Collaborative Tools to Improve Productivity in Your Workplace

Team collaboration tools allow your team members to collaborate and communicate even if they are not physically working in the same place. This team collaboration software aims to unite employees and give them the resources they need to collaborate on tasks.

Before we go on to discuss the best collaborative tools, let’s first discuss the important features and how collaborative tools can improve team communication.

What Are the Main Features of Collaborative Tools?

Collaborative tools combine features such as task management, resource management, and project management to increase the overall productivity and efficiency of a workplace. These collaboration tools are specifically designed to improve collaboration and communication. The following are some of the most prevalent aspects of collaboration tools:

• File-sharing
• Calling and video-conferencing options
• Options for in-app messaging
• Collectively authored documents (i.e., sticky notes, dashboards, and whiteboards)
• Checklists and Log-files
• Reports in real-time
• Solutions for time scheduling
• Time-tracking programs
• Charges and billing

When looking for collaboration tools, be sure to consider these factors- what goals are you hoping to accomplish with this tool? You should choose a solution that combines a number of capabilities into a single app if your goal is to improve your overall cooperation and project management.

How Collaborative Tools Can Improve Team Communication?

Software for team collaboration is fantastic since it can be utilized anywhere, no matter where you are. This makes it particularly helpful for hybrid and remote teams working across national borders because it offers a number of tools that can be used to align business objectives and get staff members to collaborate effectively.

In addition to improving communication, team collaboration tools may be used to assist plan and monitoring projects, preventing any misunderstandings or pointless back-and-forth communications.

Other well-liked advantages of teamwork tools are:

• Saving resources and time.
• Fostering “watercooler” moments and strengthening team bonding in online environments.
• Increasing output and effectiveness.
• Integrating work-management tools to replace clumsy spreadsheets and antiquated paper procedures.
• Supplying firms with the resources and assurance they need to hire international talent.
• Promoting the sharing of ideas.
• Increasing employee loyalty.
• Increasing scheduling efficiency.

How Do You Decide Which Team Collaboration Tool Is Best for Your Company?

It can be challenging to choose the best employee collaboration solution for your company’s needs with so many options available. You should also bear in mind the following things in addition to your budget:

• Is it protected?
• Does it require little time to set up?
• Has it been produced by a reliable company?
• Does it include customer support and manual updates?

The majority of collaboration tools also provide free trials, allowing you the opportunity to test out various software programs and identify the one that best suits your requirements.

What Are the Best Collaborative Tools?

Now that we’ve covered all the features and benefits of collaborative tools, let’s move towards discussing the best tools available in the market-

1.  Hive

Hive unifies all facets of work into a single dashboard, earning it recognition as one of the greatest online collaboration platforms. Team members can collaborate on schedules, manage their to-do lists, share files, and keep track of the most recent project progress using Hive. Additionally assisting team members in maintaining communication without ever leaving the platform are native chat, email integrations, and collaborative notes. Hive, which already powers teams at Starbucks, Comcast, Toyota, and other organizations, is a terrific alternative for teams of all sizes.

Among Hive’s attributes are:

• Gantt, Kanban, calendar, tabular, and portfolio views are just a few of the flexible project views available.
• Action cards have the ability to accept comments, sub-actions, dependencies, and attachments.
• Approvals and proofreading
• More than a thousand connections to applications including Jira, Salesforce, Zoom, and Adobe Photoshop
• Accessible through PC, mobile, and online apps
• Timesheets and time tracking
• For tracking project completion and productivity on an individual or team level, Hive Templates Analytics makes it simple to recreate repetitive jobs and projects.

2.  Google Slides

Teams may create, modify, collaborate on, and deliver slideshows using Google Slides from any location. The Google Workspace business plan option elevates the standard Google Slides tool to a new level. Teams will have access to more protections and controls over presentations with this approach, which will make it even simpler to communicate both internally and outside.

Features of Google Slides include:

• Starting with pre-made pitches, portfolios, and other presentations is simple thanks to templates.
• You can access documents stored in the cloud from anywhere.
• Options for offline editing and presentation
• The auto-save function guards against losing work.
• Editing, commenting and conversing in presentations in real time
• With a range of permission choices, share with anyone (internally or externally). 

3.  Slack

There’s a good reason why Slack has recently gained popularity. One of the most well-liked instant messaging and collaboration solutions for companies of all sizes are this one. Slack unifies all workplace communication on a single platform, with choices for audio, text, and video calls as well as direct and group communications. These various methods of communication can assist your team in structuring discussions and concentrating on the tasks that are most essential to you.

