Digital tools and software for team collaboration

When moving your business operations and communications online, you should first work out your goals. Are you looking to:

• incorporate all team members in meetings, regardless of location?
• have oversight on projects and tasks within your team?
• maintain better records and document versioning?
• collaborate and develop documents synchronously?

The types of digital tools and software you implement will depend on the goals you want to achieve.

Video conferencing software and platforms can offer an alternative to in-person meetings. Participants in a video conference may find it more engaging compared to an audio call. Presenters may also provide visual information using a presentation or by screen sharing. By seeing others in the meeting, staff may feel more connection with their colleagues.

A team messaging platform allows users to send and receive messages instantly. Through it staff may find it easy to share information or data with each other to complete their work.

Your team should find it easy to use, as it is like using text messaging on mobile phones. As it is like text messaging, it may also help to build office culture in this online environment.

Project and task management tools allow you and employees to have visibility across all your projects and tasks. They can help you plan your project, manage your team's workload and give you a overview of remaining work.

To store the digital files your business uses to operate, you have have two main options. You can either maintain your own server within your work network or you can use a cloud-based file storage system.

Maintaining your own server requires:

• ICT support
• physical space in an office
• hardware upgrades
• additional back-up sources

Many business find these requirements difficult to manage, in which case a cloud-based system may be an easier alternative.

A cloud-based file storage system can:

• reduce your reliance on physical hardware in your office space
• reduce ongoing costs associated with file storage
• increase your ability maintain and manage versions of your documents
• make it easier access files from places other than at your work

Many cloud-based storage platforms have built-in collaboration tools. This allows more than one person to create and work on a document at the same time, often showing changes in real-time.