Enterprise collaboration is at its zenith right now. Never before have companies been able to hire from all over the globe and communicate with an international team in real-time.
What’s more, tools and technology have catapulted productivity forward, seemingly removing run-of-the-mill tasks on a daily basis.
Clearly, no innovation comes without downsides, and we have seen an uptick in employee burnout that needs to be addressed.
However, when implemented in line with a long-term strategy, recent enterprise collaboration trends can give a serious boost to your performance while improving working conditions for your team.
In this article, we’re going to look at the radical changes we’ve seen in workplace collaboration, looking into their advantages and how to implement them. Covering hot topics like AI in collaboration, the remote revolution, virtual workspaces, and employee well-being tools, it’s a reflection on how far we’ve come, both technologically and culturally.
1. Combining remote and in-office formats with hybrid work models
The rapid shift from almost ubiquitous in-office roles to a global acceptance that working remotely has a whole heap of advantages. Although there are extremes at both ends of the spectrum, most businesses fall into the “hybrid” category: A permanent office for specific events or days of the week, but freedom for employees to do the rest of their work from home, a café, or a coworking space.
Digital hybrid work setups have made unprecedented breakthroughs in a variety of areas. Chief among them is that HR teams can hire from a global talent pool, rather than being limited to those within commuting distance. On the employee side, we’ve seen a better work-life balance that cuts out traveling times and opens up gaps to pick up the kids from school, pursue hobbies, and exercise over their lunch hour.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, however. Many organizations have experienced teething pains by not adopting team collaboration tools that can handle the off-site setting. That’s not to say the technology doesn’t exist. The best virtual workspaces have made working from home and from the office almost indistinguishable through video calls, collaborative documents, in-company social media feeds, and cloud-based storage systems.
In short, hybrid work models have allowed businesses to attract better talent, keep them happy, and even improve productivity.
2. Turbocharging productivity with AI and automation integration
Once reserved for sci-fi movies, artificial intelligence (AI) and automations have given us previously unthinkable power. Whether automatically assigning interdependent tasks with no managerial oversight or leveraging generative AI to create content for your website, email marketing, and social media posts, using AI in collaboration has transformed how we work.
Automations have been around for a fair while now, taking care of tasks like document approval and setting reminders as well as entire processes such as ticket categorization and email scheduling.
However, AI has really taken these capabilities to the next level. An unlimited source of ideas now bolsters enterprise collaboration tasks such as brainstorming approaches for new marketing campaigns in an instant. Far more effective than a speculative social media search, AI assistants will critique your input, giving you tips on the tone of voice, any logical fallacies, and how you can better address client pain points.
Businesses have shown a sharp increase in the use of AI transcription which makes it possible to work seamlessly with teams in other time zones. Let’s say you’re running a meeting with an AI assistant at your side. Your assistant will listen to every word said and reproduce it as text. Not only that, but it will also categorize the main talking points and summarize the meeting to let those in other time zones catch up later. If you have to translate it, just feed it into a built-in translator and make multi-lingual enterprise communication a reality.
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3. Safeguarding communication and data with enhanced security measures
As the potential of enterprise collaboration grows, so does the need for reliable system security measures. With well-publicized data breaches and increasing regulation, the general public is well aware of the risks that come with cyberattacks. Therefore, to maintain their market position, companies from all industries are investing in both complex and simple security protocols.
Sure, data encryption and secure servers are important for communication and collaboration. However, it tips into the realm of enterprise collaboration if you consider what each individual can do to keep company and client data safe.
Regular training sessions keep your team up-to-date on the latest techniques. For example, awareness of phishing efforts — when a bad actor contacts an employee to get hold of sensitive information — significantly reduces the likelihood of the most common method of cyberattacks.
Similarly, explaining the importance of multi-factor authentication (MFA) can’t be overstated. Almost all business platforms offer the option of confirming a login via a separate trusted device but if your team doesn’t know why it is so important, it’s highly possible they switch MFA off for convenience.
4. Streamlining collaboration with integrated communication platforms
A common blocker to enterprise collaboration is when messages and documents slip through the cracks of a disjointed communication platform. In the past, organizations needed to compile notes from every phone call and letter into one central record to avoid missing payments, inaccurate accounting, and poor customer service. The advent of integrations helped things by automating the link to that central hub, but the system still wasn’t perfect.
Enter all-in-one communication tools. Whether they’re behind a customer service department or supporting a sales team’s customer relationship management (CRM) system, they bring all of your critical information into one place. Now, anybody on your team can access up-to-date information on all customer and colleague interactions.
