Collaborative Platform “Software as a Service”: SaaS, is an attractive way for Firms to create value and deliver only the best service to its customers. Below we’ve collected and categorized some of the most important information and resources that can help you understand what is Collaborative Platform Software as a Service SaaS.
Collaborative Platform (CPL) Software is designed for creative professionals that are required to work collaboratively on high resolution creative projects. CPL software is light-weight, easy-to-use, simple yet flexible, allowing millions of creative professionals to offer creative services on-line.
Microsoft 365
Share and edit documents, now with messaging
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REASONS TO BUY
+Familiar software+Collaborative editing+Teams provides UC+Cost-effective bundling
Microsoft Office may not be the first platform you think of when it comes to collaboration, but this now runs at the heart of the Microsoft 365 cloud-based office suite.
This is important because Microsoft Office remains the most used and therefore important office suite out there, and while there are competitors such as OpenOffice and Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) they still haven’t caught up to the same level of functionality and ease of use.
Therefore as Microsoft Office is likely to be at the heart of many businesses, the move to Microsoft 365 offers a number of advantages, not least the ability for teams to collaborate directly on the same set of documents. This could be anything from work shifts in an Excel spreadsheet, to a presentation in PowerPoint, to client reports written in Word.
Added to this is that Microsoft Teams now comes bundled with a number of Microsoft 365 packages, allowing for Unified Communications integrated with the traditional office software.
What makes Microsoft 365 more attractive is that as a cloud-hosted platform it can be used not just with Windows, but also Mac, Android, and iOS.
Pricing depends on whether you are buying for personal or business use, with fees starting from $6.99 or $8.25 a month per use, with business use requiring pre-paid annual plans.
However, one little advertised alternative option is Microsoft 365 Business Basics, which offers most of the same software packages and options as above, but only comes in at $5 per month per user when paid annually. This makes the entire package extremely cost-effective, especially when compared to standalone UC and collaboration software prices.
Overall, Microsoft 365 doesn’t simply offer a great office suite, but one that is also firmly designed for collaboration and sharing with teams.
Asana
Organisation to the max
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REASONS TO BUY
+Project tracking+Handy integrations
REASONS TO AVOID
-Other apps have better comms features
Asana has been around since 2008, making it a veteran in the collaboration arena, and companies such as Intel, Uber, Pinterest and TED all use it as their core method of communication.
It’s been designed as an easy way for companies to track the work of employees and to get the best possible results. Using the platform, you can create to-do lists for ongoing projects, set reminders for upcoming deadlines and send requests to colleagues. Team members can also assign comments to posts within the app.
You can organize all your projects in a list or board format, and there’s a search function so you can locate past work quickly. In short, Asana is a very effective way to stay super-organized and facilitate conversations when it comes to updates on how work is progressing.
Podio
A mobile-friendly collaboration tool
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REASONS TO BUY
+Easy-to-use interface+Quality mobile apps+Wide range of integrations
Podio describes itself as a flexible and customizable online platform for work and communication among teams. In other words, it gives you a way to organize large stacks of work and to delegate tasks between employees.
Just like many of the other business collaboration apps out there, Podio provides you with the tools to share files, view the status of ongoing projects and get feedback on the things you’re currently working on. These functionalities are combined into an easy-to-use interface.
Podio is also equipped with quality mobile apps for when you’re out and about, and need to use your smartphone or tablet, and it has an impressive amount of integration with third-party services and apps including Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote and Zendesk.
Flock
A communication-focused Slack alternative
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REASONS TO BUY
+Easy to use interface+Neat productivity tools+Free to use
Flock is another application very similar to Slack but is arguably a little less daunting to use and offers more comprehensive communication tools.
Flock supports channels for different teams as well as 1:1 or group conversations. Users can search through messages, files and links and Flock will find it no matter who sent it and where.
There are audio and video calls and screen sharing as well as productivity tools such as polls, note sharing and reminders, while users can assign tasks to certain members of the group.
There’s also integrations with third party applications like Google Drive and Twitter, with notifications appearing directly in channels.
Flock has a free tier, but searches are limited to 10,000 messages, there is a 5GB storage limit and only five third party integrations are permitted. A Pro plan adds unlimited search, 10GB of storage per user, and admin controls, while the Enterprise plan ads 20GB of storage per user, more admin controls and dedicated support.
Nectar
Nectar is an award-winning employee recognition & rewards platform that bolsters online collaboration. It creates a simple, standardized way for organizations to give out recognition, spot bonuses, awards and wellness challenges all within budget. This includes peer to peer recognition as well as manager to direct reports.
With Nectar, you can reinforce great work anytime, anywhere through an interactive recognition feed. Keep morale up, teams connected and promote your company’s core values in an online working environment.
Pros
- Connects with your other tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams and more to make recognition as seamless as possible
- Has a robust rewards engine with hundreds of global gift card options or branded company swag
- Unlike others in this space, Nectar aligns with its customers through Fair Billing. You only pay for ACTIVE users instead of per employee per month. They also don’t do contracts or implementation fees.
- Has a free tier along with paid plans
Explore pricing and features to find the Nectar plan that best fits your team.
Cons
- Wish there was more functionality on the free tier
- Reward options are limited outside of the US, UK or Australia
Intercom
Intercom is yet another interactive collaboration software that you and your team can use to boost sales, get better results from your marketing efforts, and provide excellent customer support. It comes with advanced automation technology that lets you set up resolution bots to resolve the most common customer issues without any human efforts. The team inbox feature within Intercom makes it possible for your support team to continue conversations with customers that are actually taking place on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc.
What is unique about Intercom?
- Real-time chat – as an interactive collaboration software, Intercom allows you to chat and communicate with your customers in real-time, or even follow up conversations later.
- Chatbots – Intercom also allows you to automate your customer interactions with powerful sales and support chatbots and help take the extra burden off the shoulders of your team members.
- App integrations – it integrates with more than 250 apps, and also gives you the option to build your own integrations as well.
- Desktop and mobile interface – with mobile apps for Intercom, you can be rest assured that the users are going to have a seamless experience interacting with your business.
Nextiva
Nextiva’s small business VoIP solution is perfect for businesses looking to collaborate with customers, prospects, and colleagues effortlessly. The platform offers full business phone service capabilities with advanced features such as local phone numbers, call pop, automated greetings, voicemail-to-email, SMS text messaging, mobile App, HD hold music, and more. Best of all, companies can make unlimited calls using the Nextiva platform and port their existing phone number over to Nextiva if they so choose. Nextiva comes at a great value and has been ranked the #1 business communications platform by experts such as Gartner, GetVoIP, and more.
What is unique about Nextiva?
- Quick collaboration – Nextiva allows you to communicate with team members via audio and video calls, giving you the option to carry out quick and meaningful conversations as per your requirements.
- Unlimited texting – you also get the option to send unlimited text messages to and from your business phone number using this VoIP system.
- Call forwarding and auto attendant – to streamline call routing, Nextiva offers an auto attendant feature. You can also forward your calls to the office phone and better handle the call traffic.
- Voicemail to email – you can even listen to voicemails and call recordings from your email account using this powerful app (desktop as well as mobile)
- Put calls in queue – with Nextiva you also get the feature of call queuing that allows you to turn call waiting, call forwarding and voicemail on for all the incoming calls to your business.
Conclusion
The Collaborative Platform is a cloud-based web platform that brings the agility and power of a cloud based architecture to your business. It can support you in different ways, from simple applications going through complex business process management. We have modeled the Collaborative Platform on three key elements: