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Regardless if you are a leader or a worker, there is always the need to be efficient with both time and money. Unnecessary expenses and wasteful processes should always be dealt with.
Utilising online collaboration tools there are many ways the workflow can be made more streamlined and efficient. Let’s take a look at some:
- Eliminating email. Email should be used for information, not collaboration. The amount of time we spend checking and replying to emails is staggering, and that’s not even including the time spent organising and keeping track of which email was the latest.
When working together communication is key, and using chat and voice calls is much more efficient than email. Collaborate via these channels and then send one email with the results to everyone involved in the project.
- Reduce IT costs. With cloud-based software there is less need for expensive infrastructure in the office. Bulky and costly servers can be liquidated in favour of online solutions. This also adds the benefit of being able to work from anywhere, which brings us to the next point.
- Reduce stress by working from home. Healthy employees bring in more value to the company than if they are stressed and sick. Recent studies have shown that the amount of time people are sick in the UK is larger than in both the US and other countries in Europe. Many speculate that this is related to stress and unfavourable working conditions in the office, and working from home will alleviate some of the elements that can cause these.
- Version control. When dealing with multiple documents there is always the chance that you work on a version that is not the latest, and this can waste many hours of work. Most collaboration software utilises version control, so you can be 100% sure that the document you have open is the latest and most current one, or see if anyone else is working on that same document.
- Security. When storing files locally there is always a chance that the computer breaks down, that files become corrupted or there is some other issue with access and retrieval. Storing all files in the cloud makes them accessible from any device, so even if your computer has a full meltdown, documents can still be accessed.
There are many benefits of using online team collaboration software, and the above-mentioned is only the tip of the iceberg. What are your best strategies to eliminate wasteful habits and processes?
