• 21 January 2020
How To Get The Most Out Of Collaboration Tools

How To Get The Most Out Of Collaboration Tools

If you interviewed 20 different successful businesses, no matter what their size, they'd have a few things in common.

One trait each successful business would share is collaboration.

When everyone works together, it's easy to be successful. The same is true when you design and implement effective systems. It's all a part of the collaboration tools for business.

Here's how to make the most out of those tools.

To Get The Best Collaboration Tools For Business Hire the Best Team

Collaboration tools for business are useless without the right team. Hire people who make you look good by being better than you. Make sure they're as passionate as you are about your business.

Keep the lines of communication open at all times. It's easier for people to help you collaborate when they're fully aware of a situation.

But building a great team isn't just about a shared passion for the work.

Get to know your employees. Once or twice a month take some time out to enjoy and get to know one another on a more personal level.

A happy hour gathering is one great option. You can also try team building exercises that everyone will enjoy playing. Even having a picnic lunch together in a park can go a long way towards helping everyone feel more like a team.

When people feel as if they're part of a team, they go the extra mile to not let their teammates down.

Create a System for All Forms of Documentation

Even though we're in the digital age, we still have tons of documents.

Some documents are digital, but some still come in physical form. Which means a system needs to be set up to keep these documents stored where they can be easily found when needed.

Creating and implementing a documentation system is the most important of all collaboration tools necessary for a successful business. Without an effective system, productivity goes down.

Currently, 30% of our workday is spent searching for information -- information that can and should be easily found.

Use the same system to organize your digital papers as you do your physical papers. Make it an extremely easy system to use. Make sure it's so simple a first grader could find a document.

Most people think creating something complicated makes more sense.

It doesn't.

It makes it hard for everyone to remember. People then get confused or frustrated and just start putting documents wherever they fit. That's when problems start.

Create something incredibly easy and it's almost more difficult to not use the system. Place documents in folders that are easy to read and understand.

There are several ways to organize your folders. Some choose to organize by date, others alphabetically. No matter what, it should be agreed upon and easily understood by each employee.

Everyone should be able to easily find any document that they need to find in a matter of moments.

Use the Cloud for Storage

Small and large business can all benefit by using the cloud as one of their collaboration tools for business. This is because the cloud allows for live versions of documents can be stored in the cloud, rather than locally.

Being able to access the information anywhere and at any time allows for people to work where they need and want to. It promotes flexibility in the workplace.

It also allows businesses to grow faster without needing to quickly move into larger office space. There's also the added layer of a secure backup that makes using the cloud for storage an ideal choice for increasing productivity in the workplace.

It also backs up automatically so no one has to do it manually. Nor does anyone have to worry about backup hardware breaking down or being stolen.

Invest in Hardware

Of course, no business wants to spend money when they don't have to. But in this case, one of your collaboration tools for business should be investing wisely.

Of course, nothing will ever take the place of your employees collaborating together in one shared space.

Working that close will always create a higher bond but since it's not always possible, you should have great hardware to make collaborating as easy as possible.

Invest in hardware that can do more than one thing. Look for an all in one solution for your laptops, printers, and even how you store documents.

Take a look at the whole picture before you come to a solution. You might find you can solve everything with one great idea.

Collaboration Tools for Business Includes Software

Using the right software should be thought of as an integral part of your collaboration tools for business. The right app can help everyone stay in constant communication with one another.

Look for software that offers you multiple features. Like your documentation system, find software that's incredibly easy to learn and use. It will save you a ton of time in productivity and frustration.

Remember that not all files should be public to everyone within your business. For those who have sensitive information that not everyone needs to see, find software that offers you plenty of privacy options.

Use software that's cloud-based. That way, you can store everything automatically and everyone has immediate access to all the latest edits and changes.

Sometimes you'll find one of your collaboration tools for business works perfectly, even though it doesn't do many things.

That's okay.

Just make sure this tool can seamlessly integrate with your other software and apps.

Stay Up To Date

Your collaboration tools for business should change as your company grows and changes. What worked before may not always be an efficient use of your time or money.

Don't be afraid to implement new systems as you see fit. There's also always room to improve upon any systems currently being used. Sometimes a small tweak can make a huge difference in your productivity levels.

We're dedicated to helping your business grow and succeed. We want to help you develop and implement the tools necessary to increase productivity.

We also want to help you once you've started using our tools. Visit our tutorials page to easily learn how to integrate our products into your business.