Job roles get altered from time to time to meet modern business demands, and so do the software that organizations depend on. In recent years, collaboration software has completely revolutionized the workplace by streamlining workflow and keeping everyone on the same page. What is collaborative software? In simple terms, collaborative software is a solution that helps people to participate in a joint task or work together on a certain project. Businesses in just about any industry have adopted this software as it has proved to be highly functional, highly intuitive and easy to use.
What is the Purpose of Collaborative Software?
For a business to achieve great success, everything boils down to one thing – collaboration, which is people working together towards a common goal. The purpose of collaborative software, therefore, is to make it possible for people to work together. Once put in place, this software facilitates the following:
- Communication between people
Good communication is essential for efficient decision making and the management of day-to-day processes. Collaborative software facilitates communication between colleagues, allowing tasks to be accomplished on time and cost-effectively. Team leaders and managers can utilize this software to relay objectives, assign specific tasks and reason with their juniors in a brief and logical manner. - Sharing of information
Collaboration software is also a tool that facilitates sharing of information. Using the software, people involved in a joint project or task can be able to share information in form of documents, audio and video files, and other forms of media even across geographical distances. - Working together on data/information
As businesses strive to remain on the competitive edge of their respective markets, it has become extremely vital to encourage creativity in the workplace so as to promote healthy employee relationships and boost productivity. Collaborative software enables people to work together on information by sharing their ideas and skills. The software also allows for brainstorming, whereby people get to offer different perspectives to provide practical solutions. - Coordination of efforts and activities
This software enables team members to team up on a common platform and work towards the attainment of a common objective. Collaboration gives each one of them equal opportunities to put in their efforts and partake in group activities, giving them a strong sense of purpose.
Benefits of Collaboration Software
There are different ways in which teams can benefit from utilizing collaborative software in their workplaces. The benefits include:
- It stores information in the cloud so it can be viewed, tagged and shared among team members.
- Helps in proper task management, as it split tasks up and enables team member to keep track of their to-do lists.
- Promotes self-analysis as it enables teammates to take a glimpse of both their weaknesses and strengths.
- It promotes pooling of skills, thus creates a more competent, able and productive team.
- It helps in timely problem solving as it facilitates real-time discussions within teammates.
- Since collaboration helps to add meaning to how teammates perceive their job, workers tend to stay with a business longer. This extra satisfaction and definition results in employee retention.
Popular Collaboration Tools for Businesses
The most popular and commonly used collaboration tools for businesses include:
- Social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
- CRM workflow
- Instant messengers such as Whatsapp, Messenger, etc.
- Telephony and voicemail
- Video conferencing
When choosing collaboration software, it’s important for companies to consider flexibility and the usability of the tool. Also to be noted is the software’s ability to integrate with any 3rd-party tools. Important questions should also be answered when choosing a collaborative tool, i.e. who will oversee the governance of the tool? Who will teach the employees how to utilize the software? Are all data and conversations safe from both external and internal hacks? What will happen if and when the software will need upgrading? Addressing these aspects beforehand will help in choosing the ideal collaborative software to use.