6 Ways Collaboration Tech Will Benefit Your Business

Collaboration technology has quickly become a necessity for businesses in every industry.  The ability to streamline communication and collaboration efforts between in-house and remote teams provides companies with multiple benefits that equate to greater success. Collaboration technology enables teams to work together in real-time—despite their locations—to solve problems and perform vital tasks. Lets examine the six biggest benefits collaboration tech provides businesses.

1. Allows For Greater Flexibility

In today’s globalized marketplace, both employees and clients demand flexibility. The number of remote workers is on the rise, and with the help of collaboration technology, these remote workers are able to perform the vital tasks of their jobs from wherever they are. In fact, a recent study showed that only three percent of workers come up with their best ideas while on the clock. The other 97 percent of workers said their best work-related ideas come to them while being out of the office and doing routine day-to-day tasks. Collaboration technology enables employees to communicate and share ideas whenever—and wherever— their best ideas come to them.

2. Increased Productivity

 Increasing employee productivity leads to greater profits and more improved business functions from top to bottom. Collaboration technology—when used correctly—decreases the feeling of isolation among workers and improves employee productivity. Implementing collaboration technology correctly gives employees the tools necessary to feel more engaged with tasks, and increases productivity among both in-house and remote workers. In fact, remote teams using collaboration technology often outperform co-located teams. How? Collaboration technology provides the backbone for efficient and effective communication, which leads to greater engagement and increased productivity

3. Reduces Costs

Travel costs can quickly become a major expense for companies. This includes traveling to meet with clients, train employees, and monitor the progress of projects. Collaboration technology allows businesses to forgo the expensive of travel by implementing visual communication tools. For example, video conferencing is a great example of the type of collaboration technology that allows companies to cut back on travel costs. Video conferencing allows real-time, face-to-face conversations to take place anywhere in the world. The instant communication enabled by collaboration technologies such as video conferencing is unmatched by any other technology on the market.

4. Cultivates A Team Environment

The generational demographic of the workplace has changed drastically over the past five years. Millennials have become the majority in today’s marketplace, and companies have found a way to cater to their needs by creating more productive and team oriented environments. Hybrid office spaces that incorporate a variety of collaboration technology have proven to cultivate a more team oriented environment that the millennial generation thrives in. Hybrid office spaces like huddle rooms are smaller style conference rooms that include various collaboration tech within them. These smaller rooms create more intimate settings than traditional conference rooms, and therefore encourage employees to work as a team.

5. Increased Accessibility Of Documents And Resources

One of the most critical components of success is the accessibility of documents and resources. Collaboration technology simplifies sharing and accessing documents. Various collaboration technologies offer simple and user-friendly sharing capabilities that make file sharing a breeze. Collaboration technology also allows companies to record and save various training videos for future use. Knowledge transfer is critical to the success and longevity of a business, and collaboration tech increases the accessibility of documents and resources.

6. Gives You A Competitive Edge 

Globalization in the marketplace has led to greater competition, not only for new clients, but also for talent acquisition. Collaboration tech will give companies the edge they need to stay competitive. Recruiting high-talent employees, finding new clients, and retaining existing clients are all made possible with the use of collaboration tech.  Collaboration technologies have the ability to make distance disappear and can foster better relationships with business partners.

The Takeaway

The use of collaboration technology is more than just a trend—it’s a necessity. Increased productivity, greater flexibility, reduced costs, and more accessible documents and resources are all possible with the use of collaboration tech. The question isn’t when collaboration technology will become a standard for your industry—but rather when companies are going to realize collaboration tech is a necessity to stay competitive in today’s marketplace.

Photo Credit: Hytechpro Flickr via Compfight cc