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With communication established as one of the significant aspects for the success of team collaboration and coordination, research conducted by McKinsey has revealed that effective internal communication can improve productivity by as high as 25%, creating a harmonious work environment.
Further research on workspace communication conducted by Salesforce revealed that 86% of employees have cited lack of communication as the leading cause of distress and structural failure in the workplace. This creates an urgency to improve the communication channel to strengthen the line of connectivity and engagement between employees and departments.
Establishing effective communication in the ever-changing organizational landscape is the best way to drive collaboration and add to business value. With Mckinsey claiming that 72% of organizations have yet to fully leverage the social technology tool, it’s time workplaces tap into the unknown to improve overall knowledge dissemination and productivity. The integration of the right technology can help you,
- Improving productivity
- Increasing the morale of the employees
- Strengthening teamwork
- Improving decision-making skills
- Lastly, enriching the company culture.
To enable better communication, many automated tools make your tasks simpler. We have listed 15 of them in this blog to give you deeper insights into choosing one.
15 Tools for better workplace communication
Here are the tools that facilitate better communication:
1. Social intranet tool
A social intranet tool facilitates communication between the employees of an organization beyond their physical location. It is a very important tool for working in coordination with each other.
In today’s digitally connected workforce, a social intranet tool saves a lot of time and keeps employees productive. Messaging, video communication, file sharing, etc., have become much easier with intranet tools. It is accessible by only the employees of an organization.
Empuls
Empuls is an employee engagement platform that connects the staff and keeps communication transparent. This tool helps employees at all levels, the human resources, business leaders, and people leaders of an organization.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Helps promote a positive work environment with its reward system.
- Robust and functional system.
- Facilitates social connection easily.
Cons
- More reward options are not available.
- Cost is a barrier for small firms.
Pricing
Plans start at $2 per month.
2. Messaging tools
An easy-to-use tool that facilitates real-time internal messaging between members of an organization. Employees from any location can communicate with this tool and save huge time.
Slack
Slack is a messaging tool that makes file sharing, and team collaboration easier. It also stores all files and conversations to be retrieved later.
Pros
- App integration is a great feature.
- It is a versatile tool.
- Easy tool to automate workflows.
- Dynamic functionalities.
Cons
- Organizing messages is quite a task.
- Lots of glitches in the desktop version.
Pricing
Plans start at $6.67 per month.
3. Collaboration tools
These tools automate the processes of task assignment, progress updates, file sharing, and reporting. It helps with seamless operations in the workplace.
Trello
Trello is a collaboration tool that helps managers and team members work productively. It organizes tasks in cards and facilitates easy follow-up. Integration with Google Drive, Slack, and Jira is easier with Trello.
Pros
- Efficient for project management.
- Intuitive interface.
- Easy to use.
- Improves productivity.
Cons
- Many columns and cards are confusing at times.
- Limited storage availability.
Pricing
Plans start at $5 per month.
4. Knowledge management tool
These tools are used to gather internal and external knowledge resources for a business. Manuals, tutorials, FAQs, company handbooks, etc., are some examples.
Document360
It is a platform to build and distribute a knowledge base for customers and members of the organization. It has many advanced features like authenticating member access, rollback, and versioning, backup, etc.
Pros
- Highly responsive support team.
- Easy to navigate.
- The search engine feature works great.
- Easy to customize.
Cons
- The user interface is challenging.
- Slow at times.
Pricing
Prices start at $149 per month for 3 accounts.
5. Video conferencing software
This software helps employees communicate with each other through video calls. Scheduling calls, recording, and screen sharing are some of the useful features of video conferencing tools.
Zoom
A very popular tool for video communication, Zoom, offers an intuitive experience and facilitates easy correspondence. It is easy to download on any platform and simple to understand.
Pros
- Excellent push notifications.
- Easy integration with other tools.
- Even with a free account, can accommodate up to 100 participants.
- Improves productivity.
Cons
- Security breaches are possible.
- The mobile app is not as intuitive as the desktop version.
Pricing
Pro plans start at $14.99 per host per month.
6. Project management tool
These are tools created to help teams plan, organize, execute, and track projects as per guidelines. They are very useful for fixing responsibilities and identifying lapses.
Asana
Asana is a powerful project management tool that helps collaborate across any team in your organization to track and monitor projects. It assists in an organized and streamlined working of the team.
Pros
- User-friendly software.
- Timely reports and status updates.
- Reduces project delays.
- Improves operational efficiency.
Cons
- Some areas lack customization features.
- So many options and features are overwhelming.
Pricing
Plans start at $10.99 per member per month.
ProofHub
ProofHub is a versatile project management and collaboration tool for organizations. It simplifies task management across projects, allowing users to create, assign, and track tasks with deadlines. Team members can collaborate via features like discussions, chat, proofing tools, etc., to share feedback and project files.
Pros
- Flat pricing with no-per-user fee.
- Intuitive and distraction-free interface.
- Inbuilt time tracking and timesheets.
- Collaborate externally with guest users.
