Are you one of the 29.2% of companies who say they are holistically examining all of their technology usage and looking for efficiencies? Makes sense. With the economic uncertainty of COVID-19 still looming large, many organisations are preemptively and proactively watching for ways to cut costs.

Still, there are other ways to make your money go further that don’t involve cancelling essential subscriptions or pausing major projects. One of the most cost-effective strategies? Check that you’re getting all you can out of the tech investments you use most: your collaboration tools.

 

Why collaboration tools are so essential

You’ll recognise collaborative technology as the tools and systems that help your team work together and individually, regardless of where that work happens.

Consolidated Technologies Inc. describes collaborative technologies as groupware that “trim the costs and time associated with facilitating group work, from designating roles and responsibilities to routing in-situ documents to checking and approving project parts. They allow for more intuitive and coordinated group problem solving across an entire team’s workflows.”

With 63% of businesses participating in a work from anywhere model, most organisations now find collaboration tools invaluable.

 

These tools are best known for their ability to help teams:

  • Share documents and files
  • Dialog in real-time using chat features
  • Tag members of a team in pertinent discussions
  • Create or change workflow sequences
  • Assign tasks and deadlines
  • Conduct project management remotely
  • Integrate with third-party apps
  • Organise video conferences
  • Track time and schedule meetings

With 63% of businesses participating in a work from anywhere model where operating remotely or on-site is the employee's choice, most organisations now find collaboration tools invaluable. Considering the rising trend of hybrid work models, few experts believe teams will all reliably function in the same place at the same time anytime for the foreseeable future. In other words, collaboration technologies probably aren’t going anywhere.

 

Making your collaborative technology count

Underutilise your collaboration tools and you may as well be throwing away your limited capital. To help your technology dollars stretch further, consider:

  • Having someone oversee the implementation: There can be resistance to widespread changes, but it helps to have a point person ensuring the initial rollout goes smoothly. You may also elect to have team leads learn features first so they can be available to resolve questions or concerns within their particular department.
  • Training your team: That starts by reading the user manual, help menus and technical blogs provided by your collaboration software. Instead of just using what you need most, see what other ways the tech might be able to help your team work smarter.
  • Checking third-party integration options: No app is going to have everything you need, but you may be able to combine forces with other tools to make your collaborative tech more productive.
  • Ensuring tools meet your goals and objectives: You could have invested in the best tool in the world, but it won’t do you much good if it doesn’t help you achieve what you set out to do.
  • Providing refresher training: Features and functionality may change every time there’s an update to the software. Keeping your team up to speed will help ensure they get the most out of newer versions, too.
  • Doing an inventory of your tech: You may discover you have software your team doesn’t utilise much. Save those subscription fees for something that can really help move your work forward.

Whether you’re in the market to invest in additional collaboration tools or simply want to better utilise the ones you already have, this list will help you maximise the value of your collaborative tech suite.