Collaboration is something that helps to create a productive, efficient, and harmonious workplace. Most business owners are well aware of this fact, but it doesn’t mean that effective collaboration is easy to come by. It takes continuous effort on the part of all and needs to be made a priority. In today’s modern digital age, a new method of collaboration is making its mark and may just prove to be the most effective tool in the toolbox. Online whiteboards have emerged as a high-tech and yet user-friendly way to engage in collaboration.
Unsure if online whiteboards are necessary for your business? Here are some of the reasons online whiteboards can help with real-time collaboration.
Ideal for Remote Teams
There has been a huge shift in the workforce over the past 20 months with many companies moving their entire or partial workforce to an online environment. While some may be heading back to the office at this point, others have chosen to stick with remote teams even on a part-time basis. What this means is that they need a way to collaborate and communicate in real-time so everyone remains on the same page.
A digital whiteboard is the ultimate way to do that. It doesn’t matter where the employees are located around the world, everyone can be using that same whiteboard to plan, brainstorm, and organize everything in real-time. It’s as though everyone is in the same room together physically, allowing for that same level of productivity and communication.
Remote teams offer a huge number of benefits to companies and the employees themselves, but there still needs to be an emphasis on how that remote team can stay in communication with one another. You don’t want team members to feel detached and as though they don’t have a support team around them. The team environment needs to continue.
No Need for Drawn Out Meetings
Another benefit of these online whiteboards is that they eliminate the need for drawn-out meetings that would typically happen in person. Employees often have busy schedules, making time for regular meetings cuts into their time and potentially takes them away from important tasks. If a company can find a way to reduce or eliminate the need for these meetings then it can result in a more productive workforce.
The very concept of these whiteboards is that they are available in real-time. There is no need to have everyone stop what they are doing, interrupt the flow, and attend a meeting. Instead, comments, actions, and tasks can be implemented in real-time, allowing the flow of work to continue.
Team Members Will Likely Communicate More Often
Even for companies that pride themselves on open communication at all times, there is still room for improvement. What many businesses find when they make the switch to an online whiteboard is communication increases between staff and departments. When you provide people with easy-to-use tools it’s amazing how quickly they will embrace them.
This is especially important for companies who are located in different offices, or departments that are far from one another. The odds of speaking in person regularly throughout the day probably aren’t high, but if they have a digital tool to use you’ll see the levels of communication boosted significantly. Even departments that may not typically have a lot of communication with one another may suddenly open those lines.
Digital Files are Accessible to All
If your company is still stuck in the paper age, it’s time to embrace today’s technology and learn just how much more convenient digital files are. When you’ve got digital files, that same information can be shared with as many people as you want, instantly. It also gives everyone access to the data when they need it – in real-time if necessary. There’s no such thing as having to locate the paper file, which is cumbersome and time-consuming.
There are Often Annotation Features
Depending on the digital whiteboard software or platform that you use, there is likely going to be a selection of annotation features available. This allows you to make changes and notes on documents in real-time, that again, is visible to all. Some of the features may include:
- Hyperlinking
- Estimating
- Video links
- 3D modeling
- Add an image file
- Add spreadsheets
- Embed a document
You can get quite technical with the whiteboard, yet you don’t have to be a techie whiz to navigate the tools.
Some Come with Preloaded Templates
Getting started on a new project or task is often the hardest part, and this is where digital whiteboards can offer assistance. Some come with preloaded templates that are perfect for various types of uses. It can help employees to get off on the right foot and be organized from the get-go.
Digital Whiteboards Can Sync with Other Tools
Worried about how a digital whiteboard will work with the other tools your business depends on? Many of these whiteboards have been designed to be flexible in that they can sync with other popular tools. Just be sure you look into whether it’s compatible with such tools as Slack, Trello, Jira, and Zoom – or whatever other software or apps your business relies on.
Offering this compatibility feature means tasks are streamlined so employees don’t repeat steps.
Embrace Technology and Give Online Whiteboards a Try
It’s normal to feel a bit apprehensive about all the technological advancements that take place, but understand that there are many tools and software out there that can make your company run smoother and more efficiently. Digital whiteboards are an excellent example of that kind of tool.
