Every company benefits from good collaboration and higher productivity. Some companies had already integrated home office as an integral part of their working model. For others, however, this is still quite new territory, characterized by major upheavals. The Corona pandemic in particular has driven many companies to send their employees to the home office. This has caused many employers to worry that the quality of communication and collaboration is suffering and that employees are feeling lonely.
A study by Stanford University found that employees who work 100% from home were actually more productive, but often feel lonely and isolated. On the other hand, those who worked 100% in the office often felt distracted.
However, the former does not 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 optimally support employees.
In this article, you’ll 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 towards a project or goal, and it’s more important today than ever. But a successful collaboration does not 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 compared to 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 suitable for distributed teams and hybrid forms of work.
So-called collaboration tools such as video conferencing and cloud computing software have emerged to improve efficiency, productivity and collaboration in the team.
The importance and necessity of collaboration tools became particularly evident during the height of COVID-19. Many employees were now forced to work at remote locations for extended periods of time. According to a survey by Gartner Inc. In 2021, almost 80 percent of employees will use collaboration tools for their work, compared to just over half of employees in 2019.
There are many types of online collaboration tools that help teams communicate effectively with each other 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.
Five types of collaboration tools to improve productivity
Project management tools to make sure everything goes according to plan
No matter whether weddings need to be planned or websites have to be created. Most companies have probably already worked on large projects where many people have to do their part. Luckily, there are project management tools that help manage all of these tasks effectively. Since every project member has access and dashboards can be viewed during a team call, collaboration and communication within the team are always strengthened. In addition, an overview can be used to optimally distribute resources and manage budgets. Employees can be assigned to individual project tasks according to their knowledge and financial resources can be optimally managed.
Video conferencing builds relationships
Often, you’re in a situation where an important meeting is about to take place, but half of the team is traveling or working remotely. Video conferencing is a way to get all the benefits of meeting in person without having to go through the costs and challenges of in-person planning. Discover exciting features in Microsoft Teams in this post.
Things get done faster via chat
Sometimes the most efficient way is to simply ask a quick question and get a prompt answer. With instant messaging tools designed for the office, team members can quickly check in and resolve issues.
Reduce delays – review 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.
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 and at any time. This means that every employee can go online at any time, find a specific version and, if necessary, save a copy before adding feedback. Plus, collaboration apps like Microsoft Teams make it easy to find files and share them securely with others. Thus, real-time collaboration is a great advantage.
Employee productivity is increased by:
- Less email communication
- Time savings
- Centralize 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 need to be easily adopted by employees. Once a solution is decided, time should be taken to train employees and slowly introduce them to the new software or tool.
Some key features to consider when choosing software include:
- Chat and multi-channel messaging
- Flexibility (asynchronous, live, and whiteboard collaboration)
- Integration options
- Security, Compliance, and Privacy
- Scalability
Conclusion – How digital solutions help small and medium-sized businesses
Microsoft tools are designed to do a lot of the work for managers and team members. However, for the tools to be helpful, they must easily integrate with other solutions that are already in use. In addition, change management plays a role in the learning curve of introducing new tools. As new team members join, it may take some time for them to get used to using the tools. A short “start guide”, YouTube channels or a professional digitization consultant can help to speed up the training of employees.
More and more small and medium-sized businesses are opting for such collaboration tools because they are useful, affordable, and scalable. Consequently, the benefit of digital collaboration tools lies in greater efficiency and productivity within a company.
According to a survey by SMB Group’s Directions for the Future of Work , the use of cloud collaboration solutions in small and medium-sized businesses is strong and continues to grow. Meanwhile, 60 percent use real-time chat/messaging tools such as Microsoft Teams. About half of small and medium-sized businesses also said that all or most of their collaboration tools are integrated with other solutions. So, this is proof that online collaboration tools are suitable for businesses of all sizes and shapes.
