Search
Blog posts tagged collaboration
Six of the best business collaboration tools
February 21, 2013
Can you get everyone around the same table? (Image: Arne Hendricks on Flickr.)
There's a complete abundance of online tools to make collaboration easier, even when the people you're collaborating with are based in different locations.
In fact, there are so many collaboration tools available - both free and paid-for - that it's hard to settle on one that's right for you and your colleagues. To help you find a tool that works for you, here are some of the best on the market:
1. Trello
Trello allows teams to manage projects through a system of 'cards' that convey different ideas and concepts.
Extremely efficient, it's simple to navigate with a clear, logical interface. You can log in to Trello through your web browser, or download apps for Android and Apple mobile devices.
2. Huddle
Huddle was founded in London, and this service allows you to send and share files quickly and easily, logging details and keeping projects organised.
It's a highly efficient collaboration tool which allows your team to manage everything across a series of 'whiteboards' where everyone can see what's going on. The free version of Huddle is rather limited, so you'll need a paid-for package for anything more than basic functions.
3. MindMeister
MindMeister works on the basis of mind-mapping, adopting a visually-driven approach to collaboration. Your team can share their thoughts in a collaborative and visually stimulating manner across a number of 'whiteboards'.
There's a good mobile app for MindMeister too, which is helpful when ideas creep up on you while out and about. You have to use the paid package in order to get a version of MindMeister you can use without internet access, but even the free version has a lot to offer.
Learn more about MindMeister >>
4. Sync.in
With a highly intuitive interface, Sync.in manages to be simple to navigate whilst also providing advanced functions. You can manage projects across various social media outlets, and sharing is quick and easy.
Sync.in tends to be text-driven, and there are no visual tools whatsoever. Still, that means it's focused, driving projects forward along a single track.
5. Basecamp
Basecamp is one of the most well-respected collaboration tools out there. With an intuitive dashboard, it's an effective management system that operates through emails and can also connect to a number of external technologies.
It's a good beginner's tool because it's simple, but it has deep technical features that you can explore as you get to grips with it. The downside? Many of the extra features come at a price, leaving you with minimal resources initially.
6. Skype
Skype might have started out as a tool for socialising, but these days many businesses find it essential for discussions and collaboration.
You can talk face-to-face via webcams, allowing for easy sharing of ideas when back-and-forth messages won't cut it. It might be no good for document sharing or project management, but it's perfect for instant messaging and voice chats. (It's also a cheap way to get a landline number.)
Do you rely on a collaboration tool that isn’t listed here? Leave a comment to let us know about it.
- Five free collaboration tools
- Improve collaboration using tools you already have
- How CRM and IT are going asset free
This article was written by Alexa Garthwaite, Business Development Manager at Executive Offices, who offer virtual offices, serviced offices and meeting room hire in prestigious locations across the UK.
Communication and administration: a business nightmare?
January 14, 2013
Tick-tock: time is precious in business. (Image: Flickr user blue2likeyou.)
Are communication and administration tasks diverting resources in your business that could be better used for other things?
A study conducted by Dynamic Markets on behalf of Google has found that even in this age of webcams, collaboration software and instant messaging, many workers struggle to work together effectively.
Many of the 3,500 small companies surveyed cited specific problems with communications and admin. They'll probably be familiar to your company too:
- Over half of respondents said they run into email problems on a weekly basis. The biggest single issue was mailbox size. It's common for some email systems to block incoming and outgoing messages when your mailbox fills up. No word on whether any respondents are secretly pleased for the breathing space they get when this happens.
- Arranging meetings eats chunks of employee time. The survey found that on average, a meeting takes one-and-a-half hours to arrange. Regardless of whether you accept that faintly ludicrous figure, it's clear meetings drain productivity. You can use a shared calendar system to book meetings efficiently (both Microsoft Office and Google Apps offer this function), but I'm not convinced that gets to the root of the problem. It would be far better simply to pledge to hold fewer meetings.
- Another big headache is collating feedback. On average, the people surveyed do this seven times a month, taking two hours each time to combine all the comments into a single master document.
Even when faced with these issues, many workers are still clinging to traditional methods of communication, relying on the phone, email and meetings.
