COLLABORATION TOOLS &
COMMUNICATION TOOLS
A collaboration tool helps people
to collaborate. The purpose of a collaboration tool is to support a group of
two or more individuals to accomplish a common goal or objective. Collaboration
tools can be either of a non-technological nature such as paper, flipcharts, post-it
notes or whiteboards. They can also include software tools and applications
such as collaborative software.
Communication
Communication collaboration tools allow
to exchange information between individuals:-
1. [PINS]
Main article: E-Mail
The invention of email as a
collaboration tool changed the way we used to communicate in the workplace. It
is the easiest method to make contact within an organization and is well
established. Especially for organizing daily correspondence, email can reach
various people with just one click.
Although email is still the most
common used tool in communication collaboration it is not very efficient on a
big scale and other forms of communication seem to take over. Besides its
flexibility it is not very well for group conversations as they grow too
fast.[citation needed] There is no way to be sure that you have the latest
version of a document that has been sent to you and it is impossible to always
track via your email what tasks need to be done and by which deadline. As Cisco
states in their Cisco Blog about the "Future of Email", emails
"will improve productivity by organizing your data for you" and try to bring more transparency in your
work with email.
2. Voicemail
Main article: Voicemail
Voicemail as a collaboration tool
is more and more integrated in services such as Google Voice. As pointed out in
an IBM future scenario the role of voicemail could be that of what email is for
us today.
3. Instant messaging (IM)
Main article: Instant messaging
Through instant messaging as a
collaboration tool we are able to reach people within an organisation in
real-time. In the future instant messaging is not a stand-alone software
anymore, but very well integrated in bigger solutions such as Unified
Communication.
4. VoIP(voice over ip) / video call
Main article: Voice over IP
Voice over IP as a collaboration
tool has quickly gained popularity among companies and is part of their
communication portfolio. As a report from Eclipse Telecom is pointing out, the
VoIP is moving towards the state to totally replace our telephones in our
offices and also integrate in existing collaboration service environments.
Collaboration
Collaboration tools allow groups
to have real-time discussions and to shape an idea or thought together. Trends
in terms of collaboration target on helping to maintain the "main
idea" within big organisations and make connections visible. Also the idea
of bringing people who are not working in a company on a regular basis into the
organisation and make use of their knowledge.
1.Video
conferencing
Main article: Video conferencing
In most cases video conferencing
is part of the overall communication and collaboration strategy of
organisations. Especially now when all services are cloud-based and therefore
implementation costs became more affordable. The longterm vision for video conferencing
lies in the correct usage of computer processing power, data storage or mobile
bandwidth speeds to further decrease the obstacles of collaboration.
2.IM
teleconferencing
Main article: Teleconference
Bringing teams, meetings or events
as close as possible is what teleconferencing solutions want to do. Apart from
business environments Teleconferencing is currently used in a variety of
fields, such as telemedicine, where they contribute enormously to the
efficiency and productivity as distance and time are limited factors.
Communicate with your team
People can’t collaborate if they
don’t communicate. From instant messaging to video conferencing tools (the
best alternative
to face-to-face meetings), there are many options for team
collaboration tools:
1. Flowdock
Flowdock is
a group and private chat platform. Its most interesting feature is its team
inbox which aggregates notifications from other channels, like Twitter, Asana
and customer support tools.
2. GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is
an online video conferencing software that allows users to schedule meetings
and share screens. It’s one of the most popular video tools with millions of
users.
3. Slack
Slack is
a popular and well-crafted platform offering instant messaging, file transfers
and powerful message search. It has many features and dozens of integrations
with other tools like Trello and Intercom.
4. WebEx
Cisco’s WebEx provides personalized video
meeting rooms where users can to host and join meetings. People can use WebEx
for team collaboration, webinars, training and customer support.
Manage projects and tasks
Project management tools are
critical. Who can coordinate effectively when they can’t monitor task progress
or keep track of objectives?
5. Asana
One of the most well-known project
management tools, Asana allows
users to assign tasks to other members, add followers to projects and monitor deadlines.
It’s very useful as a to-do list or calendar for strategic planning.
6. Dapulse
Dapulse is
a collaboration tool that helps you communicate, set objectives and assign
tasks. Its big advantage: it has a great visual design so it’s easy to
understand and work with.
7. ProofHub
ProofHub is
a work management tool that offers a comprehensive suite of collaboration and
project management functions. On this platform, you can organize files, plan
and monitor projects and discuss with colleagues and stakeholders. ProofHub
also lets you review and approve files through an online proofing tool.
8. Redbooth
Redbooth is
an easy-to-use project management tool. Its platform allows users to plan and
collaborate through many functions from video conferencing to creating Gantt
charts.
9. Trello
Trello has
an intriguing interface that resembles solitaire (you can even drag task cards
across columns, just like you would playing cards). It’s easy to learn and
works well for monitoring projects and assigning tasks. Trello also makes using
Agile, Scrum and other project management frameworks easy.
10. Wimi
Wimi offers
users their own ‘unified workspaces’ where teams can manage projects and share
files and calendars. You can control access in each workspace with a
rights-based system. Wimi Drive, their file syncing software, helps you make
the most out of cloud technology.
Create together
A task isn’t always one person’s
responsibility. Sometimes team members need to create together. These are the
best collaboration tools:
11. Codingteam
Coders can easily collaborate when
writing their code through platforms like Codingteam. It offers a free ‘software forge’ that encourages
visibility and collective code building.
12. Igloo
Igloo is
a company intranet that allows people to communicate and get work done. Its
wiki allows colleagues to share information and ideas.
13. Google Docs
Google needs no introduction.
Google;s collaboration tools include its Docs and Sheets services, which
are designed to allow teams to edit files at the same time and save all their
changes automatically.
14. Quip
Quip started
off as a mobile app and released
a desktop version later. Teams can import and work live
on different file types. Edits are saved automatically and its chat, comment
and checklist features make collaboration easy.
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