Key Tools to Improve Communication and Collaboration in the Office

Efficient communication and collaboration between employees can make your business boom. Employees must work together on a regular basis to combine individual areas of expertise and share knowledge, so it is important that communication is straightforward and that your business utilises the right tools to achieve good results.

The experts at Syntax IT Support London have compiled this list of the best software available for kick-starting collaboration and making teamwork that bit easier.

Slack

Slack is a well-rounded instant messaging and collaboration software that allows employees to easily stay in contact throughout the duration of a project. Users can share files through a handy drag and drop feature, with everything from Excel spreadsheets to pdfs being supported. Messages can be made private through invite-only channels and all discussions can be sorted into purpose, department or topic.

A lot of features are packed into Slack but the dashboard remains functional and uncluttered. The search tool allows you to find information instantly, even from within files. Notifications and preferences can be toggled to suit each user so they can get what they need out of Slack without it becoming a distraction.

Google Drive

Google products are popular because they are familiar to users and provide good usability. Drive is a simple solution to file sharing and is great for business use. This software allows you to share files while meeting data compliance needs due to data loss prevention and secure cloud storage.

Machine learning features can take your data and use it to predict what you will need before you know yourself. Invite users to share files and store each team’s work in separately managed spaces to stay organised.

Skype

Skype for Business is a great collaboration tool and comes with a whole load of useful features for the workplace. You can start conversations with colleagues using IM, voice or video calls and can see when contacts are available or in a meeting, so you always know when it’s an appropriate time to chat.

Calls are secure so you can share sensitive information if necessary and be sure that your conversation is private. As well as using Skype to host private meetings, you can also broadcast online to a large audience for marketing or presenting purposes.

You can present your desktop to other users while talking with them to show them what you’re working on, and can even give them control to help you edit.

Facebook Workplace

Facebook Workplace can be particularly useful for employees because they are likely already accustomed to communicating via Facebook in their personal lives.

Workplace takes familiar tools and allows you to use them in new ways to boost productivity within your business. Team groups can be set up to share updates and files with the right people and receive feedback through comments.

The Live Video feature lets you broadcast to your whole business from your smartphone, which is great for those big announcements, and News Feed enables staff to stay up to date with what’s happening in all areas of the company.

You can also automate tasks, send private messages, search for information and stay completely secure while doing so. Workplace is available across all devices, so you can stay connected and take your work with you wherever you go.

Use these tools to collaborate both internally and externally and watch employees become more efficient than ever. Communication cultivates good working relationships and ensures that the best work can get done within all teams, so it is important that you authorise and provide the right software for your workforce to encourage success.