April 09, 2021 How collaboration technology empowers teams and businesses Introduction In a world where organizations are competing at a blistering pace, the challenge is to connect people and technological solutions in a way that enables businesses to thrive and grow regardless of uncertainties. This demands an unparalleled collaboration to build highly engaged teams to work effectively to reach business goals. The success of collaboration platforms Thanks to collaboration tools that facilitate faster execution of projects, promote problem-solving, eliminate errors and inefficiencies, and improve time-to-market irrespective of time and location. Having emerged as an enterprise game changer, we all know how digital collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams have enabled businesses to continue operations outside of centralized locations in recent years. Offering dispersed teams and a frictionless workspace allows workforce flexibility, i.e the freedom to work independently, yet effectively together. Further in this blog, we will explore how online collaboration helps accelerate productivity and the factors to be considered while selecting the best collaboration technology for your business. Let’s begin: How digital collaboration drives productivity A digital collaboration platform – Enables real-time information exchange which means faster problem solving and increased productivityAllows safe external collaboration to increase brand awareness among your partners, stakeholders, or clientsStreamlines workflows to simplify processes and get more work done in less timeFacilitates project management that helps teams to create and manage tasks and track documents with increased transparencyOffers real-time analytics for effective monitoring of employee activities and identify aberrations in the system, if any, to resolve in advanceFosters creativity and innovation by bringing your employees together and lets them share knowledge and skills, brainstorm and implement fresh ideas to turn them into action How to choose the right collaboration platform With a lot of collaboration platforms available in the market, consider the given factors to determine the right solution – 1. Cloud-based Cloud-based collaboration platforms enable employees to work simultaneously on live documents stored in the cloud. This gives them the benefit to collaborate from anywhere, anytime, by using any device with an internet connection. 2. Workflow automation Streamlining business processes and workflows using automation eliminates manual and redundant tasks, saves time and cost, and increases productivity and efficiency. Thus, when a collaboration technology integrates workflow automation, it helps to avoid errors and delays in operations, empowers users, and improves user experience. 3. Mobile-friendly interface A collaboration platform must be accessible to handheld devices such as mobiles and smartphones which helps employees to stay connected and interact with peers easily whenever required. 4. File sharing and data recovery Users should be able to share and access files and folders with collaborators in real-time using a collaboration platform. They should also be able to retrieve damaged or lost files and track shared files both inside and outside the organization. 5. Security To prevent security breaches via networks and cyberattacks, collaboration platforms need to adhere to industry standards for security compliance. Organizations using cloud collaboration must ensure that they implement advanced protocols and risk-based controls to preserve data integrity and confidentiality to make it a safer workplace. 6. Access control Who has access to what? While collaborating, it is pivotal to define access levels and control over resources for each user to ensure that the right people have the right information. This helps in optimal security and effective monitoring of activities and data flow in the environment. 7. Search Businesses should make it easy for employees to search or locate content saved in the cloud. While a large number of documents are created and exchanged between teams, collaboration tools must allow quick discovery of content by using tags, labels, classification, or search using filters. 8. User engagement Does the collaboration platform include add-ons for your employees to socialize, recognize each other’s contributions or celebrate wins? How does it improve internal communications? Does it offer adoption programs to help your employees self-learn and train themselves? These are a few necessary questions to ask. While selecting a platform suitable for your business, you must check if it has the potential to create fully engaged teams to keep them inclined to your business objectives invariably. Conclusion Use a platform that can help your teams grow, evolve, and solve your key business issues promptly in the most cost-effective way. If you still need help in finding the right collaboration platform, let us assess your business requirements and select the best solution for you. To know more about modern collaboration, visit https://teamshub.io or contact sales@cyclotrongroup.com