Add a Punch to your Business Communication - Pramod Sharda

In this anywhere, anytime workplace era, collaboration tools and solutions complement email and enhance synergy; allowing to get more work done – at record speed

By Pramod Sharda

The history of the web has its origin within the efforts to create and interconnect computer networks that transpired from research and development. Now that the internet has completed 25 years of its existence in India it is very difficult to even imagine life without it. The accessibility of the internet has brought in oodles of changes in our daily lifestyle which is almost impossible to be undone. Today technology has transformed drastically from what it was a few years ago owing to the increased access of the internet.

A major gift of the internet has been emails and email solutions also fine-tuned as collaborative solutions. The internet replaced the traditional mode of communication with the onset of emails. The first email was an experiment to see if two computers could exchange a message. The two computers were stationed side by side maintaining a physical connection through the ARPANET, which belongs to one of the first computer networks of the world. As the internet communication developed, basic emailing that began with Hotmail later continued on numerous applications. From handwritten letters to sending multiple emails, systems and solutions have metamorphosed the written communication.

Email communication has become the king of business communications lately, leaving behind desk phones and calling between colleagues. With the introduction of email communication, dissemination of information occurs at a better speed and at a considerably convenient time. Email offers a single platform/place wherein one can track all the necessary information pertaining to that very organization, for example, contacts, incoming and outgoing messages, chats, calendar, etc., while keeping everything synced and organized.

Today we have a 360-degree solution which allows us to communicate officially with people via team chat and video calling and also do real-time collaboration editing and book appointments via email calendar and so on. With the progress of technology, people’s skill sets are getting increasingly specialized, and collaboration as a practice has become more important today than ever. Collaboration in workplace helps in carrying out teamwork successfully.

The introduction of ‘team collaboration solutions’ has been a major shift. In today’s world numerous collaboration solutions are making waves in the market. Drifting the focus away from email, these team collaboration solutions permit individuals to be more productive, get more work done, and at record speed. Mostly based on the cloud, these solutions keep files intact at a designated destination where one needs them, while also allowing persistence in the messages.

Since the collaborative solutions are here to stay, let us understand how it can be beneficial for an individual and the business.

More than just communication

Team collaboration solutions plan out communication in an efficient way. It focuses majorly on the content rather than the message. Equipped with free-flowing chat, collaboration solutions allow every member to interact directly, instead of answering one question at a time.

The structure of these solutions further allows employees to join in at a convenient time and catch up on everything missed, and pitch in or actively get involved when something significant comes up.

Team collaboration solutions provide persistence, it helps you connect to every client – be it a desktop client, a mobile client or an online web browser client. With its chat and file hosting, one can access any information on the go and get the required work done.

These solutions also help an individual or the organization in staying organized by categorizing their teams and projects into specific rooms or conversations. This in turn cuts down time wasted in looking for files between different emails, thus making one much more productive and proactive.

Organizations often lose out on their data. However, with team collaboration solutions, data never leaves the room. Data is vital to the task at hand, and when shared via collaboration solutions, the file lives directly in the room. This way one can act, react and keep making any necessary changes in the file without losing any crucial data.

Get customized solution

Collaboration solutions are highly customizable as they are tailor-made for an organization keeping in mind the needs and demands. One can fully customize their solutions to withstand a truly unique experience, bridging the gap between tools. Various simple additions like chatbots allow users to keep ongoing task lists right in their collaboration room. Additional features including reminders and easier methods of file sharing make these solutions highly desirable.

With time the workplaces have undergone major changes, from their working to the use of tools. Once the leader of communication, the email has now been replaced to an extent by collaboration tools and solutions. It is appropriate to say that they have brought in a paradigm shift in how businesses operate today. While they may never completely replace email communication, these solutions will certainly work to complement the flow of emails.

Sharda is the CEO India and Middle East, IceWarp

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