Aadyasha Satrusallya / 13 Mins Read
Updated: January 30, 2024
In today’s modern business world, collaboration is critical for success. This is particularly important following the recent pandemic when an increasing number of employees started working remotely. We have carried out our thorough research on each 7 collaboration software and here are our top picks.
Employees who work remotely need to be able to communicate effectively. However, it’s just as crucial for in-house team members to be on the same page, have access to the latest updates, and keep pace with ongoing projects.
Needless to say, since 2019, there has been a significant rise in workers using collaboration tools. By 2026, the global team collaboration software market is expected to reach $22.95 billion.
The difficulty for any SaaS business is not deciding to use collaboration software but deciding which is the best team collaboration software, as there are so many to choose from.
Team collaboration is an approach to communication, team, and project management that focuses on teamwork, equal participation, and innovative thinking.
In other words, it’s all about working together on a project, concept, or process to achieve the best possible result.
Team collaboration is different from teamwork in terms of the roles within the team and leadership.
Collaboration is a gathering together of colleagues who join forces to complete a task or solve a problem. Group effort is the focus and finding the solution as a collective force. In a collaborative team, there tend to be no leaders. Instead, each team member is encouraged to contribute with their unique skills.
Teamwork is a complete contrast because the focus is more individual. Each team member has a particular responsibility, and their efforts enable the team to reach a common goal. Regarding leadership, teamwork requires someone to lead, coordinate individuals, and help them achieve a common goal.
According to Apollotechnical, more than 4.7 million people work at least half of the time remotely in the US. Across the world, around 18% of people work remotely full-time. Team collaboration plays a vital role in succeeding at work for many people.
Team collaboration is essential because:
Improving team collaboration isn’t a one-person job. It’s not something that will happen overnight, either. It takes time and effort from more than one person.
There are several things you can do if you want to encourage collaboration in your SaaS business.
Success for your modern SaaS business boils down to having the right tools to make collaboration possible. With the right combination of tools, a team can be exponentially more productive and able to focus on the most critical work.
There are various types of software solutions you can use to improve collaboration in the workplace.
With live chat support, team members benefit from immediate support and access to information. Conversations can be made in real-time, regardless of where your employees might be.
Instant messaging tools are another type of collaboration tool. It’s possible to designate different channels for different teams and use directories so employees can find and send messages to each other directly. Instant messaging tools allow team members to be on the same page even in different locations.
Cloud computing has become a critical part of most business collaboration tools today. It allows the smallest of businesses to run powerful tools without buying expensive servers and storing vast amounts of data on-site.
Cloud storage platforms allow you to securely back up files to keep them secure and store them remotely. Team members can access documents in real time for editing and collaborating.
Collaborative CRM systems allow an organization to collect, organize, and share customer information across multiple teams. Various company divisions can include sales, customer service, marketing, technical support, vendors, distributors, and external customers.
Using video conferencing software, seminars and meetings are possible anywhere. It can be used as a replacement for various face-to-face team communications and can be a one-on-one conversion to a conference with hundreds of participants.
Thanks to the improvements and innovations in video conferencing tools, increasing numbers of companies are choosing to stay at least partially remote following the pandemic, according to McKinsey.
Knowing which team collaboration tools to use can be confusing with many choices. Each offers a unique range of tools and functions, but if you don’t know what to look for in the first place, you’ll feel overwhelmed.
Rather than choosing what seems popular instead of suitable for your business, here are some things to be aware of.
Look for team collaboration software that provides a central location where information can be accessed and team members can post and organize information relating to tasks and projects.
However, it’s just as important, if not more so, for the team space to be secure. Tools should protect confidential corporate and customer data and comply with privacy and security regulations.
Minimum requirements include access and identity management tools and enterprise-grade data encryption, whether the system is in use, transit, or rest.
Before purchasing your team collaboration software, check the vendor’s site for its compliance, privacy, and security practices.
Communication between team members is vital. How are they going to collaborate if they can’t communicate properly? Being part of powerful team chats is especially critical for remote team members.
All team members should have ample opportunities to communicate and collaborate effectively.
Discussion forums are another platform that team members might make good use of. It is a place for them to share their expertise and opinions and give feedback.
Video calls play a vital role in team communication and collaboration. Capabilities should include screen sharing, schedulable virtual meetings for small and large groups, and one-on-one calls. You never know when a spur-of-the-moment chat is necessary.
