E-Handbook: Collaboration tools are shifting work culture in new ways Article 1 of 4

Build a strategy that puts collaboration tools to best use

Collaboration is fast becoming the core of business communications and employee workflows. Collaboration tools offer users central locations to meet, message and share content. Many of these tools also offer open APIs and app repositories that enable users to connect to other business applications, like content management and customer relationship management platforms.

It's become essential to integrate collaboration with business applications and workflows. Bringing communications capabilities to workflows can streamline processes and enhance productivity. And with the availability of APIs and low-code and no-code development capabilities, it's easier than ever to build the collaboration integrations employees need to do their best work.

Before open APIs became commonplace, building integrations between collaboration tools and business applications required knowing a development language like Java or Python. Low-code and no-code tools, like visual flow tools, open the door to enable users with little development expertise to build their own workflows.

The ability to integrate with business apps highlights just how central collaboration has become to employee productivity. But to achieve true success with collaboration, organizations need a strategy that fosters a culture of collaboration.

Creating a collaborative culture should focus on breaking down communication silos between departments and employees. Removing siloes enables organizations to not only better understand employee communication and workflows needs, but evaluate and deploy the right tools, capabilities and integrations.

The articles in this guide can help you create as strategy to build the business case for collaboration tools, support a collaborative culture in your organization and make collaboration the hub of your business communications and workflows.