Some Slack features include:

• Channels and groups can be made public or private.
• You can collaborate with many organizations in one channel with Slack Connect.
• Even when projects or channels have finished, you can search the history
• More than 2000 connections to various applications and services, including channels for sharing files and documents via Hive and Slack.
• accessible through PC, mobile, and online apps

4.  ProofHub

ProofHub is an excellent team collaboration tool, loved by more than 85000 teams and companies worldwide. Your project management, teamwork, and communication activities are all brought together by the tool. With its robust capabilities, ProofHub may assist you in communicating, collaborating on files, sharing real-time feedback, and maintaining organization in your work and personal lives. Additionally, ProofHub interacts with widely used programs that you already use, allowing you to access everything from one location.

Features of ProofHub include:

• Personalized processes and Kanban boards
• Gantt charts and project schedules are used for project planning.
• There are several different project views, including table view, timeline view, board view, and calendar view.
• a specific area for in-person conversations
• feature for group chat
• Sharing files and online editing
• available as an Android and iOS mobile app and on the web.

5.  Zoom

Although many businesses have “used Zoom” for years, it was hard to foresee just how crucial this technology would become in the workplace of the year 2020. Teams use Zoom, the market’s top product for video conferencing, team meetings, online activities, and even brief 1:1 exchange. These days, a lot of people actually utilize the Zoom app to talk with friends and family because it is so simple to use. Create a Zoom conference in the app, invite the people you want to join, and the video call will begin. Even better, calls lasting up to 100 participants and 40 minutes are completely free on Zoom.

Some features of Zoom include:

• Breakout areas for dividing huge calls into more manageable, smaller groupings
• dozens of tools and applications (like Zoom and Hive!) that have integrations
• Interactive meeting features such as hand-raising, polls, filters, and more
• Connection to Gmail, Outlook, or iCal calendars Meeting recording and transcription
• When at meetings, converse with individuals and or groups.

6.  Brandfolder

Enterprise creative and marketing teams, like those at Slack, P.F. Chang’s, and Mastercard, use Brandfolder, a highly regarded digital asset management tool. One of our best collaboration tools, this program is used to upload, store, organize, access, and track digital assets across many channels and campaigns. Because it enables users to share a single asset, a group of assets, or even the entire platform with different degrees of privacy controls and user permissions, Brandfolder is excellent for large businesses and enterprise groups.

Features of Brandfolder include:

• Unlimited file uploads, storage, organization, and sharing in a secure location
• Everything is kept in a safe environment with numerous layers of defense.
• possibilities for drag and drop and simple mass upload
• Partners can add files using guest upload without having full access.
• supports a variety of file types for documents, video, and audio.
• integrations with project management software, CRM software, and other applications
• Google Analytics, Salesforce, HubSpot, WordPress, Adobe Creative Suite, and Microsoft Office are the top integrations.

7.  MindMeister

A digital mind-mapping application called MindMeister is ideal for use in typical office settings. Tools for collaboration and mind mapping, such as MindMeister, are useful for brainstorming ideas, planning tasks, and visualizing data. Using pre-set map themes or custom maps with the colors, styles, formatting, and pictures that are most appropriate for your purposes, this tool enables teams to communicate and exchange ideas in real-time.

Some MindMeister features include:

• Share maps with anybody you choose, both inside and outside the company.
• Integrated chat capabilities
• the ability to vote or comment on ideas
• You can access maps from anywhere using a cloud-based platform.
• You may embed the presentation on a website, broadcast live, and export slides in PNG format using the built-in presentation tool.

8.  Dropbox Paper

We are all aware of how useful Dropbox is for storing files in the cloud. Uploading files to a shared folder online with a simple account enables you and anybody else with access to the folder to read the papers on any device. The fact that Dropbox also includes a group collaboration tool called Dropbox Paper is less well-known.

Similar to Google Drive, Dropbox Paper enables real-time collaboration on your saved files and papers. However, it goes beyond collaboration by assisting users in project planning, idea collaboration, and taking meeting notes in real-time with assigned next steps. Due to its smooth integration with Hive and other platforms, Dropbox is useful for teams who already use other project management solutions.

Features of Dropbox Paper include:

• Make agendas in advance, take notes throughout meetings, and outline the next actions.
• using pre-made meeting templates as an option
• Calendar integrations enable you to associate documents with particular meetings.
• Annotate and comment on pictures
• Features for managing tasks that let you assign them, specify deadlines, and mention team members.

9.  Chanty

Together, complete more work. Chanty not only talks but also speaks for results with that motto and the guarantee that it will boost your productivity by 55%. Teams can quickly use it without any formal training thanks to its very user-friendly design. This collaboration tool’s affordability is another important feature. You may get a dozen features for $3 per user. But there are plenty of helpful features in the free plan as well.

