BlogMicrosoft Dynamics 365Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Operations

5 Ways to Increase Productivity and Collaboration in Remote Teams - with Microsoft Collaboration Tools

5 Ways to Increase Productivity and Collaboration in Remote Teams - with Microsoft Collaboration Tools

Every company benefits from good collaboration, and higher productivity. Some companies had already integrated home office as an integral part of their work model. For others, however, it's still very much uncharted territory, marked by major upheaval. The Corona pandemic, in particular, has driven many companies to send their employees to the home office. This has led many employers to worry that the quality of communication and collaboration will suffer and that employees will feel lonely.

A study by Standford University found that employees who worked 100% from home were actually more productive, but often felt lonely and isolated. On the other hand, those who worked 100% in the office often felt distracted.

But the former doesn't have to be the case, because there are many ways to promote and ensure successful communication, collaboration and productivity in teams. All that is needed is the right tools that provide optimal support for employees.

In this article you will learn how different tools support remote team collaboration and increase productivity. As a Microsoft partner, we present Microsoft tools with which we have already had many years of experience and which we find most effective.

Collaboration in the workplace is constantly evolving

First and foremost, collaboration means working together toward a project or goal, and it's more important today than ever. But successful collaboration doesn't always go as smoothly as planned. Sometimes teams lack a shared vision or team members don't understand their tasks, leading to confusion and inefficiency.

That's why choosing the right collaboration tools is so important. Fortunately, workplace collaboration has evolved significantly from the days of endless email threads, and recurring meetings. Today's tools take advantage of an always-connected network with real-time access to files and collaboration suited for distributed teams and hybrid work styles.

So-called collaboration tools such as video conferencing and cloud computing software have emerged to improve efficiency, productivity and teamwork.

The importance and necessity of collaboration tools became particularly clear during the peak of COVID-19. Many employees were now forced to work remotely for extended periods of time. According to a survey by Gartner Inc., almost 80 percent of employees will use collaboration tools for their work in 2021, compared to just over half of employees in 2019.

There are many types of online collaboration tools that help teams to communicate effectively and stay coordinated. The right tools at the right time ensure that teams can work more efficiently and employees feel optimally supported. Here are a few tools that can help.

Recruiting INKUBIT

Five types of collaboration tools to improve productivity

1. project management tools to make sure everything goes according to plan.

Whether it's planning weddings or creating websites. I'm sure most companies have worked on large projects that require many people to do their part. Luckily, there are project management tools to help manage all of these tasks effectively. As every project member has access and dashboards can be viewed during a team call, collaboration and communication within the team is always strengthened. An overview also allows resources to be optimally distributed and budgets to be managed. Employees can be assigned to individual project tasks according to their skills and financial resources can be optimally managed.

2. video conferencing builds relationships

You often find yourself in a situation where an important meeting needs to take place, but half of the team is traveling or working remotely.Video conferencing is a way to get all the benefits of a face-to-face meeting without the cost and challenges of scheduling in person. Discover exciting features in Microsoft Teams in this article.

3. things are done faster via chat

Sometimes it's most efficient to simply ask a quick question and get a prompt response. With instant messaging tools designed for the office, team members can quickly check in and resolve issues.

 

4. reduce delays - check and sign documents in real time

Email chains with attachments, and confusing edits that don't make it into the document or presentation can be forgotten. With real-time document collaboration, teams can work on the same project at the same time. Whether it's a text document, a spreadsheet, or a PowerPoint presentation.

5. cloud storage with version control for more organization

Storing projects or documents in the cloud allows everyone involved to access them from anywhere in the world, at any time. This means that any employee can go online at any time, find a specific version, and save a copy if necessary before adding feedback. Also, with collaboration apps like Microsoft Teams, it's easy to find files, and share them securely with others. Thus, real-time collaboration is a big advantage.

Employee productivity is increased by:

  • Less e-mail communication
  • Time saving
  • Centralization of all files in one place

 

Implementation of collaboration tools

Collaboration tools prove valuable when they can be integrated into existing workflows and processes. However, for collaboration tools to work for everyone, they must be easy for employees to adopt. Once a Solution If a decision is made, time should be taken to train employees and slowly introduce them to the new software or tool.

Some important features to consider when choosing software are:

  • Chat and multi-channel messaging
  • Flexibility (asynchronous, live and whiteboard collaboration)
  • Integration possibilities
  • Security, compliance and data protection
  • Scalability

Conclusion - How digital solutions help small and medium-sized enterprises

Microsoft tools are designed to do a lot of the work for managers and team members. However, for the tools to be helpful, they need to integrate easily with other solutions already in use. Additionally, change management plays a role in the learning curve when introducing new tools. When new team members join, it can take some time for them to become familiar with using the tools. A short "starter guide", YouTube channels or a professional digitalization consultant can help to speed up employee training.

An increasing number of small and medium-sized companies are opting for such collaboration tools because they are useful, affordable and scalable. Consequently, the benefit of digital collaboration tools lies in higher efficiency and productivity within a company.

According to a survey by the SMB Group's Directions for the Future of Work, the use of cloud collaboration solutions in small and medium-sized companies is strong and continues to grow. 60 percent now use real-time chat/messaging tools such as Microsoft Teams. Around half of small and medium-sized companies also stated that all or most of their collaboration tools are integrated with other solutions. So this is proof that online collaboration tools are suitable for companies of all shapes and sizes.

Microsoft 365 platform

Latest posts

No results found.

We are just a phone call away!

Our team will be happy to help you at any time by telephone, e-mail or via our online form. We look forward to hearing from you!