Written by: Aiya Rodjel
In this increasingly interconnected world, nearly half of the human race has embraced digital tools. From collaboration tools to cloud services, digital tools have been instrumental in most companies and educational institutions.
Even before the pandemic, businesses have automated a lot of operational tasks. Instead of having face-to-face meetings, people manage meetings through video calls instead. Instead of standing up to go to other people’s workspace, people have their private conversations on instant messaging platforms instead.
However, the pandemic caused an unparalleled collaboration for team members in the online space. Heavily relying on digital tools might not be on everyone’s business plans, but using a digital tool has become a must in this modern era.
In this article, we’ll discuss digital collaboration tools have changed the game. We’ll also delve into the best online collaboration tools today.
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Online Tools for a More Productive Workplace
Gone are the days when team members just rely on e-mail for professional communication. While this digital tool remains relevant, people have embraced other tools as well.
Nowadays, online collaboration tools have paved the way for teams to stay organized and update one another wherever they are. They have made it easier to manage call traffic while making sure everyone does their jobs well. Here are some benefits of collaborations tools in the digital workplace:
Collaboration increases the productivity levels of employees.
Online collaboration tools have genuinely transformed the way modern professionals work. Essentially, collaboration tools put all important information into a single environment.
Most digital collaboration platforms have multiple features. This means that you can share files in a single storage unit, and get instant feedback for work output through instant messaging through the same platform.
A lot of time gets wasted by unnecessary meetings. Through online collaboration tools, you can discuss ideas through the office instant messaging platform. In case meetings are needed, you can have video calls instead of having to meet each other face-to-face.
Through the screen sharing feature of online collaboration tools, you can provide visual content for your presentations. You can also record meetings in case some team members aren’t available.
Plus, most collaboration tools are compatible with mobile devices. This means that team members can stay connected and productive wherever they are.
Collaboration tools help improve customer-client relationships.
An online collaboration platform can also help improve your relationships with clients. Through an online collaboration tool, an account manager who is talking with a client can retrieve files quickly because they’re stored online in the office cloud. He can also ask other team members for information he would need instantly.
New tools have made it possible for team members to stay in touch as they work remotely. This means that even though the expert from a certain department is located in another city, another team member can confer with that person through tech tools.
Through online collaboration tools, you can record audio and video chat calls. Screen sharing can even be done through a mobile app as well. This means you can record all online communication to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Tracking projects is made simple.
It’s easier to manage projects through team collaboration software. You can assign tasks and organize files at the same time. Additionally, you can track progress and execute projects seamlessly by having good communication and maximizing tech tools.
You can invite all your team members for a certain project in one group chat for faster communication. This makes it so much easier for everyone to be on the same page. Interactive documents have made it possible for people to see the work people put in real-time.
You can assign tasks to team members so everyone is up to date with every team member’s role and deadline. Collaboration tools also give you an idea of the workload team members are handling. This means you can easily gauge their bandwidth through the collaborative platform.
Different members are usually assigned different tasks. There will come a time when certain files need to be sent. Through an online collaboration tool, you don’t have to save files on a USB drive and send it over to other team members. Team members can share files through the office cloud service as well.
Collaboration tools make everything more consistent.
Aside from helping leaders manage projects more efficiently, team collaboration tools make the office workflow more consistent. Without a single team collaboration digital tool, people will end up using digital tools of their choice. Some people might prefer to share files through a free version of a digital file-sharing tool. If files aren’t retrieved before the deadline, the files might get lost forever.
Plus, a lot of things can get lost in translation. Through collaboration tools, you can discuss important matters through video calls. Although having online meetings can take up some time, sometimes, you need audio and video components to understand exactly what you need from one another.
The information management department can better safeguard the team’s files if everything is store in a single online collaboration platform as well. All the features of online collaboration tools can be maximized if the team has a certain process to refer to.
Collaboration tools help unify the office.
It’s easier to be on the same page if you and your team member communicate clearly. Instant messaging platforms help people in the office keep in touch with each other.
