Proper collaboration is crucial to success and productivity – regardless of whether you’re hoping to win an athletic competition or achieve success for your small business. Everyone in a team needs to have the right tools to work cohesively together to solve a problem, respond to the results, and optimise in the future.
In an environment where teams are becoming increasingly dispersed, thanks to the rise of remote and flexible working, team collaboration tools are a necessary part of connecting professionals who can’t communicate face-to-face. These tools can increase team efficiency by 20% – making it easier to achieve organisational goals. What’s more, some groups consider collaboration tools so important, that 40% would pay for their own just to enjoy a simpler job.
Team Collaboration and the Workflow
To simplify the complications of the changing workforce, workstream collaboration tools have emerged from vendors across the globe, designed to support the agile practices of today’s professionals. These systems:
- Provide a real-time solution for communication, while recording chats and content so that people can go back and read over previous information
- Allow people to keep up with projects, while staying connected to colleagues and clients without the unreliable issue of email
- Consolidate teamwork into a single pane of glass, centralising the chat and content sharing process, and making presentations easier than ever
- Offer various forms of communication, ranging from quick instant messages to face-to-face video conferencing
- Allow teams to expand around the world, to include remote employees and contractors from anywhere across the globe
Choosing the Right Team Collaboration Apps
While all teams could potentially benefit from better collaboration, the fact that hundreds of different options are available makes it difficult to determine what to choose. There is no one-size-fits-all solution out there. Instead, you need to ask a few important questions about your business:
1. What Challenges Does your Organisation Face?
Some organisations struggle with team communication, whereas others have issues with keeping track of documents. The challenges your team faces each day should drive you towards the right platform for your company.
2. What’s Your Current Infrastructure?
Ideally, your team workflow applications should integrate easily with your existing IT infrastructure. There are plenty of vendors out there who pride themselves on offering services that integrate with CRM services, ERP solutions, and even contact centre systems.
3. What Privacy/Compliance Process is Needed
Small businesses are still exposed to the same compliance requirements of any other company. Document auditing, information management, and privacy should all be part of your consideration when choosing a collaboration service that works for you.
4. What Security Features Does Your Business Need?
Just like privacy and compliance, security will always be a dominant concern for any sized business. Ensure that the team collaboration software platform you choose provide security and come with plenty of control for administrators when it comes to permissions and provisioning.
