The following is a guest contributed post from Subrah Iyer, founder of Moxtra.
In the era of BYOD and working remotely, collaboration is imperative. In fact, according to Good Technology, more than 80 percent of U.S. adults work seven extra hours per week outside the office. The shift from everyone working in-house on company computers, to working in a coffee shop on a tablet, is presenting some unique challenges to collaboration, productivity and organization.
As companies continually choose to go the route of picking a mobile collaboration platform to ease the transition into the digital world, there are a few features that are essential – and can’t be sacrificed.
Accessibility. Having the capability to use the platform via mobile (Android or iOS, tablet, etc.) or desktop computer is key, depending upon the devices available to your organization. Some platforms only have competency for one or the other, and don’t lend themselves to a multitude of accessibility methods. Keeping limitations to a minimum is preferable.
Conversation. Conversing is the heart of true team collaboration. Without a chat feature, personnel won’t be able to adequately collaborate on projects. Platforms with discussion options should have real-time notifications and desktop sharing capabilities. It is also essential to create conversation with your audience without talking at them.
Integration. It’s important the option you choose has the ability to be integrated across other platforms. For example, some apps can be assimilated with SharePoint, Salesforce and Dropbox. This is a crucial component, as there are likely other vendors your company finds necessary to business.
Annotation. Users should be able to take notes – whether by typing or voice recording – to communicate edits to other team members. This is especially important when a group project is taking place and team members need to share specific ideas or suggestions.
Meetings. Teams can collaborate eloquently and seamlessly with virtual meetings. These are exceptionally effective when there’s functionality to incorporate voice and real-time content sharing in the collaboration platform. It is important to provide a way for team members of any size office to chat, meet, and share in a unified collaborative environment no matter where they are. An all-in-one mobile collaboration space will increase productivity and efficiency in order to create a strong campaign.
Utilizing apps with all of these features can make the transition from office to working remotely much smoother. Just remember these tips as you consider choosing the option that works best for your team.