However, some businesses are seeking alternative ways to communicate, with 39% increasing their use of online collaboration tools. The study found that these are more commonly used by organisations which saw an increase in profits or turnover in 2012.
This could suggest that more forward-thinking, tech-savvy small businesses are using collaborative technology to gain a competitive advantage.
Do you use any great collaboration tools in your business? Or is it better to pick up the phone and have a chat? Leave a comment to let us know.
Why smaller businesses are best placed for technology change
April 03, 2012
Against the backdrop of a challenging economic climate and unpredicted social and political upheavals, the need for agility and flexibility in business is paramount. Accompanying this turbulent environment is a tidal wave of technology change. It’s having an impact on every aspect of businesses operations, from the boardroom to the shop floor.
These trends are fuelling an unprecedented change to the way businesses and employees operate. And many organisations aren’t ready to adapt to the future workplace.
A power shift away from management
Recent Ricoh research – conducted via the Economist Intelligence Unit – demonstrates how power is shifting away from the traditional management hierarchy. This research found that 63% of business leaders are predicting that business decision-making will shift towards individual employees, as businesses move towards a decentralised structure by 2020.
Although lacking the financial resources of bigger companies, smaller businesses could find themselves at an advantage in this scenario. Their size and nature means they’re more likely to have a cohesive, collaborative management structure where the best ideas can rise to the top and be implemented into everyday operations.
Likewise, SMEs often have a more flexible approach to technology adoption. Having a smaller workforce makes IT innovation more commonplace. For instance, it’s easier to take an individual approach to IT provision, giving each member of staff access to the technology they’re most comfortable with.
Democratic data access
It is, however, difficult to shift decision-making to employees if they do not have access to the data and documents they need to take action. So if your business really wants to get ready for employee empowerment, you may need to rethink how your document processes work. The aim is to ensure important information is shared flexibly across your whole company.
The research also points towards a new, more collaborative approach to product and service development. Nearly 86% of business leaders agreed that project teams will typically include people from outside the organisation like customers, partners and communities.
This adds weight to the argument for shifting towards a connected business model where all these parties are linked and able to communicate effectively so they can develop the brightest ideas.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead, there’s a great opportunity here for companies willing to implementing more collaborative technologies. The tidal wave of technology change will give birth to a new generation of business success stories, empowered by customers and partners alike.
- Embrace employees who bring their own IT to work
- Choosing collaboration tools for your business
- Document management explained
Chas Moloney is a director at Ricoh UK.
Could the Telenoid bring your staff closer together?
April 14, 2011
The Telenoid looks nothing like this. (Image: Flickr user firepile under Creative Commons.)
This is a guest post from the Microsoft small business team. Read their blog or follow them on Twitter.
Some people are calling it ‘location liberation’. But however you want to refer to it, it’s about using tools like video-conferencing, collaboration technology and cloud computing to make it easier to work with other people, no matter where you are.
Introducing the Telenoid
One development you might have seen last year came out of Japan (where else?). It’s a somewhat creepy tele-operated android, which apparently helps you 'feel' the presence of another person.
The idea – apparently – is that instead of seeing your colleagues elsewhere on screen, they’ll be kind of projected onto the android.
As the BBC explains, “Professor Ishiguro's system uses a motion-tracking webcam to transmit your voice, facial expressions and head movements to the Telenoid, via a high-bandwidth web connection”
That creepy appearance is actually intentional – as Ishiguro described, “we also gave the robot a minimal design, so that people can use their imagination to make it more personal.”
Will it ever catch on?
Hmmm. While it’s early days for this technology, it’s hard to ever imagine it in the offices and meeting rooms of small businesses up and down the country. Would you rather have a strange android figure sat in on meetings, or simply use a flatscreen TV and video camera to see who you’re talking to?
The story goes on: “Holding and touching a business colleague's avatar might be a step too far...” I don't think anyone would argue with that!
While videoconferencing and other collaboration tools certainly have their detractors, many businesses use them successfully. So, on balance it’s probably better to start there rather than placing an early order for a Telenoid or two.
Small business technology advice, tools and resources | IT Donut
Copyright © 2010-2016
