How to Select Quality Collaborative Tools — Important Considerations to Look out for
It’s been a couple of years since the emergence of COVID-19. Of course, companies and businesses had to hastily figure out how to re-organize their working processes in the ensuing lockdown. COVID-19 paved the way for the popularity of remote work as organizations had no choice but to allow their workers to work from home. Although collaborative software had been available for years prior, most organizations and businesses only began to utilize them during the lockdown.
Now, companies in areas with low COVID-19 incidences are beginning to return to their physical offices. Does this put an end to the era of remote working? Well no. Data prediction indicates that by the end of 2022, 25% of jobs will be remote in North America, with this trend continuing well into 2023.
It would not be out of place to think that returning to the office would make collaborations easier to facilitate. However, as workers and teams had to switch to remote working in the last 18 months, achieving collaboration in an office environment might not go as envisioned. An appreciable dependence has grown on collaborative tools such as Github, Slack, and Trello.
7 Things to Consider When Selecting Collaborative Tools
So how do teams select quality collaborative tools that align with their needs and structure? With employees working from different locations and time zones, the ability of a team to collaborate successfully is vital to productivity and success. Enough thought should go into selecting collaborative tools. Here are some factors to consider and look out for in a collaborative tool.
Determine Team or Business Needs
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Ask critical questions about your team’s needs to determine the collaborative tools that may suit your organization. As soon as you understand the uses and goals the tools can help the team achieve, selecting the one that best suits these needs will be easier.
Why does the team need a collaborative tool? Do team members communicate and work efficiently with others? Will a collaborative tool increase productivity? Can the tool assist team members in achieving their daily duties? Will the collaboration tool improve synchronization between the team members in different locales and time zones?
Asking employees what difficulties they face will provide insights into what you should look out for during the selection process. As the team needs become more apparent, you need to seek the software that offers solutions to those questions. This selection process will more likely than not require testing various software.
Allow the End Users to Suggest the Tools That solve their Pain-Point
Getting the end users’ opinions is another essential aspect of selecting collaborative tools. Sometimes, employees pick a collaborative tool because a trial of the product proves easy to use. Once they are happy with the collaboration tool, these team members encourage their colleagues to use it.
Getting the view of these users is important because they understand what works and where these tools are lacking. Since most needs are often particular, asking the team members who have found solutions to some of these collaboration issues will assist in discovering what people need.
These team members can also assist in getting the deployment process moving. Where possible, allow the teams to use the collaborative tools they prefer as there will be lesser complaints as time goes on. Their willingness to use the adopted tool will also increase their productivity.
Select A Compatible Collaboration Software
A shortlist of collaboration tools has likely been made, but the odds are that the list is still too long. Before making a choice, it is vital to consider which collaboration solutions will deploy successfully and fit seamlessly with the software currently in use.
Which of the collaborative tools will work smoothly with the other software in use by the company? Do you need to buy new hardware to use it? Does it fit the existing structure? How do you transfer existing data into this new software? Will team members find it easy to use, or do they require another skill set to use the collaborative tool?
Determining the compatibility of the collaborative tools may be difficult if the business is small and without assigned IT staff. In this case, managers of smaller companies should hire the help of professional IT service providers to vet the tools and provide recommendations.
Evaluate the Security Features
The importance of thoroughly exploring the security features of collaboration tools, as with all new software, cannot be overemphasized. To put it in context, a 2020 research by Veritas Technologies found that 71% of workers admit to sharing company data via collaborative tools globally.
What are the security features and options of the tool? Does it offer end-to-end encryption? Does it feature multi-factor authentication? Can it effortlessly turn access on or off to employees? What are the privacy options available?
Imagining the devastation that can occur if a hacker should ever compromise security measures and access confidential data is enough to induce a headache. A compromise can lead to the loss of time and money in such a scenario. To avoid such instances, investigate the security features of the collaboration tools.
Select a Tool with Multiple Features
Coping with a collaboration tool that solves just one aspect of collaboration can be very frustrating. On the other hand, a collaboration tool with an array of features is easier to use. Also, it encourages productivity because team members do not have to switch between different software to get the job done.
It is vital to choose a tool that can fit the demands of your team currently while also having features that will be useful as the company grows. These multi-features will likely lead to selecting the costlier collaboration tool to get those features.
Support Service
Part of the criteria for selecting collaboration tools should include the provision and quality of support services. The solution provider should be able to offer advice and assist in the adoption of the software into the existing structure. Although many collaboration software solutions give varying degrees of support services, the quality and reliability markedly differ.
While some provide support only during working hours on weekdays, others are available at any time. The selection of a tool should factor in team members who may be working from different time zones. Also, what type of support service is the provider willing to offer? Training, technical support, and help center should be standard support quality providers should proffer.
Measure the Change Effect
Lastly, consider the impact the new tool will have on the work habits of the team members as the solution will impact their performance. Selecting a collaboration solution aims to make the job as straightforward as possible, not complicate it. And the team members need to view it from the same perspective.
The team’s collaborative habits will govern the success of any chosen collaborative tool. Despite great features, poor collaboration habits will result in dismal collaboration efforts. Therefore, it is essential to clarify what roles everyone needs to play to ensure the collaboration efforts are productive.
To help the team adjust to the collaboration solution easily and accelerate deployment, select a tool that provides the option to implement bits gradually. Doing this helps reduce the change impact of the collaboration tool on the team and helps manage the change overhead.
Final Thoughts
Currently, collaboration tools provide an effective platform for team collaboration efforts. With the increasing number of employers adopting collaboration tools, there is a need to be intentional about the collaboration solutions they pick.
The points above hopefully provide an insight into the areas to watch out for when trying to settle on a collaboration tool.