Cons
- Invoicing is available via integration only.
- It is not affordable for solopreneurs.
Pricing
Plans start at $45 per month for unlimited users.
7. File sharing tool
It is a centralized file management tool that helps in easy sharing across teams. In organizations that are geographically dispersed, this is a great tool for uninterrupted operations.
Dropbox
It is a cloud-based file storage platform, that makes sharing easier and quicker. All files are stored in centralized locations that can be synced across all devices at any time.
Pros
- Secure software as access needs authorization.
- Easy to use interface.
- Frequent backups and live updates.
- Easy file management.
Cons
- Limited storage capacity.
- File transfer speed is low.
Pricing
Plans start at $9.99 per month/billed annually.
8. Employee engagement tool
This tool facilitates better relationships with employees and higher management. It includes employee recognition plans to boost engagement.
Kudos
Kudos is an employee engagement and analytics platform that improves productivity by maintaining good relations with the employees. It helps to reduce employee turnover.
Pros
- Simple and quick platform.
- Helps improve work culture in the organization.
- Concise platform.
- Easy redemption of rewards.
Cons
- Customization options are not available.
- Limited collaboration with companies for reward options.
Pricing
Prices start at $5 per month.
9. CRM tool
Customer relationship management tool is used to improve communications with customers and thereby scale business. CRM tool helps employees manage their tasks and communication with customers. There are CRMs designed for small businesses and larger enterprises.
Salesforce
Salesforce is a scalable and flexible tool for customer relationship management. All customer data are stored in a centralized database and can be accessed when needed.
Pros
- Easy to monitor customer data.
- Collaboration between the sales team is easier.
- Enhances productivity.
- Customizable dashboards.
Cons
- Steep learning curve to start with.
- UI is a bit confusing at times with huge data.
Pricing
Plans start at $25 per user per month.
10. Team bonding tool
This tool helps to maintain healthy relationships between team members. It improves coordinated working and thus improves productivity.
Donut
Donut is a tool for strengthening bonds in organizations. It automates random conversations and brings people together.
Pros
- Effective automation.
- The connection between departments is possible.
- The scheduling facility is good.
- Easy to use.
Cons
- Expensive tool.
- Improvements are needed in the availability display.
Pricing
Plans start at $49 per month.
11. Workforce management tool
This tool streamlines the tasks of the workforce through automation. It helps to improve employee productivity and also cost reduction.
Connecteam
Connecteam is an app that helps managers in workforce management. It can help schedule shifts, track progress, track working hours, manage daily tasks, etc.
Pros
- Easy to install and navigate.
- Best app for managing remote workers.
- Highly functional app.
- Excellent customer support team.
Cons
- Expensive for small businesses.
- App lags when large files are uploaded.
Pricing
Plans start at $29 per month.
12. Workforce recognition tool
By recognizing milestones and achievements of employees, this tool helps build a harmonious work atmosphere. This is an automated platform and thus reduces the chance of missing out on any deserving employees.
Nectar
Nectar is a rewards and recognition platform that has an extensive catalog of rewards to choose from.
Pros
- Improves rapport with the staff.
- Reminder feature for redemption of rewards is very useful.
- Easy to use.
- Wide range of rewards.
Cons
- Reward options are more in specific regions only.
- The points quota is less.
Pricing
Plans start at $2.75 per user per month.
13. AI tool for meeting transcription
The transcription tool helps create memos, reports, and summaries that serve as valuable input for the team. It saves a lot of time.
Otter.ai
Otter.ai is a meeting transcription tool that provides instant summaries after every meeting. The process is automated and quick. It is also integrated with video conferencing tools like Zoom.
Pros
- User-friendly tool.
- Reduces the need for manual note-making.
- Error-free transcription.
- Worth the money spent.
Cons
- Misses out on transcription of certain words.
- Unable to share highlights from meetings.
Pricing
Customers should contact the support team for pricing.
14. Documentation tool
The tool helps to streamline document management in an organization. Documents are easy to access and share when needed.
Google Docs
Google Docs is an online word processor tool that enables document creation, editing, and sharing in real time.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Displays the history of changes made.
- The choice of restricting share option enables security.
- Can be used on any device.
Cons
- Some advanced features are missing.
- Difficult to use without an internet connection.
Pricing
Prices start from $6 per month per user.
15. Project planner
The project planner tool makes it easy to plan, organize and track progress. It makes it easy to arrive at estimates.
Toggl Plan
A very useful planner, Toggl Plan creates color-coded project deadlines and availability. It is easy to understand the progress of the project and ascertain timelines to start with new projects.
Pros
- Team collaboration is easy.
- User-friendly tool.
- Flexible tool for project planning.
- Saves time.
Cons
- Adding people is a tedious task.
- Exporting task lists is difficult.
Pricing
Plans start at $9 per user per month.
Conclusion
While there are several tools available, they are not a one-size-fits-all. Choose tools according to the needs of your business. It will help you bring about a good workplace environment that is crucial for the efficient functioning of the business.
