Good telecommunications are a must for any business, more so with so many people working from home now. As our understanding of the workplace changes, it becomes necessary to update your communication tools to better coordinate with your colleagues and make it easier to do your work. Excellent IT support in Toronto counts for improving your coordination, but your first step is finding out which tools you need to stay in touch with your colleagues in the first place. Read on for a list of some essential tools to help coordinate with your coworkers and adjust to the new challenges.
1. Social Intranet
An intranet is a private hub that can only be accessed by authorized users within your organization. Think of it as the digital version of a water cooler or bulletin board. Your social intranet is a platform where you can share details on your current projects and enable each other to keep up with work. That’s not all though; an intranet is also a place where you share personal details with your friends at work (like posting pictures of your pets or talking about last weekend).
Your workplace communications don’t always have to be about work. Communication tools like intranets give you a more informal platform where you can also talk about subjects not directly related to the job. It’s an opportunity to connect with your colleagues on a professional and personal level. Take advantage of having a social intranet to go beyond being coworkers and make yourself into a more active community.
2. Private Messaging
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Traditionally, most businesses have used emails to coordinate and communicate between coworkers, but they aren’t a perfect tool. It pays to have a more streamlined platform for staying in touch, especially when time is of the essence or when multiple people are involved. Switching to private messaging provides an effective answer to the problem.
Real-time communication is a must-have for many businesses, especially if you’re working from several locations. Being able to get messages immediately drastically speeds up updates and lets you coordinate more efficiently. Instant messaging tools are more useful when different time zones are involved. Thanks to these programs, your colleagues are always a tap or click away. Many private messaging apps also allow you to share files, giving you an easier time coordinating your group projects.
3. Internal Blogs
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According to SEO services in Toronto, blogs are a great platform for sharing content with your clients, but you can also use them for keeping in touch with coworkers. An internal blog is a place where your coworkers can share ideas and experiences with colleagues. Think of it as a forum where the more knowledgeable and experienced of your coworkers can share their expertise.
A blog also works as a more informal platform, promoting more discussion and collaboration among your workforce. Many employees feel more comfortable speaking up in a virtual environment rather than face-to-face, so a blog may help push your more reticent colleagues to collaborate.
An internal blog is also a convenient archive of collected knowledge. Any articles published on the blog will stay there unless deleted, giving future generations of workers easy access to past wisdom whenever it’s needed.
4. Video Conferencing
Communicating over chat works much of the time, but there are some occasions when messaging doesn’t cut it. Video conferencing is the next best thing to face-to-face meetings if meeting in person isn’t an option. Conducting your meetings over video allows you to collaborate directly with your colleagues in real-time, and exchange ideas more directly. Invest in video conferencing technology for a more direct method of staying in touch with your coworkers.
5. Task Management
Coordinating projects can be challenging, especially if you’re working remotely and your colleagues are separated from you. Project management tools give you plenty of options for coordinating your efforts to ensure everyone is on the same page. They make it much easier to set deadlines, monitor progress, and assign priority, so each member of a team can work far more efficiently.
Many of these tools also come with built-in communication tools, allowing you to stay in touch as work progresses. Using your task management tools effectively is one aspect of OKR training that helps you set and manage realistic goals. Take advantage of these tools to boost the efficiency of your team and stay coordinated. Having all that information at your fingertips makes it much easier for everyone working on a project to plan their work ahead and keep up a regular pace.
6. Employee Profiles
One more way to keep the workforce connected is to make sure everyone knows who everyone else is. Your workers can use employee profiles to read up on who’s who. This allows all of you to know who to talk to when you need to check with a specific person. On a more personal note, profiles also put names to faces. Workers are still people, and knowing who you’re talking to is a great way to break the ice and get to know your colleagues a little better.
Having the right tools is a must when it comes to communicating with your colleagues over long distances. With so many people working remotely, it’s vital you equip yourself with telecommunication technology to ensure you can coordinate with your team on all your projects. Complete your home office arsenal with these invaluable communication tools to increase productivity and reach your daily, weekly, and monthly goals.
