communicate with anyone from anywhere in the world. And, online meetings are a prime example of how new technology provides us with this advantage.
Meetings are still important, even though we are not using them as much as before. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on our lives and work habits. We all have been affected, even though we might feel it or not. And, it’s no surprise the use of online meetings decreased once the pandemic was over. Although it is understandable, people started to apply in real life the “That meeting could’ve been an e-mail” joke.
However, most people still have to get together with their coworkers and colleagues when they need to discuss a project or a task. The reason why meetings are still used is that they help us collaborate with others and keep in touch with our coworkers when we work alone at home or in the office. We cannot cancel meetings for good.
But what are the best collaboration tools you can use when you have to meet with your colleagues?
We can start off with Microsoft Teams.
Right off the bat, we start with one of the best collaboration tools out there! Microsoft Teams is a collaboration software that is available on Windows, Mac, and iOS devices. It is part of the Office 365 ecosystem. You can use it to communicate with coworkers inside your company or outside of it. And, it is fully flexible and customizable.
The major advantage of Teams? It lets you share files via e-mail attachments and links, create meetings, share calendars, create polls/ surveys, and organize groups around projects and tasks. What more could you ask for? Well, this can be the right tool for your organization.
The next one on our collaboration tools list is Zoom.
Oh, yes! The famous Zoom. Do you remember the incredible growth this collaboration software has seen when the pandemic hit? The hype is real though, as Zoom is one of the best in the game!
With the app, it is easy to have face-to-face meetings, as well as online training sessions.
Zoom lets people share their screens in real-time. Or they can watch each other’s screens remotely, allowing for more effective communication between team members. With Zoom, teams can also do group brainstorming sessions with their members all over the world!
Moving on, with the collaboration solutions, we have Google Meet
Google Meet is the epitome of “simple is better”. The collaboration software allows you to create and attend meetings, share documents, and chat with other people in real-time. Even though it is familiar with the ones mentioned before, its simple easy-to-use interface is what makes Google Meet one of the best.
Google Meet is a great way to collaborate with your team members as it allows you to see who is online and available for meetings. You can also easily share files between participants and make presentations using Google Slides or Google Docs. Great integration between them!
Do not forget to download the desktop app if you decide to go with Meet as you can join meetings more conveniently.
Next, on the collaboration solutions list, we have Cisco WebEx.
This collaboration software is amazing for business use! It has built-in video conferencing capabilities so you can conduct meetings between multiple people at once. It supports audio calling as well as text chats during your sessions (if your company has an in-house team that prefers texting over voice calls).
If there are multiple people involved in conducting the meeting (such as when multiple departments are working on one project), then Cisco WebEx will automatically split up the screen so each person gets their window without having to split up their browser window as other tools do.
You can also toggle between speakerphone mode vs. using headphones if needed. This feature makes certain types of conversations easier since only one person needs access while others listen via headsets instead!
And, next on the list we have Skype.
Skype is the classic app that paved the way for other collaboration tools. Although it may be slightly dated compared to its competitors, it still holds its ground and shouldn't be disregarded. Skype is still a great choice for collaboration!
It's available on many platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. You can also use Skype on your mobile device if you have an iOS or Android device. If you haven’t used Skype in your life, and we seriously doubt it, you should check it out.
Collaboration tools are designed to simplify our lives, and they continue to evolve alongside advancements in new technology. Their purpose remains to facilitate and streamline collaborative efforts, ultimately making our lives easier.
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