File-sharing can be tricky in a world full of online threats. Through digital tools, people can upload files such as interactive presentations in a safe and secure platform. The multiple features of collaboration tools have made it possible for the team to stay united even if they’re physically apart.
Aside from discussing work matters, they can talk to each other privately as well. This paves the way for healthy relationships within the workplace. To liven things up, in-house teams can even come up with online activities for everyone to bond better and destress.
Digital Tools for the Digital Classroom
The workforce isn’t the only one that benefits from team collaboration tools. Online education has its challenges, but for now, students learn from home for their own safety. Digital tools help in providing students the platform to focus on their studies.
Digital tools have helped engage students better even while social distancing. Student collaboration for group projects is so much easier when there’s a single platform for everyone to use. They can use the video conferencing tool to discuss with each other without distractions. The online proofing tool can also make sure their work is good enough to be submitted as well.
Through digital tools, they can study at their own pace. They have access to all school work deadlines and files through the intuitive interface that helps remind them of important matters as well. Digital tools help promote critical thinking and project management as well.
Digital tools are usually available to download on mobile apps as well. This means students can work on different tasks at the same time. Anything urgent they may need can be accessed simply through a mobile app. While it can be challenging to study online, digital tools help pave the way for a better learning experience for everyone.
The Significance of Google Classroom
Google Classroom has made it possible for students and teachers to converse with each other online despite the many distractions of the internet. While you can’t go to your classroom physically, Google Classroom provides a very substantial online alternative.
Top Collaboration Tools
There are a lot of team collaboration tools in the market, but there are certain tools that rise above the rest. These tools help you focus on tasks in a more efficient manner and manage projects better. Here are some of the top collaboration tools for you to consider investing in:
Google Workspace
From online file sharing to instant messaging tools, Google Workspace offers flexible solutions for every business. You can seamlessly integrate your work emails and files through this office online. Google Workspace syncs your Google Calendar with other tools such as your Google Drive and Google Docs.
What’s great about certain tools such as Google Docs is that they can save articles even if you’re disconnected. This means you can work on your essays even if you’re online. Google Drive even has a mobile app version. This means you can retrieve important documents wherever you are.
Other tools of Google Workspace may not be suitable for your business or learning needs. That’s why Google has made it possible for teams to use certain tools only.
Slack
Slack is basically a set of collaboration tools and services. It makes communication within the team so much easier. You can create different channels for different topics and projects. You can also invite relevant personnel to join these channels.
What’s great about Slack is that you can integrate over 1,000 other tools, including DropBox and Microsoft Office. This means you don’t have to orient your team to different workflows and processes.
Another reason why Slack is so popular for remote teams is that enables easy communication. Plus, it makes you feel like everyone is in the same place.
Clockify
If your company pays its employees by the hour, Clockify is a very useful collaboration tool that helps you track each member’s productivity levels. You can track the time through its timer mode or you can do it manually.
This particular digital tool helps you gauge if you’ve spent too much time on a certain task. You can even generate reports and export Summary and Detailed Reports on all your activities. This means it helps teams go through a learning curve.
If you want to see how you’re doing on a weekly basis, you can refer to the Weekly Reports tab. This helps teams fulfill their quotas, and makes sure everyone is making the most of their time.
Trello
Trello is a web application that is used for collaboration and communication. Its intuitive interface can also manage your tasks and projects.
Trello works on the concepts of boards. Each board is a certain project, and you can add cards that represent tasks. You can then add people to these tasks, and track your progress. Think of it as a digital whiteboard your team can refer to to make sure everyone is on time.
The team can also collaborate on ideas, add comments and even vote on certain items. Plus, you can upload attachments, define deadlines and mark them as ‘done’ once finished. This makes managing projects so much efficient and easier.
TeamViewer
There are certain tasks that can be difficult to do by yourself. This particular collaboration tool allows another member of the team to connect to your device remotely. This is especially useful when the team is working on an important presentation together.
What makes this collaboration tool so popular is that it allows desktop and file sharing, and remote control. This means you can access your colleague’s computer, and view all relevant documents, without bothering your colleague. Before you get to do so, however, you need to obtain that person’s permission.
Paving the way for better collaboration
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