Digital tools to unleash your employees' superpowers
In almost all organisations, employees work together in different projects and working groups. Wherever people work together, communication challenges arise. We can feel like we're drowning in emails, yet we're still missing information. We share documents with our colleagues without having a clear strategy on how to store them or how to handle different versions of the document. Fortunately, digital tools are now available to help us tackle the most common time thieves and work more efficiently.
The challenge of internal communication and collaborating in digital tools
The basic principle of effective internal communication is that the person who needs the information should be able to find and access it easily. On the other hand, those who do not need or have access to the information should not see it. Access to the right information when and where it is needed is the foundation for employees to perform at their best, work better together and ultimately deliver the best possible results.
Microsoft Office 365 is designed to help employees and teams work more closely together. Applications for team chat, online meetings, simultaneous editing, secure file sharing, group email and a corporate social network, make it easier and more convenient to communicate effectively. While every organisation and group is unique, works in its own way and has its own needs, it is almost always possible to put together a solution that works.
When all applications work together seamlessly - as a communication platform - and everyone can move seamlessly between different channels and digital tools, it's easier for you and your colleagues to communicate and collaborate effectively.
A closer look at Office 365 collaboration tools
Document management is about making it easy for everyone to search and find the right information and files. With a consistent structure for file storage, the information we share becomes clear and searchable for those who need it. The Office 365 family uses OneDrive and SharePoint for storage and structure.
OneDrive for Business can be seen as your personal storage space where you also have the ability to share and edit documents with colleagues. Having all your information in one place reduces the need to email documents around and the risk of duplication when editing different versions in parallel. With the files in OneDrive, you can access them anytime and anywhere - on your computer, mobile and tablet.
SharePoint is mainly used for intranet applications and for sharing information that is common to the whole organisation. It is also possible to create spaces in SharePoint that only a small number of users can access. SharePoint is largely a digital publishing tool but, as in OneDrive, it is also perfectly possible to edit documents together and save different versions while retaining the revision history.
Yammer takes collaboration a step further and is best compared to an internal social network - a "company Facebook" where you share information and updates with your colleagues.
Teams is the collaboration tool and communication platform - the hub that connects all the apps in Office 365.While Yammer is meant to be used for sharing information and updates in larger groups, Teams is designed for tighter collaboration in smaller project groups.
Teams makes it easy to collect and keep together all communications related to a particular workgroup or project: files, messages, chats and so on. Because it's easy to add and remove members from a team, it reduces the risk of information being shared with those who are no longer involved in a project. A new team member gets instant access to everything previously discussed in the project as all conversation history is saved.
Teams is a digital tool that links all documents and files relevant to the project in OneDrive and SharePoint. This way, the entire project team always has access to the most up-to-date version of various documents without having to search.
It's also no secret that the functionality of Skype for Business is being phased out and will eventually be fully included in Teams.
The search functionality of Delve is a hidden gem in the Office 365 family that makes many people express their delight when they realise its possibilities. With Delve, you can do deep dives into all the documents, files and conversations you have permission to. Both files you manage and have stored yourself and those shared by others. You get an instant overview of which documents different people are working on and the ability to search in all the places you are authorised - in Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint. When it's easy to find all the documents and information you have access to, one of the time stealers disappears.
Digital tools in Office 365 are the honey of the office
Together, the Office 365 applications help unleash the superpowers of every employee by allowing them to focus on what's important, not chasing time thieves. Better, more efficient collaboration means happier employees and stronger teams. Employees with new superpowers can provide better customer contact, complete better projects, work more efficiently and grow the business and operations better.
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Want more inspiration on how to unleash the superpowers of your colleagues? In our half-day workshop, you and your colleagues will get practical advice and tips on how to maximise your use of Office365. We offer insights into new ways of working and concrete tips on how your company can take advantage of digital tools and lift your organisation to a new level. Read more and book the workshop here!
