re already comfortable with.
Make a list of the essential software and hardware that your users access every day, and search for a collaboration tool that integrates seamlessly with your existing stack. This might mean looking at things like APIs, or tools like RingCentral Glip which integrate easily with everything from Google Drive, to Dropbox and Evernote. You might even embrace a hybrid-ready solution like Alcatel Lucent Rainbow, which comes pre-packaged with CPaaS features to simplify your collaboration integration.
3. Roll Changes Out Gradually
Once you’ve experienced the benefits of a tool like Avaya or Unify Circuit for yourself, it can be tempting to roll your new collaboration strategy out to your whole team at once. However, a better option may be to introduce the strategy to a small core group of early adopters who are more comfortable exploring new technologies.
This beta testing group can check out the features of your collaboration service and provide feedback on anything they like or dislike about the tool, as well as additional integrations they might like to explore. With the feedback you get during this testing phase, you can make sure that you’re investing in the right level of support for your team and the right spread of applications.
4. Adapt and Grow with Your Team
Finally, make sure that you pay attention to the responses your team members give when they start using your new collaboration tool. The great thing about cloud-based tools like Cisco Webex Teams, for instance, is that you can constantly adjust your strategy and add new features as the needs of your workforce change. As you begin to learn more about your employees’ natural workflow, you can adapt your collaboration stack with new tools, services, and strategies for success.
Remember, the key to a good collaboration strategy is remembering that you can’t have great collaboration without communication. Encourage feedback, and leave the lines of communication open as your team get used to their new productivity tool.
