Effective collaboration is one of the pillars of a successful business. In fact, companies that promote collaboration at work – and support it well – have five times better performance rates than those that don't.
However, sometimes, it can be hard to know how to support healthy collaboration – until today. We will show you how a simple VoIP communication system can be your secret weapon when helping your teams collaborate – using an environmental nonprofit as an example.
Effective Collaboration is Financially Valuable. In a study by Deloitte, they discovered effective collaboration is worth about $1,600 per employee and the resulting quality improvements are worth more than $2,500 per employee.
Single-Pane of Glass
If you're like many businesses, you've probably got an office phone, a mobile phone, and an instant messaging and video conferencing platform. It’s no secret that managing all of them is quite a tedious task. You might miss a voicemail, forget a text, or leave a message on "read," which results in lost sales and frustrated coworkers.
Thankfully, a VoIP phone system like Simplicity's brings all your communication channels – voice, video conferencing, instant messaging, and more – into a single platform. Now, instead of jumping between three to five platforms or devices to take a call or send a message, you can manage them all in one place.
For our environmental nonprofit, let's call them Leaf Behind a Better Planet (LBBP), this is excellent news. Now:
- Team members can communicate however they want
- Users can manage multiple conversation channels without various devices or platforms
- The nonprofit can save money by getting rid of redundant platforms
Not to mention how much time the teams will save. And speaking of saving time, let's talk about integration.
Connected Tools Save Time. In a recent survey, respondents say that increasing cross-functional collaboration via connected tools could save them up to 12 hours a week!
Plug-and-Play Integrations
The average worker switches between nine different apps daily, making it hard to concentrate on the job. Larger organizations have it even worse, with the average enterprise using 300 different apps and systems to accomplish their goals.
Collaboration suffers as a result. According to a Microsoft survey, over 70 percent of respondents said that having all these different tools led to:
- Receiving wrong or out-of-date information
- Trouble accessing and sharing data between teams
- Teams use different information, causing miscommunication between team members and even customers.
Thanks to our library of integrations, VoIP solutions from Simplicity can bring all project management software, CRM systems, email clients, and more "under one roof." Now, all the information your team needs is in one simple system. This streamlines your teams' day-to-day workflow, reduces misunderstandings, and boosts productivity.
Think of our nonprofit, Leaf Behind a Better Planet (LBBP). They have different teams using different tools – researchers use one system for environmental data while the fundraising team manages donors with another, etc.
With Simplicity VoIP's solution, they could connect all their tools and give each team access to the same information. Now, when the research team makes a discovery, fundraising knows about it immediately and can start reaching out to donors using up-to-date information. Now, they can achieve far more in far less time.
No Integrations? No Collaboration. Sixty-four percent of employees agreed that a lack of integration between processes and tools makes cross-team collaboration nearly impossible.
Work Anywhere, Anytime - Easier Mobility
Thanks to their softphone capabilities, VoIP collaboration systems aren't tied to a specific location or device. All your team needs to do is install the app on their choice device, and they can collaborate with ease if they've got an internet connection.
Let's go back to the nonprofit example.
Say a team of researchers is out in the field collecting data on an endangered species. They come across something unexpected – a new habitat for a critically endangered bird species. With VoIP, the team can instantly start a video call with their colleagues back at the office, sharing live footage of the habitat to discuss next steps.
They could also easily add the community outreach team to the call – a group of remote employees – so they can brainstorm ways to involve local groups in protecting this new discovery.
No need to wait for everyone to be back in the office. Since their VoIP phone system is so accessible, they can securely communicate on the go. And you can, too!
Greater Customization & Flexibility
While each team is part of the same company, they each have unique needs when it comes to collaboration. After all, a fundraising team probably needs more virtual meeting rooms than a research team out in the field.
VoIP solutions like Simplicity's can be tailored to your team's needs. Whether it's custom call routes or automated workflows, VoIP lets your team create a collaborative system they all know and love.
Let's take LBBP's research team, for example. They do fieldwork in remote locations, making their collaboration unique. With a VoIP system from Simplicity, the team can set up features like:
- Custom call routing which ensures that only the most time-sensitive and important office calls reach their mobile phones. It also ensures that the right internal teams are directed to the right researcher based on their expertise.
- Instant messaging so internal teams can ask questions or share updates without breaking their concentration.
- Voicemail-to-email transcription allows the team to stay in the loop even if they miss an important call due to cell service.
Whatever your needs, VoIP allows you to adapt.
Bring Your Teams Together Like Never Before with Simplicity VoIP
From business texting to video conferencing, our platform allows you to unlock all the benefits of VoIP collaboration – from productivity improvements to increased innovation and morale. Want to see it in action? Reach out today, and we'd be happy to schedule a demonstration! Better cross-team collaboration is just a click away.
