Collaboration Tools are online applications that allow to share task list, notes, calendars, files and media with partners in different location. There are three types of Collaboration Tools based on how they work: Web Conferencing Tool, Web Meetings Tool, External Collaboration Tool .
Collaboration software empowers online brainstorming, improves group productivity, and speeds routine tasks. With online collaboration tools, groups can work together at the same time—even when they are in different locations. These tools also let you share files securely, create meeting agendas, upload audio/video, play games together, and much more.
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
Teamwork
Teamwork was built so you can manage ALL your client work in one platform. From invoicing, to time tracking, to unlimited client access, everything you need to run your client services is in Teamwork.
Teamwork gives you the tools and reports you need to maximize resources and never miss a billable minute again. Get a bird’s eye view of every project, from milestones to capacity planning, budgeting and time tracking and more.
Break work and projects into tasks and layers of subtasks – so nothing slips through the cracks and everyone knows what to do and when it’s done.
Pros
- Signup for a free 30-day trial of Teamwork with no commitments
- Teamwork has the growth-focused features like time tracking, custom client permissions, assigning tasks to multiple people and more
- A user-friendly learning curve and the essential features (like reports and resource management)
- Teamwork has the collaboration, client features and robust flexibility necessary for managing multiple complex projects
- Solid functionality so your team can manage large, complex projects without the learning curve and limitations
- Collaborate in real-time with your team and clients to get your questions answered and projects delivered on time & on budget.
Cons
- UX can be a bit cumbersome, but they are currently working on an overhaul
Chanty
Chanty is a simple team chat solution, with easy-to-use collaboration features, unlimited message history, and workplace apps to enable teams to foster healthy relationships through transparent and accessible communication.
It is a messaging tool that enables your team members to complete projects, activities, or tasks easier and faster. It also helps you consolidate all the information you need in one easy-to-use application.
Pros
- Unlimited searchable message history
- Inbuilt task manager
- Simple and clean interface
- Easy-to-start and easy-to-use
Explore pricing and features to find the Chanty plan that best fits your team.
Cons
- Limited in custom integrations
Slack
Slack is a smart collaboration tool that is available in both desktop and mobile versions. It allows teams to send direct messages to each other as individuals as well as groups.
You can also organize conversations into various channels for specific initiatives or projects, and integrates with the best Slack apps like Google Docs, Box and Dropbox for a more unified experience.
Pros
- Hosted in the cloud so no need for costly installations
- Messages are fully searchable
- Supports private group communication
- Allows for external sharing
Cons
- Has a message visibility limit
- Pretty expensive on a per user basis
- Is slower to load than other apps such as Flock or Brief
- It can be cumbersome to sign into each workspace to communicate with different teams
Flock
If you are looking for more comprehensive communication features, then Flock is a great alternative for Slack (above). It is a communication tool that allows teams to have different channels, as well as individual and group conversations.
Unlike Slack, Flock is much faster with short load times and allows users to search through all messages, URL and files with ease. The tool is optimized to find virtually any search query regardless of its source in the channels. Further, it supports screen sharing, audio and video calls. Flock users can conduct polls, set reminders, share notes, and assign tasks for maximum productivity.
Pros
- Has short load times
- Messages are fully searchable
- Has unlimited message visibility
Cons
- Has fewer app integrations than Slack
- Does not support automated bots
Skype for Business
Most of us are familiar with Skype. Simply put, it’s an online collaboration tool that allows users to communicate with any other Skype user for free via instant messaging, voice, video and screen sharing.
More importantly, Skype supports conference calls for up to 25 people, which means it can be a very convenient way to bring all your team together for a quick update of project status.
For more premium features, opt instead for Skype for Business.
Pros
- The tool is free
- You can call anyone in the world who has a Skype account
- Supports screen sharing
- The app is easy to install
Cons
- Offers no language translation services
- Skype picks up background noises easily
- Sound quality is dependent on bandwidth
Asana
Organisation to the max
TODAY’S BEST DEALSVISIT SITE
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.
ProofHub
If you are willing to manage teams and projects using a single software, ProofHub is just the perfect project management and online collaboration tool you need on your side. It brings together all the essential tools to foster teamwork and stay on top of your tasks. You can easily break a project into tasks and smaller subtasks and assign them directly to your team members. ProofHub also makes it much easier to streamline projects and stay on schedule with its built-in Kanban boards and Gantt charts. By using a Kanban board it becomes possible to see tasks moving through different stages of the project. On the other hand, a Gantt chart lets you view how each task fits in the overall timeline of the project along with the assignees.
What is unique about ProofHub?
Here are some key collaboration features that you will get in ProofHub:
Review files related to projects, give feedback, and approve them in real-time. Moreover, you can use markup tools to annotate files and point out the specific regions that should be modified.
When you need to brainstorm or collect thoughts from people on your team to resolve a particular matter, you can create dedicated spaces in ProofHub as discussion topics. Add people, grab the attention of team members by mentioning them in comments, and share files within a discussion space.
Team collaboration is incomplete without communication. ProofHub enables all the members of a team to be one the same page with its chat tool. You can use the chat interface to connect with your colleagues either in a one-on-one chat or a group chat. You also have the flexibility to send files directly from your chat box and say goodbye to clunky mails.
Store and organize all the files of your projects in a common space. The cloud storage offered by ProofHub makes it possible to upload files from your system or other third-party file hosting services like Google Drive and DropBox. You can even share and collaborate on files with your team members using ProofHub.
Acquire
Acquire customer support software is an easy to use, multi-channel customer communication platform. It is ideal for businesses of all sizes. The software is equipped with the latest customer engagement options, particularly live chat, chatbot, cobrowsing, voice calls, and video chat to deliver high-quality support to your customers quickly and efficiently.
What is unique about Acquire?
- Customizable – one of the best things about this customer support software is that it is completely customizable according to your business needs. You can choose the apps that suit your requirements and use it just the way you want to.
- Chat routing and history – Acquire also gives you the option to track chat history for better information management. You can even route chats by tagging your team members for complex queries for which you don’t have an answer.
- Tracking – with Acquire you have the option to track various factors of performance like chat time periods, total number of chats, demographics and others.
- Automate responses – you can send messages proactively to customers based on their location, behavior and various other factors.
- Data security – Acquire enables you to share PII (personally identifiable information) in an encrypted manner to ensure complete safety of your data
- Video chat – you can switch to video chat for a better customer service experience from within your chat window.
Conclusion
Even if we missed the opportunity to meet in person with a real estate professional or attorney, there is no longer a reason to not keep our conversations and communication going. And with the help of an online collaboration tools, we can always find a time and place that works for both of us.