Collaboration is the binding force that strengthens an organization and catapults it to new heights. No organization can operate in isolation. Every person, team, and organization requires collaboration and joint efforts to execute a plan successfully. The key to a successful business lies in communication and collaboration at different tiers. Truth be told – teamwork makes the dream work. Teamwork relies on the collaborative efforts of the many to achieve a common goal. An enterprise is as successful as its collaboration tools. With advancements in technology, new enterprise collaboration tools have also surfaced. These collaboration tools are integral in running successful business ventures.
Enterprise Collaboration Tools
Enterprise collaboration tools and services alter the way an organization functions. And the organization also holds the responsibility of evolving and adapting to the new collaborative efforts and tools. Collaborative tools and software are applications that ensure effortless collaboration between different business entities or stakeholders. These applications eradicate silos and communication barriers between teams, individuals, and stakeholders for a more dynamic, flexible, and transparent workspace.
In addition, the collaborative apps streamline crucial business activities, including file sharing, negotiation, and open communication. In short, the tools rightfully earn the name “collaborative apps” based on their communication merit. The dynamic cloud characteristic infrastructure imbibes lessons for network connectivity, flexibility, and scalability. There are further dispersed under three Cs – communication, conferencing, and coordination aids.
An enterprise collaboration solution features an online integrated platform that entertains collaborative actions. These actions consist of emails, online meetings, content management and storage, scheduling, and file sharing. These tools come with several benefits, such as:
- Increase in employee productivity
- Improvement in customer-to-client interaction
- Boost work efficiency
- Easy tracking and record keeping of important project milestones
- Streamlined operations
Deciding Factors For The Right Collaboration Tool
Landing on the right collaboration and communication tool can be a tricky and challenging endeavor. With a plethora of collaboration tools and services, it is hard to find a tool that serves your needs well. Every solution comes with its features, price range, and challenges. Decisiveness over a particular solution requires proper contemplation and planning. In this blog, we aim to highlight the factors influencing our decisions while picking the right tool. Here are the core decisive factors.
1. Alignment With Business Goals and Strategy
Every business has distinct goals and corporate strategy. Every function and deliverable must align with the set goals to maintain business coherence and reputation. The right collaborative tool resonates with your company goal and policy and understands business demands and expectations. Your chosen communication app should address your business challenges and needs and meet corporate goals. Because every tool has its characteristic features and functionalities, it is not suitable for every business type and needs. Whatever business needs and factors you take into account, make sure they align with the provisions of collaboration software and those who use it. Also, remain liberal to the notion that long-term goals may require entitlement to more than one collaborative platform.
2. Security Features and Functionalities
Security is one of the paramount features that cannot be ignored or overlooked when it comes to picking the right collaborative platform. Security functions set the tone of your work and empower business activities and crucial decisions. In today’s world, where cyberattacks and security breaches are at an all-time high, software security cannot be compromised. Features such as encryption, multi-level authentication, and user access permissions merit a good collaborative tool. Additionally, with more people inclined towards smart and remote working, the collaboration software must abide by secure mobility features too. Secure mobility is instrumental in allowing people to work under remote circumstances with safe access to all company resources and data.
3. User Experience
You could have the best technology and feature-rich communication tool and yet fail to register a successful impact if it lacks the user experience. Experience sells like a commodity in the post-modernistic world. People pay for experience and ease of access to the software. Only an intuitive and easy-to-use tool qualifies to be a good enterprise communication software. Nowadays, users seek simplicity, specificity, user-friendliness, and easy navigation. An enterprise-level communication solution should be suitable for people across the organization so people with the smallest of understanding could also use it. Employees from every tier of an organization – top, middle, and bottom level must comprehend the software with absolute clarity.
4. Integration Functionality
When it comes to integrability, it does not always mean compliance with the preset operating system and settings. It also means compatibility of the chosen software with other platforms and solutions. To pick the right tool for your company, you have to check the compliance and compatibility levels of the software with other platforms for a seamless work experience. For example, SharePoint Online is a great enterprise collaboration solution it integrates well with other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Office, for enhanced and easy working. Also, your workplace could have remote settings or multiple computer platforms, a platform-restricted tool would not work ideally in that case. Whether you have Mac, Windows, or Linus, integration with these systems is an absolute parameter that needs tending.
5. Automation
No discussion or decision is ever complete without automation. It is the force that holds the entire organization, its functions, and key stakeholders together. Gone are the days when employees were unfamiliar with auto synchronicity and automation features. Automation is as important as food for the body. A collaborative tool is anything but capable if it cannot carry out automated tasks. Its ability to automate manual operations and simplify complex problems earns it the title of a good communication tool. Automation saves from the trouble of overworking, costs less than manual or conventional problem-solving, and preserves time. It is also essential for enhancing team efficiency and productivity.
6. Don’t Let IT Conflict With Business Goals
It is in the very nature of humans they prefer something that personally resonates with them and benefits them more as compared to the community. When choosing the right collaborative platform for the organization, business needs should be prioritized instead of individual or departmental needs. Conflict of interest may arise when the intentions and preferences satisfy individual needs as opposed to the community or business at large.
Advice from the IT personnel is always welcome, but they should not be the ultimate authority despite their broadness of knowledge regarding tools and software. The best pick is always the one that agrees with all departments equally and prioritizes business needs over IT-only needs. IT tends to incline towards tools that are efficient and best for them instead of looking at the collective benefit of the teams.
7. Experiment With The Trial Version
Do not judge a book by its cover also entails the choice of collaborative software. A trial version is similar to ice cream or wine tasting before buying the actual product for personal use. The same is the case with experimenting with the trial version. Before trying out the actual and full-fledged product, a trial version, as suggested by the name, provides the necessary functionalities. These basic or complete features may enable the feel and experience of the actual software to assist your final decision.
Also, a trial version helps employees familiarize themselves with the tool in a limited capacity to test in under risk-free and controlled environment. Trial versions are usually free and do not incur a cost unless bought or subscribed for long-term. There is no harm in testing before investing at such a big scale. Employee feedback regarding the version’s usability, features, accessibility, functionality, user experience, UI, limitations, and deficiencies will determine the app’s future.
8. Build, Buy or Borrow Approach
An important decision to make regarding the collaboration software involves three possibilities or scenarios. Thinking out-of-box and coming up with innovative and unique collaborative solutions will impact the final cost, productivity gains, and performance. Sometimes the usual and the most obvious route is the only answer, and sometimes, organizations need to dig up a different perspective to approach a problem.
Top researchers and analysts suggest that sometimes a collaborative tool not intended for a specific task may work out in favor of an organization instead of an actual collaborative solution. The final decision lies with the team and the top management that work with the chosen tool. They could either build a new tool from scratch, buy a new one, or borrow an existing solution because it suits your infrastructure more. Between these three routes, always consider your investment budget and business needs before landing a specific decision.
Concluding Remarks
We have a plethora of collaborative tools, such as Slack, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams, for our various business needs. But the right software solution is the one that complies with our needs and wants. A solution that works for your competitor may not be an ideal choice for your company. Always keep in mind these eight considerations and factors before choosing the enterprise collaboration tool.