The option of video and audio calls should include the ability to test the system, as there is no point in having the feature if the quality of the rings isn’t good.
Whatever collaboration tool you choose should be a part of your organization’s more extensive digital ecosystem. It should be compatible with your business solutions and allow for solutions integration, better synchronization, and seamless workflows.
The benefits of cross-platform integration include:
A one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t exist because every business has its demands and needs. One collaboration tool might work for other companies, but there’s no guarantee it’ll work for yours.
You want a collaboration tool that includes features you need, but first, you’ve got to determine what your teams and organization need.
Consider team workflows. Are there any common bottlenecks? Do the teams encounter issues in the course of their work? Identifying these things will help you decide on the tools needed for the team to be more effective and efficient.
Other things to consider include:
Now that you know a little more about team collaboration tools and what to look for, let’s introduce the top 7 best tools for businesses.
Filestage is a review and approval software. It allows you to share content, set due dates for tasks, and then wait for any feedback to come back to you. It works with various file formats such as PDFs, images, videos, live websites, audio, and interactive HTML. Filestage also integrates well with a range of apps.
A 7-day free trial is available.
Slack is a popular collaboration tool with thousands of users worldwide. It’s available for desktop and mobile devices and offers many features. You can use the platform to send direct messages and files to groups of people or just a single person. It’s also possible to organize conversations into different channels, for example, general chat, technical support, or specific projects.
A free plan is available, but you’ll only see the last team messages of the past 90 days, and it only integrates with 10 other apps.
Paid plans include:
Proofhub is a project management, communication, and collaboration tool that brings everything together under one roof. It allows teams to collaborate on files, share real-time feedback, keep work organized, and communicate. It is a tool that also integrates with various other popular tools, allowing you to access everything from one central resource.
Proofhub is available for a flat fee, with no contracts and unlimited users, and you can cancel at any time.
A 14-day free trial is available with all the features.
Chanty claims to be able to increase productivity by 55%. That’s a massive claim, but judging by some online reviews, it seems pretty successful. This easy-to-use collaboration tool offers dozens of features and requires no training.
Chanty offers a free plan for teams with up to 10 integrations and 10 members with up to 20GB file storage per team. There’s also a business plan for unlimited members and additional features.
Business plan - $3 per user/month
Formerly known as G Suite, Google’s Workspace is one of the better-known collaboration tools. It combines a selection of applications from Google that non-profit organizations, schools, and SaaS businesses can use.
Google Workspace is available for no charge for 14 days.
Monday means more than just a day of the week; it’s the given name of a collaboration tool that offers numerous project and team management features. It’s a very visual tool that has a free option. You can use it to plan, track, and collaborate in a visually simple manner.
You get to use Monday.com for up to 2 seats for free. However, the features are limited. There is also a free trial for 14 days that allows you to trial the Pro plan. Paid-for plans include:
Mailbutler is an all-in-one email extension tool for Apple Mail, Outlook and Gmail. It allows you to email quickly and includes features such as snooze, sends later, mail tracker, notes, templates, signatures, and more. It integrates directly into your existing mail client, so users don’t have to learn to use any new software.
A 14-day free trial is available. If you like it, you can choose from the following plans:
All SaaS companies can benefit from using the right team collaboration software. Not only will it boost productivity, but it will also improve output and promote teamwork.
Before making your final decision, align with management and key stakeholders concerning needs and expectations. Consider their needs and your budget, and pick a product that meets both. Test the platform firsthand by requesting a free trial and schedule demo sessions to help get your questions answered.
Team collaboration is a project management and communication strategy that prioritizes teamwork, innovative problem-solving, and equal involvement to accomplish goals.
Create a supportive work environment. Communicate expectations. Use an online platform to communicate. Work with your employees' strengths. Encourage team members to brainstorm. Invest in automation for your business. Create overlap zones.
Collaboration platforms increase productivity in various ways, both on-site and remotely. The significant advantages are time and resource savings, enhanced communication, new idea generation, and improved team morale.
Online collaboration tools should be used in 2023 because they will improve the efficiency, transparency, and clarity of your work and collaborations, regardless of where you work. Many tools are beneficial to particular sectors and team configurations. Additionally, many products are helpful for specific teams and industries, so it's easy to locate a tool that feels custom-made for you and your requirements.
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