Although the Internet has brought huge changes in our everyday lives, there’s arguably no area where it’s had more impact than business and communication. As a tool for keeping people in touch, only the phone can approach its success, and even that pales in comparison to the Internet, which enables free phone, text, and even video calls. All you need is a PC and an Internet connection. Business has boomed online in many ways, and there’s simply no imagining a world without the Internet powering commerce and corporation any more.
When it comes to bringing together teams of people, there’s no better tool, either. Collaboration is one of the key uses of the Internet, allowing people from around the world to work together as if they were in the same room.
Initially, this communication was limited to text-based interaction such as email, message boards and chat, but as technology evolved, voice calls, video calls and video conferencing became the norm. Companies small and large routinely use the Internet for meetings. There’s so much more that’s possible, though, and today’s Internet, thanks to the growth of cloud computing and storage, has brought with it new levels of collaboration. Now we have tools and software that make it possible to work together from anywhere in the world, in ways that we’d never had thought possible only a few years ago.
Online collaboration tools open up a whole new world of possibilities for business, small and large. Distance doesn’t mean a thing if you have the right tools, and whether you’re a major corporation that needs to host a large-scale meeting or seminar, or you’re a home worker needing to communicate with a colleague, there are services and software packages out there to accommodate your needs.
We’re going to take a look at some of these, and we’ll dip into both the paid and free options for those looking to bring their workforce closer together, and to utilise more efficient communication and work sharing.
What Is It?
We should begin by exploring what collaboration software actually is, and what it does. Simply put, collaboration software is made up of tools that allow multiple people to work together on a single task or project online. It allows people and teams to work together, even though they may be located in different geographical areas. Projects can be worked on by teams positioned around the globe thanks to the often cloud-based nature of such platforms.Collaboration tools are not just for distant communication and teamwork, however, and they can be just as useful for those working together in the same location, used instead as an easy way to centralise work and project plans.
The actual functionality of these tools and platforms varies, and there are many elements of collaboration catered for: messaging, white boards, document sharing, real-time document updating and video or phone conferencing are routinely included in such tools. Some packages are geared for specific functions, and require other tools to back them up, whilst others strive to be a full package, so to get the most out of them, you’ll need on that’s right for you.
What To Look For
What makes a good collaboration package, then? What kinds of features should you be looking for? There are many factors to consider, and these will vary depending on your projects and goals. However, there are some universal considerations you should focus on when selecting your package.
First, you need to try and find a flexible option, one that has plenty of communication methods. It’s best not to settle for just one form of communication as this will limit your contact. Productivity will suffer if you need to schedule video conferencing for each and every session, when a simple text message will suffice. The more methods of keeping in touch you have in one package, the better.
It’s also important to ensure your platform is easy to use. If you’re working with a group, you can’t assume everyone will be terms of computer literate or online communication savvy. Some may be far less capable using computers than others, but may still be essential to your collaboration. Picking an easy to use package is very important.
No project or collaboration is complete without some form of planning and scheduling. Working with multiple teams with no schedule is a recipe for failure, so any collaboration tool needs to allow the group planning and scheduling of tasks and goals. This ensures everyone is on the same page, and knows dates and deadlines.
Hand-in-hand with this comes real-time collaboration. It’s all very well being able to access files and data from anywhere, but having to struggle with updates and overwriting changes can be a nightmare for complex projects. If two or more people are working from the same file, overwrites and loss of data can occur. Real-time updating is the answer here, and it means multiple users can update documents at once, and all changes are tracked and viewable instantly.
Finally, there’s general file sharing and access. You’ll likely be working with all sorts of files during your project, and so you’ll need to be able to effortlessly share these with the rest of your team(s). Solid, dependable, and fast sharing is needed, and any collaboration tool worth its salt should allow this, be it working from files situated in the cloud, or downloading copies from a central server. Different methods will suit different needs, but all are welcome, and should always be available.
What Does Your Business Need?
Now, all of these concerns are fairly global. Most collaborations will benefit from any of these main areas of concern, but you should also consider any special areas your particular project needs. Some packages will posses features others lack, and some are designed for specific tasks. When looking for your software, keep this in mind. For example, if you’re going to be working on a project that has to store large amounts of data, online storage and access will be a major concern, more so than projects that may simply require access to a shared spreadsheet.
Projects that involve a lot of important team members around the world will rely heavily on constant communication and updates, so you need to pick an option that really does focus on this element, granting the best possible ways to stay in touch. Other projects won’t need this kind of communication, instead needing only a central storage area.
Consider this when choosing, as you can often save money if you go for a cheaper option that lacks features you’re not going to use anyway. Don’t be tempted to go for an all-singing, all-dancing option if you’re not going to use the majority of the tools on offer, and don’t rule out the use of two or more packages, as some naturally compliment each other.
The Tools
Now we’ll have a look at some of the best collaboration tools available online. There are many types, so we’ll try to cover as many as we can, but always take a look online yourself, as there are far too many to cover here, and we may not mention an option that’s more suitable for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Dropbox
When it comes to file sharing, few services are as accomplished. Dropbox has quickly become the go-to option for many, and it scales perfectly for small-scale sharing to large-scale collaborations. It’s also easy to use, and all you need to do is share a folder to others that need to use it, and access to this is granted on their own device, of which the software supports many.
