How to Collaborate for Organizational Success

Table of Contents

Introduction...... 3

1. Commercial Collaboration Scenarios...... 4

2. How to Benefit from Collaboration...... 5

3. How to Improve Your Business Collaboration ...... 6

4. Using Web-Based Tools to Improve Collaboration ...... 8

5. Connect Your Teams and Improve Collaboration with Help from All Covered .....10

2 Introduction

Globalization. It’s no surprise that the face of business has changed greatly since the birth of the and the growth of globalization. Today’s global market is open to even the smallest companies. Remote working too is an increasingly pervasive trend in many industries with nearly 40 percent1 of employees working outside of a traditional office setting at least part of the time. With so many people working together at a distance, online collaboration is quickly becoming the new – and often only – way to work together.

Collaboration software also has 97% of businesses using had a profound impact on how collaboration software reported businesses, large and small, interact with customers and control access being able to service more clients to data. According to McKinsey & more efficiently Company, 97 percent of businesses using collaboration software reported being able to service more clients, more efficiently, while 74 percent reported faster access to information 74% reported faster access to and internal data2. Still, despite these information and internal data. and other benefits, the majority of companies do not fully utilize all of the functionalities within their collaboration tools.

So how can organizations better utilize the tools at their disposal to foster collaboration between employees, service providers, suppliers and customers?

1Matthews, H. Scott; Eric Williams. “Telework Adoption and Energy Use in Building and Transport Sectors in the United States and Japan”, http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%291076-0342%282005%2911%3A1%2821%29 2McKinsey & Company, “How social technologies are extending the organization”, http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/high_tech_ telecoms_internet/how_social_technologies_are_extending_the_organization

3 1 Commercial Collaboration Scenarios

Technology. From the conference room to cross-border cooperation, many businesses are successfully using technology to improve the way their teams work together. Consider the following common collaborative scenarios.

Intra-Company Collaboration Mobile and Remote Collaboration Inter-Company Collaboration Today’s collaborative documentation Out of sight is no longer out of mind for Collaboration tools are breaking software permits project teams to be businesses with a mobile workforce. down the geographical constraints more productive by working together Online collaboration tools help workers associated with international and global on single document versions. Each stay connected regardless of their competition. Companies can collaborate team member can see who is location. Staff in multiple locations can across countries and continents to break doing what and costly duplication work together to tackle complex tasks, new markets and bring down the cost and misplaced files are eliminated. supplementing a single pair of hands of joint ventures. This is collaboration at Collaboration within the four walls of with the power of multiple minds. its most powerful and requires the use a company has never been simpler. Location, furthermore, is no longer of multiple communication channels and the barrier it formerly was when hiring the most advanced software available. new employees as mobile, real-time collaborative technology can provide remote on-the-job training for employees. Companies are also using collaboration software to reduce overhead costs associated with fixed offices and workspaces. Such are the advancements in technology that entire enterprises can operate on a daily basis without employees gathering in a single location.

4 2 How to Benefit from Collaboration

Goals. Like all commercial skills and methodologies, collaborative activity is most effective when you establish clear goals for what you want to achieve and how you intend to achieve it. Much depends upon the specific application.

Problem Solving the supervision of an instructor, with plan, assign, monitor and manage This kind of collaborative work will none of the travelling expenses or tasks as needed to keep on track with typically take place in a face-to-face facility costs that apply to traditional project timelines. environment, where a team of people classroom training. can brainstorm and bounce ideas Global Collaboration off one another; however, with video Workload Sharing Penetrating international markets conferencing technology, the team Sometimes collaboration needs less is no longer solely the domain of can just as effectively work together in the way of conversation and a little corporate giants. Collaboration remotely. In fact, remote collaboration more action. Cloud-based collaboration technology makes it possible for can, where necessary, put world-class software makes it simple for large enterprises to launch joint ventures expertise to work in solving complex teams to work together on projects. and introduce products and services and challenging issues. Documents are stored in central to foreign customers. Perhaps one of repositories and can be checked out by the best examples of the “little guy” Training and Development employees who need to work on them. doing business globally is the virtual Using collaborative web-conferencing Project documents are tracked through organization. Thousands of individuals tools and software training the entire lifecycle, making it easy to are forming remote partnerships to do environments, your employees can see the changes and updates made by business together online, using suites benefit from hands-on learning under each contributor. Team leads can easily of .

