Today's enterprises move at a faster pace. Digital communication means that you no longer need to be in the same room or even in the same city to collaborate. People across the world can work together, providing their unique talents to every campaign and project.
However, many businesses are still working with cumbersome options like email, which can cause confusion and slow people down. Collaboration software can change everything. Here's why:
1. No one is chained to their inbox.
When you are using email to send information and documents back and forth, everyone involved needs to watch their inboxes. The emails they'll get there won't just be from you, though; they'll also be from everyone else who wants to get in touch with your team members.
There is a reason that many productivity experts recommend checking email only once or twice a day: it's a distraction. When someone is constantly checking email, they are also constantly putting out fires. Collaboration software allows them to focus on the project at hand.
2. Collaboration software makes organization easy.
Which email address did Mark send the revenue report to? Did that chart come from Paula or Jameel? Constantly searching your email for materials can slow you down and even mean that you'll miss important documents and communications.
Collaboration software puts all the conversations and materials in a single place. There's no hunting for documents and no missed messages.
3. Collaboration software saves time.
When you are working through email, you fall into an endless cycle of contributing your part and then waiting for the other person to send theirs. This happens even when you are online and working at the same time.
Collaboration software allows you to see one another's changes and additions in real time. No more waiting for it to be your turn. You can edit projects collaboratively, getting one another's input as quickly as you would if you were sitting side by side in front of your computer.
4. Your communications will be clearer.
Ever collaborate on a project over email with more than one person? It gets very confusing very quickly. While you are responding to one email, another comes in that makes what you wrote obsolete or incomplete.
Collaboration software allows you to see everyone's contributions at the same time. You are all working with the full information all the time.
5. You're not limited to the written word.
Many in the digital age bemoan the fact that text alone is limiting. It can be hard to convey the full meaning of what you are trying to say.
In quality collaboration software, you can engage via text or video chat, screen sharing, and more. With more ways to communicate, you can understand one another more fully. This leads to more effective collaboration.
6. Collaboration software builds team unity.
On collaboration software, people don't just push information back and forth through text. They share relevant blog posts, infographics, and updates. The way that people communicate through collaboration software is more like the way that they do on social media.
As a result, the people you are working with but have never met are not just names in your inbox -- they are teammates. You become more invested in one another. The result is greater unity and a more effective team.
7. Information is spread more efficiently.
When everyone is on the company collaboration space, everyone has the chance to share and comment on information together. For instance, if the people in the C-Suite want to share some information or ideas with a specific team, they can select those people to see their message. Then, each has the ability to comment and come up with more ideas. With email, you can reply, but the information may or may not get seen by others, in turn sparking new ideas from them.
"Reply all" is not the answer to that. While this can work on a list of two or three people, with many more, it gets unwieldy to read every message. After a certain point, "email storms" can result. These occur when many people on a list are replying to all members of the list at once. Thousands of emails can be sent in a matter of minutes, clogging inboxes, and slowing down servers.
Email follows the general model of snail mail: one to one communication. When you try to force this tool to do a job it is not made for, the results are unsatisfactory. Collaboration software was made expressly for groups of people to work together on an easy-to-use shared platform. The result is a smoother process that makes your collaborative works better than they could be with email alone.
Author Bio
Reuben Yonatan is the founder and CEO of GetVoIP and GetCRM -- trusted VoIP and CRM comparison guides that help companies understand and choose a business communication solution for their specific needs. With a 10-year track record in building, growing and strategically shaping operational functionality in all his ventures, Reuben assists SMBs align business strategy with culture and improve overall corporate infrastructure.