There are a lot of online collaboration tools available, but the most important thing you should know is that these tools can be used to help you communicate and improve team communication. With that said, there are several different types of online collaboration tools available today. Some work over the internet, where others feature mobile apps.
Online collaboration tools are used for team communication, document sharing and storing information about the team and project. It can also be used as a whiteboard for brainstorming purposes. Online collaboration tools are often used by companies as an alternative to installing expensive traditional systems such as SharePoint or as a stand-alone tool for use by small or large groups.
Why collaborate?
If you want your business to get the most out of collaboration tools, consider the reasons why you want to introduce collaboration in the first place. There are many benefits that come along with collaboration when successfully pulled-off, including the following:
- Saved time – Time is of the essence in any industry, and the more you can save, the better. When employees collaborate with each other, they’re saving your organization time by achieving the end goal in a much quicker fashion. Time is money, after all, and the more you can save by embracing collaboration tools, the better.
- Strengthened team relationships – In many ways, your team is like a family unit. Building effective working relationships between members, then, is important. Collaboration tools are an excellent way for team members to become more comfortable with the concept of working together to reach a common goal. In this way, it serves a dual purpose that can benefit your business.
- Improved project management – Managing a project or team can be more difficult a process than many people give it credit for. Collaboration tools are a great way to ensure you’re getting the most out of your team, as they improve communication and keep easily avoidable mistakes at bay. When people work together, the chances that things will fall through the cracks dissipate immensely.
- Better organization – It’s easy for things to go missing when you’re in the middle of a project, which can result in headaches and wasted time. Better organization is something that every company should strive for, even if things are already going well. In many cases, collaboration tools are the best medicine when you’re trying to improve organization.
What does online collaboration do for business?
If online collaboration is catching on for any reason, it’s because of the business benefits in many different industries.
For one, it allows remote workers to communicate and work together in a streamlined manner. This not only improves efficiency, but also lets employees get to know each other, work in harmony, and build relationships.
Online collaboration is progressive in nature, making it an ideal platform for forward-thinking businesses.
It fosters the creation of ideas that might not otherwise come to fruition, nips potential issues in the bud, and generally creates a more enjoyable, stress-free work environment.
For businesses that operate outside of a centralized location, online collaboration tools are a dream come true.
How Can Online Collaboration Help Businesses?
Travel cost savings
When you’ve got to travel for a meeting the costs can rise quickly.
Transport, accommodation and food can be expensive – especially if you’re going abroad or away for an extended period of time.
So how do collaboration tools help? For, a start you can login anytime, anywhere so there’s no need to be in the same place as the person you’re meeting.
Once logged in, tools such as calendars, conference call facilities, and task management allow you to carry out your meeting and immediately record any follow up actions.
Reminders can then be sent out to ensure that these have been completed. Much better than scribbling notes on a bit of paper!
Collaborate on documents in real-time
The typical way to collaborate on documents is email. You open the document, make a change then send it onto the next person. Job done.
This can get messy though. As more emails are sent, it gets harder to track who has made changes and which version is the latest.
Document collaboration is at the heart of any tool. Simply upload your document and assign colleagues or teams to different chapters. They can then work together in real-time to get the content exactly how you want it.
For total transparency, you can then use the audit trail to see what changes have been made and by whom.
Stop using email (or at least reduce its use)
OK, so it may not be realistic to stop using email completely.
With 124.5 billion of them being sent and received each day by businesses, you can see just how popular this particular communication method is.
But is emailing all it’s cracked up to be? In our opinion, it’s not for these reasons.
Security
With news that email has been named as a top risk for 2018, it’s now imperative that you look for more secure ways to share sensitive data.
As mentioned earlier in this post, leading vendors regularly test and put robust security measures in place to protect your data.
Can you be sure that email providers do the same? Would your clients and partners be happy to take this risk?
Full team visibility and accountability
Expecting people to collaborate without full visibility over what, exactly, they’re working on together is a recipe for disaster. Every member of the team needs to see the bigger picture and how what they’re doing fits into it. Collaborative tools make this possible. Logging into a Google Doc and tracking changes alongside everyone else, for example. The ability to see task timelines in a project management app is another great example. Everyone is on the same page, working toward the same goal.
With this visibility also comes an element of accountability. If a task isn’t finished, team leaders know who to hold accountable. Or, from a proactive perspective, team members can see when others need help and collaborate to keep the project on-track.
Enable full group participation
Every member of a team is an asset. Teams are successful because they’re more than the sum of their parts—but that’s only true if each part contributes to the whole. If members of a group can’t collaborate properly, they’re limited in the assistance they can provide. If Person A works off-site and can’t access collateral for their portion of the project, they’re unable to work on it, which can stall the greater effort. Likewise, if details X, Y, and Z aren’t told to Person B, they might not do their work appropriately, which adversely affects what Person C does.
Collaborative tools enable full group participation and synergy, so everyone contributes meaningfully. Each person uses their skills and talents to drive the project forward in a show of true collaboration.
Best Online Collaboration Tools
GitHub
Consider GitHub if you are into programming. This development platform owned by Microsoft Corporation allows programmers to seamlessly collaborate and work on the same projects simultaneously.
On the platform, each collaborator gets a working copy of the code displayed on their computer through the GitHub web-based graphical interface. Any changes made on a project can be reviewed and easily rolled back if need be.
Pros
- Unlimited private repositories on the tool’s free tier
- Easy to use and track changes with the Gists feature
Cons
- Can easily be affected by a security breach
- Some great features are locked away behind a SaaS paywall
Creatopy
Creatopy is the efficient and intuitive visual production platform delivering a well-crafted experience for communicators. The brand-new platform allows individuals and teams to easily create engaging advertising visuals for multi-channel creative mediums.
Featuring advanced automation capabilities, along with an ever-growing library of templates and visual elements, Creatopy gives communicators the needed tools to spark their creative journey and keep visual content organized and always on-brand.
Plus, with Creatopy, you get an online workspace in which you can create and store unlimited designs and animations. You can also share notes and projects, give feedback, and pass around links, not files.
Pros
- Cloud-based collaboration for all stakeholders
- Accessible, intuitive interface with a drag and drop editor
- Design presets, templates, and original illustrations, available at no resale
- No coding or design skills required
- Designs can be exported as HTML5, GIF, AMP HTML files
Cons
- Requires a stable internet connection
- They don’t have a mobile app yet
Trello
Here’s one of the most famous project management tools out there. Trello is optimized for keeping tasks organized and lets users create boards or lists that can be assigned to and shared with others.
Trello is replete with deadline reminders and email notifications, plus; it can integrate with other tools including Evernote, Google Drive, GitHub, and Slack for a unified team experience.
Pros
- It’s free
- Quick real time updates
- Simple and easy to add new member, create and assign tasks
Cons
- Difficult to handle large projects
- Not the best way to collaborate; You can choose tools such as Slack or Brief for your real-time communication
Conclusion
Meetings are one of the most common uses for online collaboration tools. They allow an entire company, or several groups within one company to participate in decision making without everyone needing to be in the same room. These types of meetings are also unique because an online environment eliminates time zone issues, which is especially helpful when deadlines are involved.