5 3 How to Improve Your Business Collaboration

Email

Note Taking & Chat & IM Recording Software

Video Telephony

Tools. Your company may already be using some or all of the practices and strategies discussed in the previous section. But how can you do so more effectively? The following tips may give you some ideas for enhancing the way your company collaborates using a number of different tools.

Email by using a cloud-hosted email Chat and IM The secret to improving collaboration archiving service. While it might seem counterintuitive, through email is a simple one – reduce, • Get those email attachments is actually less reduce and reduce. transferred into a document intrusive than email for busy team application members. Your employees don’t need To improve your collaboration via and then delete the . to constantly check their email inboxes, email, you should use it for that which all too often leads to distraction • Stop using email for task which it was intended: primarily as a and workflow interruptions. Chat assignment and status updates. one-to-one tool for fast and simple also removes the “impatience effect” Utilize communication, especially with that’s inherent when participants in an software instead. customers and others working outside email conversation await responses your organization. Here are a few ideas • Shift complex, multi-participant to messages they have sent. Arriving for reducing the overload and putting conversations to discussion at conclusions tends to be a much email to work in its rightful place among forums. Use email only for notifying quicker process with IM. collaborative tools: participants when the conversation is updated. The takeaway then is this: To improve • Stop using emails to arrange • Stop using email for one-to-one collaboration with chat and IM, simply meetings and utilize shared conversations between use it more; however, it might be better calendars instead. colleagues and switch to chat to replace the “social” chat applications • Ease the load on your servers or instant messaging. in the workplace with specialized team or project-oriented chat tools, which are inexpensive and offer a wider range of features that contribute to team productivity.

6 Telephony Video Note Taking and If your organization still uses Better still are the increasingly Recording Software telephone conferencing services when accessible tools which bring telephony This type of software is advantageous collaborating by phone, you may be and video together. Previously targeting for the note taker, who no longer has familiar with the frustrations that mostly social users, these tools are to type up handwritten notes after arise from poor cellphone signals, becoming increasingly sophisticated meetings. It also helps to reduce email conference participants dropping out and offer higher quality communication traffic, mentioned earlier. Furthermore, unexpectedly due to failed connections, for professional collaboration. when solutions and missed information as two or are used, the notes can be displayed more participants talk over one Enterprise video, as this technology on users’ screens as they are being another. These services also tend to be is often called, can help you transition taken. This gives participants the expensive. The lack of visual contact from a partial solution, where your opportunity to correct the note-taker too can be a drawback for companies teams mostly gather in conference where necessary or request that extra that regularly use remote collaboration, rooms to view and speak with information be added to the notes. The as many employees find face-to-face remote teams using large screens result of this is a more accurate record communication necessary to become and speaker phones, to fully unified of your collaborative conferences. fully engaged. communications, where individuals can meet virtually from their The second application you can use to You should find that your collaboration workstations, with sound and video capture information from meetings is can be improved by utilizing Internet integrated on the desktop or even software that records your conference Protocol (IP) telephony, which on mobile devices. calls. When you use this software, makes it much easier to manage you don’t even need someone taking and control telephone conferences Whether you use purely voice notes, meaning that all conference where participants use a combination communication or integrate voice and attendees can fully participate. All users of mobile and landlines to dial into video for your remote collaborative can review the recorded conferences meetings. IP telephony is also an meetings, you can improve the way at any time and, if you still wish to inexpensive approach to phone meeting content is recalled and have written meeting notes, they can collaboration, enabling your company shared with non-attendees by utilizing be compiled from the recordings. to save on communication expenses, technology to record conversations Meanwhile, recorded meetings can especially for collaboration across and take notes. also be useful for those unable to multiple countries. attend the live event.

7 4 Using Web-Based Tools to Improve Collaboration

Microsoft SharePoint Many benefits of collaboration can be achieved by implementing an such as Microsoft SharePoint. Primary advantages of using SharePoint include:

