What Makes a Collaboration Tool Any Good?

Collaboration is central to your business’ productivity, and without a good collaboration tool, your efforts will surely suffer. But what goes into a great collaboration tool, and how can you make the most of it? Let’s discuss some of the shortcomings that businesses experience with their collaboration software and how you can avoid making the same mistakes.

A study from Corel outlines ways that companies feel like their collaboration solutions fall short. This study examined over 2,000 workers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Australia, and it found that 54 percent of enterprise employees believe that poor collaboration tools are bad for the business, while 70 percent believe they limit productivity and are a waste of time.

For reference, here are some numbers from the survey:

• 27 percent of employees believe that businesses aren’t investing in the right tools
• 25 percent of employees believe that their collaboration tools have poor functionality
• 22 percent of employees believe they aren’t using the tools they have at their disposal
• 21 percent of employees claim they are not properly trained on how to use their tools

All of these pain points are valid concerns, despite the majority of employees arguing against them. What these numbers specifically showcase is that there is a disconnect between employer and employee in terms of the collaboration tools they are implementing. Collaboration tools are supposed to be implemented so that employees can be more productive with their time, and if significant portions of employees believe this is not the case, then there will likely be resistance that could spiral into full-blown resentment of management for implementing such tools.

This too is backed up by Corel’s data, which showcases that 41 percent of employees have left their position, or would consider leaving if the business suffers from poor collaboration practices. Replacing employees can be an expensive and time-consuming process, and when there is business to be had, this is time that you really don’t want to spend on searching, interviewing, onboarding, and training new employees.

Too often businesses will implement new collaboration tools without considering how their employees will use them or the impact these tools will have on their day-to-day duties. For example, a communication tool like Microsoft Teams is great for keeping in touch with your employees, but if you expect employees to be logged in to this solution all the time, this limits their mobility and creates expectations that they are always on, or always connected to work.

Furthermore, some companies will choose to implement new solutions when they don’t already use the tools they currently have; in essence, they are implementing solutions to problems that might not even be problems in the first place. This can be extraordinarily frustrating to employees who are on the frontlines day in and day out, those who understand what the pain points of your organization are better than anyone else.

A good collaboration tool is one that addresses the needs of the business, and it is successfully implemented when your team embraces it not begrudgingly, but happily. You can help with this process by asking your employees for their feedback prior to implementing a new collaboration solution, training them on how to properly use the new solution following implementation, and keeping them involved in the decision-making process to ensure that the new solution solves more problems than it creates.

Computerware can help your business implement new technology solutions that are designed with your specific needs and pain points in mind. To learn more about how we can help you maximize the odds of success from implementing a new collaboration solution, reach out to us at (703) 821-8200.