The secret to better human-to-human collaboration is no longer just effective management and control. Instead, it’s the combination of technology and automation to help teams extract, organize, and share information faster and more accurately. As a result, collaboration tech is becoming a trending buzzword in the modern business landscape.

So, whether your team is working remotely, from the office, or both, you need to adopt powerful tools to foster effective teamwork. Therefore, in this post, we’ll talk about seven types of employee collaboration tools you should employ to boost communication, productivity, and operational efficiency.

7 Types of Employee Collaboration Tools to Boost Communication and Operational Efficiency

1. Chat Apps

Regardless of your work model (on-premises, remote, hybrid), you need real-time communication software to enable team collaboration. Chat apps come in handy for such purposes. They enable quick and efficient information exchange without in-person interactions. For instance, teams can use them to share project notes, upload files related to a project, or even engage in casual chit-chat during breaks.

The good news is you don’t have to break the bank to procure and implement a chat app. You can use tools like Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Rocket, AIM, and Discord for always-on voice chat. Most of these apps are encrypted, so you don’t have to worry about security concerns.

If you don’t have the budget to invest in a powerful solution and don’t want to use free apps due to security solutions, create a WhatsApp group for different departments.

2. Video Conferencing Software

Video conferencing software became an absolute necessity for organizations during the pandemic as they were forced to shift to remote operations overnight. As a result, tools like Zoom Meetings, Skype, Microsoft Teams, BlueJeans, Cisco WebEx, and GoToMeeting have been in high demand ever since.

These tools are commonly used for virtual meetings, training sessions, and online brainstorming sessions. Some also offer many other features, such as screen sharing, recording, file transfers, and live chats.

3. Project Management Software

In the digital age, you need more than a project management strategy to manage multiple teams, processes, and projects simultaneously. You need a powerful project management tool to help you manage several aspects, from task delegation to deadline management, milestone additions, and resource sharing.

You can find hundred of feature-packed tools in the market, such as Trello, Asana, Workzone, Proofhub, Monday.com, etc. However, make sure you do your homework to choose the right solution for your workload, project type, your team’s IT capabilities, and budget. We recommend trying out trial or demo versions of different apps before upgrading to a paid option.

4. Calendar Apps

Everyone on your team is most likely managing different tasks and workloads that add to your daily workflow. The last thing you want is to disrupt this workflow due to poor scheduling. Therefore, you need to ensure that you keep everyone on the same page in terms of coordination to avoid conflict and frustration.

This is where shared calendar and scheduling apps come in to help organizations to centralize daily activities, such as meetings, appointments, events, work blocks, and deadlines. Popular options include Calendar.com, Fantastical, Google Calendar, Any.do, and Calendly.

5. Virtual Drives

Whether your team is working together remotely or from the office, they need a centralized location to store all shared data for quick and easy access. This data could include records, customer information, marketing campaigns, pricing sheets, and other resources.

As a result, virtual drives have become essential tools for organizations with digitalized processes and operations. Most virtual drives are connected to an on-premises or cloud-based server. Popular options in the market include Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive, Sync, and Box.

6. Online Whiteboards and Brainstorming Tools

Whether your team is working under one roof or from their homes, you often need to carry out brainstorming or team-building sessions to generate ideas and solve problems. Emails, calls, and video conferences can enable communication. However, they’re not always the most effective way to collaborate.

This is where collaborative whiteboards, diagram tools, wireframe software, and mind-mapping solutions, such as Miro, Stormboard, Mural, Sketch, Adobe XD, Mockflow, Coggle, Scrapple, etc., come in to help improve your online decision-making.

Research suggests these tools are great for teams that perform better in online collaboration rather than in physical sessions. Therefore, they can use them to develop more creative ideas or solve problems faster from anywhere, anytime, as long as they have access to the internet.

7. Password Managers

Finally, we have password managers. We’re sure you’re wondering what this personal tool is doing on this list. In some cases, a password is something you may have to protect and share with your team so they can gain access to important files and documents to carry out their duties. A password manager also ensures nobody is locked out from different accounts.

Today, you can find hundreds of free and paid password managers in the market, including 1Password, Dashlane, LastPass, and Bitwarden.

Collaboration Tools Are the Need of the Times

So, there you have it – 7 employee collaboration tools to improve your team’s communication, productivity, and performance. With this information, you can thoroughly assess your strategy and IT infrastructure to equip your team with the best solutions in the market. Whether you need an encrypted chat app for secure internal communication or a virtual drive for document sharing, the options are abundant.

Of course, the list doesn’t end here. There are hundreds of solutions you can use to help your teams work better. So, look for gaps in your workflow and speak to your employees about their pain points. We live in a world where we have an app for everything. So, don’t be shocked when you find one that fixes their problem and improves collaboration.

For more information related to global business trends and emerging technologies in the new normal, visit Percento Technologies today. www.percento.us/trends-in-technology/www.percento.us/expert-services