The idea of collaboration amongst employees is nothing new. Businesses have been searching for ways to fine-tune and maximize their collaboration efforts for years. Just ten years ago, paper documents were an essential component to collaboration. Projects were printed out, distributed by hand for review and individual edits, then updated after everyone involved made individual contributions to the paper documents. Today, the process of “creation,” “communication,” “comment,” and “consolidation” is still the same; however, a digital approach to document management significantly improves collaboration and productivity across teams and departments.
Utilizing the digital workspace
Today’s businesses are comprised of many different employee types, including remote workers, road warriors, and seasonal workers. It’s important to keep all of these team members on the same page even when they’re not in the same physical location. Utilizing a cloud system or other online collaboration tools allows employees to access the same documents from any place, at any time, without emailing documents back and forth. They can access the latest versions of documents, and view suggestions and requested edits in real time. Brainstorming sessions can take place completely online with the help of a virtual whiteboard, where participants can share their comments.
Knowledge management is key
Knowledge sharing is essential to keep your employees connected and help them collaborate more effectively together. Organizations must provide team members with the right tools to ensure that they can share the knowledge they possess. Digitizing your documents is a crucial component to collaboration. Employees can work together seamlessly with access to digitized documents through a cloud service. Along with its impact on collaboration, a digital document approach is also cost effective. Printing is expensive; paper, toner, printer maintenance costs, and other expenses add up quickly in print-heavy offices.
Embrace the change to digital documents
It is important to get all employees on the same page when it comes to document collaboration. If you have a tool in place to upload and share digital documents, it’s only effective if everyone utilizes the software. For this reason, education and training are vital to making the changeover from traditional paper methods. Employees need to understand the significance of going digital, and exactly how it will positively affect their daily workflows. They also need a thorough walk-through of the software to ensure complete competence across your organization.
Collaboration is at the heart of all successful businesses, and the innovative technologies available today make it easier than ever for employees to share ideas across an organization. Contact Golden Gate Office Solutions today to learn more about how digitizing documents through document management can improve collaboration throughout your company.
