In today’s world, it seems as though it has become the norm to work from home either part or full-time. According to McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey, 58% of Americans have the option to work from home at least one day a week. In a remote or hybrid work environment, how do teams stay connected and productive? That’s easy: use visual collaboration software. This software allows team members to interact with each other and their customers in both real time (synchronously) as well as at different times (asynchronously) to complete tasks, expand business, and drive innovation.
So to answer the title question: yes, visual collaboration software can make you more productive, if you use the right solution. To help you make an informed decision, let’s take a look at how visual communication software boosts productivity and what features are needed to level-up your internal and external communication.
What Does Collaborative Productivity Software Do?
Collaborative productivity software, or visual collaboration software, allows teams to work on projects together or with customers despite differing working schedules or locations. It provides your company with an all-in-one solution that can integrate with the tools your teams already use so that they can communicate with customers, share files, and complete tasks in a single place. Some types of visual collaboration software are also customizable so that your company can add the features you need and remove those that you don’t.
How Does Collaboration Increase Productivity?
Collaboration, and visual collaboration in particular, increases productivity by fostering greater flexibility, collaborative equity, and engagement. Let’s explore how virtual collaboration software enhances each of these concepts in greater detail.
Flexibility
When it comes to work schedules, flexibility refers to a person’s ability to either work from where they want and/or when they want. Flexibility boosts productivity because employees can find a time and place to work that best suits them. For example, the fact that there are two chronotypes for sleep: morning larks and night owls. Night owls differ from morning larks in that their bodies tell them to wake up and stay up late instead of waking up and going to bed early. Flexible work lets these people work when they are most alert.
Visual collaboration software drives flexibility by allowing employees and customers to work on the same project at different times. It’s ideal when your customers’ companies have different hours than your own or when your customers are in different time zones than you are.
Outside of work schedules and locations, visual collaboration software like Alleo also enhances productivity through flexibility in communication. For example, employees can give interactive, hybrid presentations so that customers can choose to attend in person or virtually. The software brings a better experience to customers because it makes presentations smooth and easily accessible to all in attendance. This will not only allow your customers to get more out of the experience, but it will also enable your company to get more feedback from customers.
Collaborative Equity
Collaborative equity ensures that all customers and people on your team have a chance to express their ideas. Visual collaboration technologies allow all voices to be heard no matter when someone expresses them, how they express them, or what a person’s experience level is. When people feel heard, they have a stronger sense of purpose. Employees will work to the best of their ability, and both employees and customers will feel more comfortable sharing their ideas, sparking innovation within your company.
One way your company can drive collaborative equity during presentations to customers is to send out a survey beforehand asking all participants their preferred presentation and communication styles. From there, you can use a visual communication platform like Alleo to create a presentation that caters to all the preferences listed. This approach will make your customers feel heard and valued.
Engagement
Visual collaboration software engages audiences in presentations and meetings by promoting interaction. Alleo’s platform includes features that engage participants whether they are online or remote. According to a Gallup study, engaged employees are 14% more productive than those who aren’t because they feel as though they have a stake in both their own future and the future of the company. They’re willing to put in the effort to see their company succeed and will have more drive when interacting with customers.
Engaging customers is also important to your company’s overall productivity. When you use tools that allow customers to participate in presentations or workshops, your team can better gauge pain points and discover how to solve them. From there, your company now has the insights needed to create better products or services for your target audience.
How to Increase Collaboration Between Teams: With Alleo
If you want to boost productivity then you need to use the right software for virtual collaboration in the workplace. But not all visual collaboration software works the same. Some options have far more capabilities than others. Take Alleo, for example.
Our platform helps you boost productivity by increasing flexibility, collaborative equity, and engagement. It does so in a number of ways:
- It enables participants in a meeting to share multiple screens and content when needed.
- It allows you and your team to mark up files and live video at the same time.
- It’s browser based, accessible, and easy for your team to use.
- It’s fully persistent, meaning all work is accessible post-presentation, workshop, or meeting.
Alleo can do all of this and so much more. If you want to learn more about how Alleo helps you reap the benefits of virtual collaboration, watch this video.