Project Management – SharePoint is ideal for project management because you can easily assign tasks to any number of team members. You will be able to see, at a glance, who has completed their project and who needs a little extra guidance Productivity. There is a plethora of cloud and web-based or communication. Then, you have access to all of your work in one simple software applications and platforms that can help greatly with format—ready to utilize. collaboration productivity. Ultimately, the tools you choose will depend Virtual Office Collaboration – Today, on the unique needs of your organization, but some of the applications you the virtual office is more important might consider using include: than ever before. With many staff members working from home and Cloud printing applications – Because How exactly does a shared workspace others checking in from offices around sometimes you still need to work with improve collaboration? By allowing you the world, having a tried and true way hard copies of documents. to do things like: to collaborate online is key. Microsoft Cloud-synched productivity apps – SharePoint offers this in a clean, easy- • Set up an intranet for your team Because lengthy task assignment to-navigate package. to find scheduled tasks, news, meetings waste productive time. announcements and other Business to Business Communication – Whiteboards and presentation tools information. With SharePoint becoming the “go-to” – Because they make it easy to • Enable multiple users to work on , it is a good solution present and work collaboratively and a single version of a document for working with those outside your productively in real time. from anywhere with an Internet own organization as well. Working with Shared workspaces – Because they connection. your vendors and clients has never tie all collaborative tools together on a been easier. SharePoint is more than • Store and organize thousands of single platform. just a communication tool (like Skype), documents, and easily retrieve it allows both parties to work together documents with advanced search Perhaps the most important tool to and see how the project is developing tools and filters. improve collaboration is the last one along the way. on the list above. A shared workspace • Store, update and review project platform, such as Microsoft SharePoint, status reports, client histories, Support is Available – Since SharePoint can integrate all of your collaborative employee work schedules and is so widely used, good, in-depth help tools into one back-end system. For profiles. is just a phone call away. All Covered all but the smallest companies, having • Create discussion forums for can provide guidance on using the employees, partners and perhaps even collaborating groups. program, detailed support and even customers, linked via a single platform, help to develop a collaboration strategy • Create portals for partners and is an essential element for a smoothly to take advantage of all the features of customers to view and share functioning collaborative environment. this important application. information.

8 Salesforce Development Efficient web-based collaboration can be a key element in driving sales for your organization.

Through our Salesforce Development Services, All Covered can help your company develop a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution that not only manages your organization’s interactions with current and future customers, but fosters collaboration between employees.

Generating Sales qualify sales leads. It can automatically Collaboration Benefits A cloud-based CRM like Salesforce notify customers about renewals and A CRM solution also creates a organizes and synchronizes critical policy changes – building customer collaborative online environment for information about an organization’s loyalty and simplifying time-consuming sales teams to share information customers and prospects. Employees tasks for employees – and automate and, ultimately, boost sales. can access this information through outbound marketing functions and every phase of the sales funnel, helping track metrics. A cloud-based CRM such as Salesforce to close and consolidate sales. provides sales staff with social tools that By empowering organizations to facilitate the sharing of data about current A CRM can automatically analyze communicate directly with existing and potential customers and allows them relevant data, such as demographics and potential customers, CRM allows to keep up with critical projects, topics and risk-related information, in order to companies to build relationships and and teams to help close more business. extend brand awareness. Teams can also work together on sales opportunities, capture organizational knowledge in a single location and drive progress from anywhere.

A CRM also allows organizations to share information collected from interactions with customers in order to improve the quality of customer service and to increase customer satisfaction.

Through our Salesforce Development service, All Covered can help your organization implement a customized Salesforce solution tailored to suit your specific needs.

9 5 Connect Your Teams and Improve Collaboration with Help from All Covered

Implement. All Covered can help your business improve collaboration strategy and processes with our comprehensive range of services. From conception to realization and beyond, we can help you plan, implement, customize and fine tune a solution that will turn your organization into a truly collaborative workplace. Whether you are a , a company that wants to improve productivity, an enterprise with a mobile workforce or a globally expanding corporation, All Covered provides the expertise and technology to make collaboration happen – more effectively, more economically and more efficiently.

For more information contact us at 866-446-1133.

10 PARTNERSHIP Konica Minolta can help give shape to your ideas and partner with you to achieve your corporate objectives. Contact us to realize opportunities in:

Information Management IT Services Technology Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Application Services Office Multifunction Business Solutions Document Management Cloud Services Commercial and Production Printers Automated Workflow Solutions IT Security 3D Printers Business Process Automation Managed IT Services Wide Format Printers Security and Compliance IT Consulting & Projects Laptops, Desktops and Mobility Computer Hardware Servers and Networking Equipment Optimized Print Services (OPS) Facilities Management

© 2015 KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS U.S.A., INC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS U.S.A., INC. KONICA MINOLTA, the KONICA MINOLTA logo, Count on Konica Minolta, bizhub, PageScope, and Giving Shape to Ideas are registered trademarks or trademarks 100 Williams Drive, Ramsey, New Jersey 07446 of KONICA MINOLTA, INC. All other product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations. All features and functions described here may not be available on some products. Design & specifications are subject to change without notice. CountOnKonicaMinolta.com

Item #: collabebook 6/15-I