Features of Chanty include:

• Kanban board view in Teambook
• Task creation, assignment, and due date set
• creating a task out of a message
• Integration of many third-party applications
• audio messages
• Calls with audio and video
• White and black themes

10. Hugo

Teams can manage and preserve their meeting notes in one location using Hugo. Team members can work together in real-time while taking notes and editing them with this application. From there, activities can be delegated to specific individuals for follow-up actions. This application is fantastic because it combines many of the technologies your team already utilizes, assisting you in maintaining everything in a coordinated and organized manner.

Hugo’s attributes include:

• A gadget with a calendar. Links to appointments in Google Calendar & Office 365 Real-time note editing for several users
• shared agendas for meetings
• Use agenda templates to provide the structure for effective meetings.
• more than 20 tools, including Slack, Zoom, Jira, and HubSpot, are integrated
• Up to 40 members of small teams can work for free, with extra paid alternatives available.

11. Jostle

Employee intranet software called Jostle promotes teamwork and encourages online interaction. This software provides a ton of collaboration capabilities, like the capacity to send and receive messages, exchange files, and commemorate significant moments. Teams can keep in touch and experience being in the office with Jostle, regardless of where they are actually working from.

Features of Jostle include:

• Activity feed to follow the most recent business news
• targeted communications to particular teams or groups
• discussion forums for connecting teams and individuals
• Library to hold important company policies and documents
• Ability to assign tasks to team members and share files

12. Visme

For creative teams who need to work together on things like designs, presentations, or infographics, Visme is a terrific content creation and infographic generator. No of your degree of creative ability, Visme makes it simple for everyone to produce interesting content.

Your team can grow content as needed both internally and externally thanks to Visme’s multitude of online sharing and download options. Everyone may contribute to the content development process with comments and markup editing, whether it’s your creative director or a partner working with an SEO agency.

Features of Visme include:

• Content may be viewed and commented on by clients and coworkers.
• Annotations enable modification of specific content pieces.
• A digital asset manager can be used to store brand assets in one location.
• Send content to others by email or a private link.

13. Troop Messenger

For teams of various sizes, Troop Messenger’s single interface makes it incredibly easy for them to collaborate. It provides a unique combination of team collaboration tools that support teams as they write and modify code, participate in voice-video conferences, make group calls, collaborate on third-party apps, and more.

Troop Messenger’s useful time-saving features include image slide shows, the ability to filter chat area chats by images, videos, text files, highlighted messages, etc., as well as the ability to preview attachments directly on the user interface. For access from a desktop computer, a mobile device, or a web browser, all work updates and files are consistently synced across all of its platforms.

Several Troop Messenger features include:

• Chat rooms for groups and group audio-video calls
• filters for the chat area and text search
• collaboration-friendly code editor for developers
• an effective admin dashboard
• Audio messages and read receipts

14. Planable

The social media collaboration tool, Planable, promotes better teamwork. Planable, which was created with teams in mind, offers marketers a better technique to produce, arrange, examine, and schedule content for the most well-liked social media platforms. Any team size can use Planable since it offers four different approval procedure types and real-time collaboration. Start with the free plan for your first 50 posts if you want to try it out for yourself.

Planable’s features include:

• List, feed, grid, and calendar views are all available for viewing and scheduling posts.
• In the form of comments and answers, collaboration takes place in context, right next to the content.
• There are four different approval workflows: multi-level, optional, and none.
• Integrations with the most widely used social media sites, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Google My Business.
• Organizing people and content in separate workplaces.
• Visual and user-friendly media library for keeping all of your assets arranged in one place.

15. Internxt

Collaboration is important but revealing too much information can be a privacy nightmare. The open-source cloud storage platform Internxt was created to uphold users’ right to privacy. The service provides a moral alternative to the numerous data-reckless and privacy-loose clouds provided by large firms seeking to collect and sell data since it is extremely safe and secure.

Internxt has a handy share-limiting function built-in and encrypts everything you choose to save and share. It’s ideal for any group handling confidential material or for someone who just wants to have their images and data close at hand.

Internxt’s features include:

• Absolutely no unauthorized access to your data
• End-to-end encryption is used for all data transferred, stored, and exchanged.
• Control how often a file is shared.
• Simple setup, built-in backup
• On any device, files can be accessed safely.
• integrates with Apple iCloud, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, and the latter three

Conclusion

There is something for every organization, whether you want to boost team productivity, develop a billing system, or promote communication. This list should have provided you with a decent overview of the options available, as well as the various price points and features to consider when selecting a team collaboration platform for your company.