October 12, 2015
Collaboration tools enable and empower your employees to do some amazing things. Take a look at five business goals supported by employees putting collaboration tools to use:
1. Customer Satisfaction
Happy customers are the best customers. Meeting the expectations of your customers improves the image of your brand and boosts sales revenue. Collaboration tools can help you do this.
With collaboration tools at their disposal, your employees can meet customer satisfaction expectations through developing relationships and creating interactive experiences with your company. Collaboration tools such as call centers, online chat and video can enhance the communication that drives customer satisfaction. Additionally, instant messaging allows you to tap the knowledge of team members faster, which can lead to first call resolution - which in turn leads to better service.
2. Productivity
Collaboration tools allow your employees to communicate more effectively with one another and with clients. This can shorten decision-making cycles and boost productivity across your enterprise. For example, video conferencing makes it easier for your employees to have meaningful conversations and meetings across distances without spending time and money on travel and hotels, or relying on less effective means such as email.
With effective collaboration tools, work becomes a "thing you do", rather than a place you go. This allows your team members more flexibility, without degrading productivity. Not only can telecommuters access secure networks to stay on track when working from home or on the road, but on-site employees have the flexibility to use their own smartphones or tablets, too. With this flexibility, your employees can more comfortably and effectively communicate and share during meetings or presentations, without relying on workstations or laptops at fixed locations.
3. Cost Control
Every business is constantly on the lookout for ways to save money – and collaboration tools make this possible. For example, mobile workers who enjoy flexibility and increased productivity save your business money by using their own devices (at home or on the road) and reducing travel expenses.
Another example of cost control is consolidation. Instead of relying on different providers for voice, video and data, you bring all of those services into a single network that controls costs more effectively.
4. Employee Engagement
Although your employees have telephones, email and chat to stay in touch with each other, engagement increases when they have video availability, too. They not only make a more meaningful connection with one another and they also reduce miscommunication, it also makes it easier for your company to take advantage of those two benefits when dealing with clients.
At the same time, collaboration tools create a flexible workspace that supports your telecommuters and branch locations equally. Everyone in the company, whether sitting at a desk at the corporate headquarters, a customer service center at a branch office or at home, has access to the same secure network and shared data.
5. Innovation and Growth
The technology infrastructure your business adopts says a lot about your business itself. Whether you're simply supporting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) programs and guest WiFi, or enhancing communication and sharing within the organization, adopting new technology highlights your company's innovation and desire for growth.
By setting this example of innovation and growth as an organization, you encourage your employees to do the same. And, collaboration tools help them “accelerate the development of ideas to support innovation, new products, process improvements and growth.”
For example, collaboration tools make it quick and easy for your employees to communicate and develop innovative solutions that solve problems, improve efficiencies and more. They can do so via video, within business applications, by connecting with remote employees and so on. The flexibility provided by collaboration tools gives them endless opportunities to innovate and grow, as individuals and as an organization.
Collaboration tools enable and empower your employees to help you do business better, benefiting both your employees and your clients at the same time. In the process, you also accomplish these five business objectives. Learn more:
