Best 6 Team Collaboration Tools to Level Up Productivity

Team Collaboration: Best 6 Remote Work Tools to Improve Productivity

How do you define a high-performing team? Is it a squad of some of the smartest people working for a common corporate goal? Well then, you are missing out on an important element and that’s none other than collaboration. Without it, a team can never work and you will end up wasting all that intelligence and skill that you had recruited for your company.

Naturally, you can imagine how significant team collaboration is actually. And, with more and more people working remotely today, it has become a key indicator of success. Statistics reveal a 44% rise in remote working over the past 5 years in the US itself, leave alone the other countries. This calls for the employment of team collaboration tools to ensure free-flowing communication among employees and promote productivity. If you are handling one at present and facing issues, we have some great real-time collaboration software for you. Read on to find a suitable one for managing your virtual team.

Why is Team Collaboration Important?

Before diving into the best collaboration tools in the market, let’s check out the benefits of investing in them. Enlisted here are five of them, all set to motivate you to employ them when managing a virtual team, the members of whom are remotely working.

1. Provides a Centralized Solution

Though many organizations cognize the presence of platforms for communication, most of them fail because of employing disparate software to meet the purpose. Why do you think does it hamper business operation? Well, it’s simply because, at the time of need, employees have to search through all of them to access relevant information. This is where a centralized tool curbs the chances of missing out important updates and stores pertinent conversations for future reference.

2. Enables Managers to Maintain a Common Operational Picture (COP)

Drawbacks like team members working on duplicative work, missing deadlines, and causing dissatisfaction among valued clients are common in organizations having no collaboration software. Usually, these results in disastrous revenue returns, and you would certainly not aspire so. Hence, investing in a collaboration tool seems to be the only way out to eliminate disruption and communication lags.

3. Improves Efficiency

Team collaboration tools consolidate myriad resources into an integrated workspace from where employees can procure necessary information. Not only does such a systematic approach accelerate the process but it also simplifies collaboration by acting as a reference point and an onboarding guide.

4. Creates Targeted and Essential Alerts

Alerts in certain industries, where there’s a threat to life, are imperative. Based on that, actionable directives are conveyed, which in turn reduces the risk to life. Team collaboration tools send only the most urgent ones so that employees do not feel alert fatigue by perpetual irrelevant ones flooding their system.

5. Ensures Effective Communication

Be it a small business with workers operating remotely or a big enterprise making deliveries across countries, communication should be as seamless as possible. A collaboration tool promises the same by tying up distributed teams together with a unified communication thread.

Best 6 Team Collaboration Tools to Boost Productivity

As you can check from the points above, team collaboration tools promise plenty of benefits. Thanks to advancements in technology for myriad features like content sharing, direct messaging, real-time chat rooms, and more integrated into a unified platform. But over time, newer and better software is coming into the market. So, it’s easy to confuse yourself over them. Hence, we have simplified the job for you. Enlisted here are six of the best collaboration tools to invest in.

1. Best Data Visualization Tool - EdrawMind

Best 6 Team Collaboration Tools Edraw EdrawMind

Source: EdrawMind

Key Features	Brainstorming Mode enables managers to conduct group sessions and create Mind Map Allows tracking of tasks on switching to Gantt view. Permits addition of resources to various tasks and filters them accordingly. Track progress in real-time. Simplifies a complex idea with a stunning Mind Map. Supports sharing of files through HTML links. Allows exporting of Mind Maps to accessible files like PDF, graphic files, Office and Evernote. Manage tasks and monitor the entire process through powerful task panel. Add hyperlinks and important attachments to convince team members of your views. Collaborate with team members in real-time. Comment on tasks created by team members to help them with valuable feedback.
Pros	User-friendly Versatile Cross-platform friendly Simplifies collaboration with the team Allows customization Basic version is free to download Offers discounts to business on upgrading to advanced versions
Cons	No trial period for pro features No support for structured templates
Platform	Online Version, Mobile Version, Windows/Mac/Linux Desktops
Price	Basic Plan for Individuals starts from $29
Score on Capterra	4.7 out of 5

2. Best Communication Tool – Nextiva

6 Best Team Collaboration Nextiva

Source: Nextiva

Key Features	Unlimited web conferencing using VoIP. HD VoIP. Supports Internal Chat with more than one team member. Helps one keep track of work assignments’ progress through CRM. File sharing to a team member or an entire group. Multi-user collaboration under Unified Communications. Video Conferencing.
Pros	Affordable for SMEs Consumes minimum data Free download available for desktop users
Cons	Lengthy onboarding process Poor customer support RRL fees are slightly high Improper technical support Does not offer value for money
Platform	Windows, online version, iOS, Android
Price	The professional pack starts at $24.95 per month and Enterprise pack costs $31.95 per month.
Score on Capterra	4.4 out of 5

3. Best Note-taking Tool - Google Keep

Best 6 Team Collaboration Tools Google Keep

Source: Google Keep

Key Features	Enables users to type, draw, talk and capture. Usable anywhere. Allows setting of alerts and reminders. Read later to view saved content. Copy to Google Docs to share files later.
Pros	Simplifies note-taking online App works fine without an internet connection
Cons	Though it claims that it works offline, in reality, it fails to do so Lack of design or OCR on the user interface Not properly integrated with other services like Google Calendar and Tasks Lack of text formatting option Does not support the embedding of links Automatic saving hardly works
Platform	Online version, iOS, Android
Price	Free to use
Score on Capterra	4.5 out of 5

4. Best Documentation Tool - Bit.ai

Best 6 Team Collaboration Tools Bit.ai

Source: Bit ai

Key Features	Supports brainstorming, content management, version control, document management, contact management and real-time editing under Collaboration. Showcases image editor and text editor under Content Management. Integrates collaboration tools, file type conversions, document assembly and document retention under Document Management. Assists in the digital asset, document and content lifecycle management under Enterprise Content Management.
Pros	Plenty of integrations Smooth-running interface Robust templates
Cons	Lacks mobile app There’s dearth of functions for aesthetic appeal Nonexistence of Whitelabel version
Platform	Web-based, SaaS, Cloud
Price	$15.00 per month for an individual user
Score on Capterra	5 out of 5

5. Best File Sharing App – Dropbox

Best 6 Team Collaboration Tools Dropbox

Source: Dropbox

Key Features	Team Folder Manager, offering visibility through sync management. Flexible storage plans, providing necessary space to team. Packed with administrative tools for managing the team. Dropbox Paper for sharing important files with team. Admin Dashboard for monitoring team activity.
Pros	A backup on its own Keeps official documents secure Allows secure sharing of files Allows sharing of files in the original format, making team coordination easy
Cons	Lack of undo button Slow load speed More space means more money Dropbox for business is too expensive Mobile version is not as flexible as the desktop version
Platform	Windows, Mac, Saas, Cloud, iOS, Android, online version
Price	Free for the first 30 days
Score on Capterra	4.5 out of 5

6. Best Project Management Tool – Asana

Best 6 Remote Team Collaboration Tools Asana

Source: Asana

Key Features	Activity feed. Offers real-time updates. Allows comments on tasks. Hosts multiple workspaces. Enables tracking of tasks and adding of followers. Sets priorities, goals and due dates. Sets notifications and reminders. Provides Email bridge.
Pros	It has a free plan for SMEs It allows third-party integrations like Google Calendar, Dropbox, etc Superb storage security Customizable dashboard Enables collaboration on a particular workspace
Cons	Not user-friendly, especially for beginners Too overwhelming for small organizations working with single projects Tasks can only be assigned to one person to avoid confusions but it backfires Absence of time tracking feature Export is limited only to CSV and JSON formats
Platform	Mac, Android, iOS, Windows
Price	Premium package starting at $10.99 per user per month
Score on Capterra	4.4 out of 5

Empower Your Team with the Best Collaboration Tools!

Leveling up productivity now takes embracing of some of the best collaboration tools to connect the members of a virtual team, working remotely, from different parts of the world. If you are seeking the finest data visualization tool then EdrawMind can be an excellent one but if you are on the hunt for a top communication tool, then Nextiva can be outstanding software. Similarly, Google Keep leads the list of some of the best performing note-taking tools and Bit.ai the documentation tools. On the other hand, Dropbox better simplifies the file-sharing task and Asana the project management job.

However, if you are to shortlist an all-inclusive one, EdrawMind can be brilliant software to start with and take the efficiency of your team to an all-time high and sustain it over time. But, as you know, free-flowing communication is the cornerstone of productivity and if we are to recommend single software, which can ensure so, then it would be none other than Nextiva. Not only does it make collaboration with employees effortless through video calls but it also allows users to share the screen during calls. Enough said, go ahead with tools that best fill the gaps in your business and double the efficiency of your team in no time.