By Protonet Team. Published 16. January 2016.
Businesses of all sizes are discovering the potential of social collaboration tools and the implications they have for streamlining day-to-day operations. Here are common work challenges made easier through social collaboration tools.
Morale is at its highest when members feel like they’re part of a bigger community and contributing meaningful work. For a small company with an equally small staff, it’s not uncommon for employees to feel disconnected from the company’s objectives. Often, they don’t feel like their efforts are contributing to a larger goal.
With social collaboration tools, employees have an open line of communication with a network of like-minded individuals working towards a common vision. Such tools also encourage peer-to-peer interaction both during working and non-working hours through creation of networking groups. They also enable public recognition of outstanding members, or naming an employee of the month, which is always a morale booster.
Instead of just letting your customers follow you on your company social media channel, why not make them feel inclusive by making them a part of the company’s inner circle? When customers can see interactions among employees, become part of them, or follow up on inquiries in real-time, they will feel very much like part of the community—an integral part of customer nurturing that leads to long-term loyalty.
Large multimedia files end up clogging email inboxes. Content sharing tools like Dropbox are more efficient, but they still don’t solve security concerns.
With social collaboration tools, users can work within the company’s private cloud, pull content from multiple repositories, and store it in a single and secure location. This enables employees to easily locate data without having to sift through multiple storage sites and distribute it securely.
In the typical work setting, information is normally disseminated from the top down. This often means final decisions are made with little input and feedback from employees. Social collaboration tools are a way to break through these barriers and provide an outlet in which every member can submit ideas and get instant feedback. Through open communication, employees can contribute as much or as little as they wish, lending their expertise and solving problems where appropriate.
With social communication tools becoming the new norm, delaying adoption only leaves you behind. Once implemented and fully integrated, you have invaluable tools that can open doors to new ideas and new levels of commitment for staff and customers.
