Collaboration is essential in any business team. Whether your team works in the same office or from different locations, seamless collaboration is crucial.
Collaboration apps and tools make this a lot easier.
If you are finding that tasks are getting lost, deadlines missed, or team members are struggling to work effectively on projects, read on to find out the best collaboration apps that you can use.
Team collaboration apps are apps that are designed to make it easier for everyone on the team to communicate and cooperate more effectively.
They have different purposes, from enhancing communication to simplifying working together on shared documents. The overall goal is to make the process of working with other people more efficient by helping teams spend less time finding the information they need and chasing up tasks, leading to improvements in efficiency and productivity.
There are many excellent collaboration apps and tools for business teams. Here is a selection of 9 of the best collaborative work apps, separated into four categories: communication, project management, all-in-one suites, and visualization.
1. Zoom
Zoom hardly needs an introduction. The video conferencing tool has been around for many years, but it took off internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is now used by teams across the globe.
It provides you with an easy way to hold virtual meetings from anywhere, as well as share files.
A good display can make your Zoom experience better. You’ll want a high-quality interactive display with crystal-clear audio, and this can also be used with Zoom for interactive whiteboarding and on-screen annotation.
If you have team members working remotely, Zoom is one of the best solutions to keep in touch for holding regular meetings and discussing projects.
2. Slack
Slack is a team collaboration app that has become very popular over the last few years. Before Slack, teams would send emails, leading to long email threads that were a nightmare to navigate.
Slack allows you to create different chats, like one for the whole company and separate chats for different departments, so everyone can keep track of all the information in one place. You can also use Slack to share documents, and it integrates with many other tools.
With its intuitive interface, Slack is easy to use on desktop or mobile, making it a popular choice for teams around the world.
3. Trello
Managing projects can be a challenge, even when everyone is in the same office. But it’s even more complicated when team members work remotely.
Trello is a popular project management tool where projects are set up using boards and lists. Cards can be created and moved from one list to the next when they are complete, and you can add notes, share files, and more.
It's ideal for anyone seeing a more visual project-management solution. It gives you a clear overview of the project so you can see what stage it is at and how tasks are progressing.
There are also lots of options for customization, and it is popular for its ease of use and simple and intuitive user interface.
4. Asana
Asana is an excellent application for collaboration that you can use to organize projects, manage tasks, work on assignments, set goals, and more.
It helps everyone stay on the same page by having a clear view of exactly how a project is progressing.
Leaders can assign tasks and projects, then track them, all from one place. It also features automation tools, custom fields, forms, and more, and it’s a popular option for working together on projects.
5. Monday.com
Monday.com is another popular tool for managing projects. It is similar to Asana, but it is known for its flexibility.
You can create projects, see the status of a task, set deadlines, track milestones, and view tasks by priority to keep track of how a project is progressing.
It also offers you different features for different teams, like sales, marketing, etc., and there are lots of integrations available, like Zoom and Slack.
6. Google Workspace
Some solutions are available that provide more than one tool, like Google Workspace.
This includes several tools for communication (Gmail and Meet), file management (Drive), appointment scheduling (Calendar), and more.
Perhaps the main reason to use Google is how easy it is to collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Multiple people can work on a document at the same time and see the other people making edits from anywhere in the world, rather than sharing documents back and forth.
7. Microsoft 365
Microsoft has long been a business favorite, and its software suite is still unrivaled. Microsoft 365 is the cloud version, and the focus is on collaboration.
Like Google, Microsoft 365 is an excellent business collaboration app that allows people to work together on documents online. It also comes with a full suite of tools, including Microsoft Teams.
Similar to Slack, Teams provides a place to chat with other team members, but it also includes excellent video and audio conferencing tools.
8. Loom
Loom is a popular tool that you can use to capture your screen. It’s quick and easy to use, and it works as an extension in your browser.
Sometimes, it’s easier to display the information visually as you talk about it. With Loom, you can provide instructions while showing your screen and capture all the information you need effortlessly, then share the video with team members.
It works on computers as well as mobile devices, and it has several useful features like transforming your video into text using AI.
It also includes easy editing tools. If you say something wrong, you can just rewind and keep recording rather than stop and start again. You can even add tasks, emojis, and CTAs to your video.
9. Lucidspark
9. Lucidspark
Lucidspark is a collaborative whiteboard app and collaboration tool that is used for brainstorming, planning, and designing, all in real-time from anywhere.
With Lucidspark, you can create visual diagrams, and it’s especially useful for more complex projects and tasks. Lucidspark is also able to integrate with Avocor screens, meaning teams can instantly start brainstorming and capturing ideas directly from the homescreen on Avocor devices.
It’s powered by AI, so you can turn ideas into plans, diagrams, and more. It’s also customizable and simple to use.
There are several apps and tools to choose from. So, how should you choose the right solution for your team?
Firstly, you may want to use several tools together because they all do slightly different things. But with that in mind, the main factors to consider are:
Collaboration is essential in the workplace. If you are finding that your teams struggle to keep track of projects, are missing deadlines, or simply need a way to communicate more effectively while working remotely, the above are some of the best collaboration apps and tools available.
The right tools in your business can boost productivity, reduce frustration, improve team communication, and help your employees enjoy their work more and get more done.
So, find the best tools for your teams, and break down barriers to effective collaboration.
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