Online collaboration tools were developed to drive, optimize and facilitate many business tasks.
The goal is to increase efficiency within all your work teams.
For decades, teamwork to develop a certain project implied the physical presence of all the members.
However, thanks to these digital solutions, being present may even be absolutely unnecessary.
This is possible thanks to the connectivity and quality of digital communications, developed for the Internet. Next, it will be established what it is about in more detail.
Learn what collaboration tools are
Digital collaboration tools are those that allow a more coordinated workflow between the different members of a project.
They provide a unified online communication platform for teamwork.
Plus, they make it easy to share files, store documentation in the cloud, share assigned tasks, and collaborate.
They also allow you to set deadlines to carry out activities and monitor their status.
All these processes can be viewed in real time, working from anywhere in the world and at different time slots.
They are tools that, definitely, facilitate communication, collaboration and a notable improvement in the development of projects.
Finally, they contribute to increasing the efficiency of work teams, saving time, effort and, over time, money.
Now, the benefits they bring to companies will be described in detail.
“Collaboration tools help teams stay productive outside the office and increase their efficiency.”
The benefits of using collaboration tools
Collaboration tools are a set of digital solutions developed to positively impact the productivity and agility of companies .
Those that have managed to integrate communication and collaboration tools can have a guaranteed future in the digital market.
This also includes professionals, as well as small, medium and large businesses.
Now, 10 benefits of incorporating these online digital solutions to work teams are mentioned to increase their efficiency:
- Integration of tools. It is possible to integrate these digital solutions with the rest of the applications or business software developed individually.
- Quick and easy access. Team members can more easily and immediately access all project information. Thus, access to information and production times are streamlined.
- Efficiency and effectiveness. By gathering all the information, online collaboration platforms allow greater effectiveness and productivity of work teams. This optimizes and increases its efficiency and effectiveness.
- Responsive design. These digital solutions are adapted to be viewed from all types of desktops, laptops and mobile devices.
- Web security. Thanks to security protocols, all shared information is protected against theft by external agents.
- Simplicity of use. They are solutions that simplify the daily tasks of work teams. Plus, messaging tasks, documents, and online conferencing are just a click away.
- Brand authority. By having processes integrated in collaboration platforms, companies can offer users and end customers competitive advantages. It is a way of demonstrating the authority and prestige of the brand.
- Permanence in the market. Companies that implement these digital solutions remain in the market for longer. However, it is necessary to adopt new technologies and be a constant part of the digital transformation.
- Digital adaptability. Its implementation forces team members to stay in constant updating and learning processes. They must be trained and raised to adopt a cross-functional profile. This will allow them to continue in force, improve their processes and services as an integral part of the organization.
- Identification of talent and loyalty. They allow to identify the strengths and qualities that each member of the team can contribute to the projects. They also increase the feeling of belonging, motivation, commitment and loyalty to the company.
With all these benefits, collaboration tools can take companies to the next level in the digital evolution.
In addition, they can increase the value proposition in front of customers and users.
“By integrating into applications and workflow, digital tools streamline tasks and critical business processes for teams.”
Types of collaboration tools most used
Currently, the offer of collaboration tools is very varied and extensive. Here are some types that can be very useful.
For project management
They allow to create calendars, set dates, assign tasks, measure costs and make visual representations of the progress of each part of the project.
Solutions like Microsoft Planner help preserve organization, manage time, and keep the team focused on each of its tasks.
For videoconferences
They are developed to facilitate communication in real time, help strengthen relationships between team members and increase productivity.
Tools like Microsoft Teams allow you to organize meetings for team members to connect and communicate from anywhere in the world.
They mean savings in travel and travel costs to attend work meetings.
For chat
These digital solutions speed up the communication process and allow faster team decision-making. It is an effective and agile way to ask and resolve doubts in real time.
Tools like Microsoft Teams and Skype allow you to ask questions and get quick answers to achieve your project goals.
For collaborative work on documents
With collaboration platforms it is possible to access documents and files safely, share them and collaborate with them from anywhere in the world.
With Microsoft Teams all of this is possible.
For cloud storage
They represent the easiest way to allow all team members to have access to project information.
They can do it at any time and from anywhere in the world.
In this particular, Microsoft Teams has integrated access to SharePoint, OneDrive, OneNote and the rest of the productivity applications.
“Collaboration tools make it easy to manage projects, store information in the cloud, share it, and meet in real time.”
Ideas Summary
Collaboration tools are developed to maintain productivity and increase the efficiency of work teams.
One of the most relevant aspects is that it can be achieved by working remotely.
Features such as chats, meetings, calls, video conferencing, screens, documents, file shares, and more are available to work teams.
The best part is that collaboration is not limited to this.
Thanks to collaborative tools like Microsoft Teams, they can stay connected and organized: companies, schools and even people in everyday life .
Finally, it is essential to consider that some of them are free and others are paid, but even in the latter case, the return on investment is very significant.