Jobs and workspaces have taken on a more communal air in the last few years. From open offices to agile methods, people work less as individuals and more as team members. Especially if you’re a small business or a startup, it’s likely that everyone is doing all that they can to contribute to projects and meet deadlines. In the spirit of cooperation, and in an effort to work more efficiently, many businesses have turned to collaboration technologies. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the pain points addressed by collaboration software and how your company can benefit from a communal workplace.
Instant Messaging
In a modern workplace, it’s possible to seldom see your co-workers. With a workforce that includes remote workers, freelancers, and those using flex time, it can be hard to connect. The ability to quickly contact a resource can head-off work delays and speed up deliveries. Using collaboration technologies such as Slack, Chatter, and HipChat can save time and money by employing synchronous communication.
There’s no replacement for a real-time exchange with a colleague. If you’re not waiting for a response, then neither is the client. Whether you’re talking to one person or a group, the ability to connect on demand is something we’ve come to rely on. To evaluate the usefulness of a collaboration hub, look at its abilities. Will chats be saved for reference? Is the format searchable? Can you create silos? And is it accessible by mobile?
Project Management
Whether you call it a workback schedule or a project plan, every business is involved with some form of project management. Since at the heart of the matter, this business practice is about bringing together all resources and elements of a project under one umbrella, it’s the perfect fit for collaboration technology. There are many, many platforms that address the organization of work with the top goals of efficiency and accountability. Personally, we applaud any system that results in fewer meetings and less email by providing a reference document.
Regardless of who the project manager happens to be—in video production they’re our producers—collaboration technology means everyone involved can check in on the project. Programs such as Active Collaboration, Asana, and LeanKit provide organized data on timelines, actions, and details that keep everything on track. Trello is an example of a collaboration technology tool that relies on visuals. Anyone familiar with the agile practice of filling a whiteboard with sticky notes will feel right at home with the layout. But unlike physical sticky notes, this electronic PM system can accommodate attachments such as photos, documents, and comments. Even from your phone, you know exactly where the project stands, what your colleagues have done, and what you’re expected to do.
File Sharing
You know these services by names such as Google Docs and Dropbox. File sharing is a collaboration technology that makes the sharing of files easy and convenient. The onus is no longer on a single person to own, update and share a file. Instead, everyone is given access so they can get the information they need on demand. It’s a fine alternative to digging through an email chain to find an attachment or accidentally working off the old version of a document. Release your hard drive and embrace the cloud for a workplace that’s uniformly informed.
A shared inbox is a good reminder that you should never use work email for personal reasons. But it’s also a good collaboration technology that helps you stay on top of projects in the office. When everyone has access to client emails, projects are an open book. At a small business, most employees are performing multiple duties. Being able to work as a unit means addressing client issues in a timely manner and finding necessary information even when the main contact is unavailable.
Clients expect personal attention, and a shared inbox can be set-up to reflect that. Individual addresses can be assigned to workers for outward appearances and so each person can take responsibility for their work. With a shared inbox, emails can be tagged for the proper person, while others can still have access to the information they need. In the right situation, a communal inbox can be a good thing.
Video
Does your company use video for internal communication? If so, an enterprise video platform is a good idea. Adopting one internal system can protect your town hall from becoming publicly viewed. It’s also a great resource for employees who can search for training videos, SME talks, and other work-related resources. This kind of “Internal YouTube” is an opportunity to share ideas and communicate in an engaging way. When it comes to collaboration technology, video is one of the best ways to get everyone on the same page.
All-in-One
If your office is ready to go all in with collaboration technology and co-workers, there are systems that truly cater to a group dynamic. Bitrix and Podio offer collaboration software that’s wide-ranging and scalable. We’re talking about scheduling, data, files, workflows, chats, and more all handled by one integrated system. XWiki is an open-source example of this kind of software. If you want to cobble together your own collaboration technology, you can use an API to get all your separate systems to talk to each other.
Collaboration Technologies Foster Teamwork
Collaboration technologies promote teamwork and productivity. They instill a feeling of ownership shared by a business and its employees. Because of the “we’re all in this together” mentality of a collaborative office, people are willing to step up in the absence of a colleague. And the open and shared formats mean everyone can appreciate the progress of a project. Maybe it’s time for your office to invest in each other? It certainly works for us at Key West Video.