All team members will have access to the shared content, you can control access rights, and you’ll receive updates about any modified versions. As folders are shared, updates are automatically synced, making it a very useful service for pretty much any project. When used in tandem with other tools, Dropbox quickly becomes a perfect option for remote data access. That are also a lot of way to expand free storage, so be sure to check the site for offers.
Google Docs
Possibly the most popular online collaboration tool of them all, Google Docs is a powerhouse of collaboration, and it offers a wide range of office tools, all accessible from your browser. You don’t need to have any office software installed, it’s all handled by the cloud.
Users can create documents easily, and these can be shared with others using access rights. Importantly, Google Docs also features a live-mode that allows multiple people to work on a single document at the same time. This is handled in real-time, and is a superb feature, and one that makes managing complex projects and schedules a breeze. Even better is the inclusion of document history, so you can keep track of the changes made, and who made them.
If you need to work on any documents offline, you can also export anything from the web-client, so you can still work whilst you’re on the go and not connected.
Slack
Flexibility is one of the main benefits of Slack, and it’s a collaboration tool that puts communication at the forefront. It’s use of chat channels, which can be ordered into custom groups makes communication with groups, be they large or small, easy. Past sessions are easy to search for, so you can retrieve information, and you can integrate a whole collection of tools with it to further enhance the platform.
The sheer utility of Slack is arguably it’s best feature, though, and the aforementioned app integration opens up a whole world of possibilities. There’s a long list of compatible apps, which can be found at slack.com/apps. These include design tools, development apps, office management, marketing, and much, much more. You can even integrate Skype, which is a great tool in its own right. The program is also free for smaller teams, with larger teams inuring a cost.
Skype
Skype has to be one of the most successful video chat applications on the market. It’s easy to use, solid, and dependable. There’s little bloat, and it’s just as at home in the world of business as it is in the home when used to talk to friends and relatives. It’s so popular, it’s practically become a verb.
It’s high quality video conferencing features make it perfect for collaboration, and although it offers basic chat and file sharing, it’s the core feature that’s the draw. File sharing and chat are best served by other, more accomplished tools, leaving Skype to do what it does best.
Google Hangouts
Google’s answer to the likes of Skype is a good accompaniment for Google Docs. Unlike Skype, which has a limit of 10 people per video conference (Skype recommends five for optimal performance), Hangouts has a far larger capacity of 100. This means even large companies can host video calls, packing in whole departments, not just a select few.
Another obvious benefit is the program’s integration with Google’s other services, such as Gmail, where it can import contacts. It’s also received a lot of attention of late, improving the video quality and that of the overall service, making it a staple choice for many businesses.
Podio
Podio is a powerful, and free collaboration tool that functions much like a business social network. It features various communication tools, such as chat, internal email, contacts, and so on, and integrates these with other business tools like project management, tasks, and user profiles that can be associated with other people and specific positions, such as managers.
Like Slack, Podio can also use add-on apps to further bolster it’s usefulness. These include tools like CRM, marketing, and HR apps. There’s even an app builder that lets you create your own additions when you need something specific.
Trello
One of the easiest to use options we’ve seen is Trello, which features a very simple and easy to manage GUI that helps label and order project tasks. Using a drag-and-drop system, elements of your collaboration can be manipulated and assigned easily, and it also has a great mobile device companion app, making it great for out of office workers.
The only downside to Trello lies in its main strength: its simplicity. The program can struggle when projects become more complex in nature. The simple interface and design doesn’t scale well, so larger collaborations may need another, more powerful tool.
Asana
Asana is a project management collaboration tool focusing on remote access and being flexible enough to deal with multiple projects on the go. It’s interface isn’t as clean as some (it can be customised), but it makes it easy to organise and prioritise work – and when you need to get down to the nitty gritty of a task, it’s got you covered.
Using simple workspaces, task check-lists, and keyboard shortcuts, it’s easy to manage, and you can easily assign tasks to other users, or add followers to keep them in the loop. The ability to prioritise tasks is also very useful, and makes handling multiple jobs much easier.
HipChat
Sometimes you don’t need all sorts of features for a collaboration, and you can do away with the advanced tools many solutions offer. You may simply need to chat and communicate with others. Enter HipChat, a tool designed for simple, effective communication that lets users create chat rooms for teams to meet up in. Here files and images can be shared, and one-to-one chats can be set up. Being multiplatform, this could work well with a more in-depth collaboration app.
Yammer
Owned by Microsoft, Yammer is a large-scale collaboration tool that’s easy to use, but powerful enough for any project. Similar, in many ways, to social networks like Facebook, it uses profiles and groups to organise content – along with shares and comments, the ability to upload images, and other social media features. As it’s a Microsoft program, it also integrates with office tools like 360, and a whole slew of apps you’ll usually find in the average workplace.
That’s just a handful of possible collaboration tools you can find, and all can help bring your workers or team member together, no matter what their geographical location, making the world a very small place.