This enables excellent enterprise communication, whether you’re in the office or working from home. Rather than needing to contact a colleague for the latest changes to a case, you can open up the relevant tab and work with the most recent activity.
Of course, it’s not just about how you deal with customers. Enterprise collaboration requires free-flowing communication across your departments — not the silos that are common among remote teams.
As software has caught up with the glaring need for user-friendly, integrated communication platforms, companies have adopted them in droves. With fluid communication, employees report feeling more invested in their organization’s success and a more valued member of the team.
5. Enhancing remote teamwork through virtual collaboration spaces
Remote work simply wouldn’t be possible without virtual workspaces — one go-to hub on the cloud for all your daily operations. With all the features you’d need to run a prosperous business, even in-office teams are using these new spaces to keep all their data and operations on one neat platform.
One of the best team collaboration tools is project management software, whereby you can manage projects, share documents, communicate effectively, and track progress. Instead of face-to-face conversations where information can easily be forgotten or misunderstood, project management hubs safeguard records of all conversations so anyone on the team can access them and take the next steps based on the latest information. Effective use of notifications cuts out the need to reach out with specific instructions and streamlines the path toward completion.
A whole host of communication tools replicates — and often improves — the enterprise collaboration you’d find in an office. With the right training and guidelines, instant messaging, video conferencing, discussion forums, and collaborative documents help to ping messages back and forth quickly and finish tasks faster. As a result, employees feel more engaged and draw a greater feeling of satisfaction by removing frustrating roadblocks.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of all-in-one virtual workspaces is that you no longer have to log into different apps for every element of your work. With all your business tools in one place, you’re able to draft a doc, tag a collaborator for their input, and wait for a notification to ping once you get feedback.
6. Gathering insights from data analytics to inform decisions
It’s no secret that smart use of data is key for analyzing past performance and identifying future opportunities. Despite the pressing nature, not every company has managed to use it strategically.
Essentially, knowing what success looks like and working your way backward throws up strategic targets based on metrics that align with your goals. For example, enterprise collaboration relies on standardized workflows, but how do you know if they’re as effective as they can be?
Data analytics will tell you how much time is spent on each step of that workflow, so you can pick out the parts that are slowing you down. In addition, they show the performance of each individual in your team and offer extra training to get slower members up to speed.
From a more customer-facing perspective, marketers can track key metrics of their projects, such as page views, click-through rate, and conversions to have a clear idea of how effective your campaigns are.
In the short term, this gives you an opportunity to A/B test elements until you find a winning formula. However, if you’re a marketing brand, these statistics also work as a great pitch for corporate collaboration with new clients.
Whatever the focus of your company, smart use of data analytics opens the door to a world of confident decisions in place of random guesswork.
7. Focusing on employee well-being by prioritizing mental health
Last on our list of enterprise collaboration trends is not so technical but still has a profound impact on productivity. A happy team is an effective team, especially in the context of digital hybrid work.
Never before has the mental and physical health of your employees been more of a pressing concern, and for good reason. High levels of stress and burnout lead to increased employee turnover, which disrupts workplace collaboration and incurs significant costs for organizations. When dealt with correctly, employees who feel valued, supported, and motivated are more likely to engage fully and be productive.
That’s why employee well-being tools are so popular nowadays. From simple adaptations such as including recognition programs to celebrate achievements and contributions to comprehensive mental health workshops and fitness memberships, there’s something for companies with every budget.
As teams become more distant physically, they need to get closer on a personal level to maximize enterprise collaboration. This doesn’t mean revealing closely held secrets, it’s more about creating a culture where people feel valued and able to raise concerns without repercussions.
That culture does wonders in the recruitment process. As the stresses of life increase, top talent are prioritizing a psychologically safe role over positions that pay better but take a greater mental toll on employees.
Join Bitrix24 to ride the wave of enterprise collaboration trends
Nobody wants to miss out on the latest trends — and you don’t have to!
Bitrix24 provides all the tools you need to adopt the latest breakthroughs in corporate collaboration. Armed with an all-in-one platform designed for every aspect of your business, you can:
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Implement hybrid work models with a comprehensive suite of project management, HR solutions, communication channels, a powerful CRM, marketing features, and more
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Leverage AI and automation, hand-in-hand with Bitrix24’s Copilot
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Enhance security measures and data protection with encrypted communications, access controls, and multi-factor authentication
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Integrate a range of communication channels, reducing silos and improving productivity
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Create virtual collaboration spaces with centralized project management, real-time communication, and collaborative tools
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Drive decisions with data analytics that track performance and offer actionable insights
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Focus on employee well-being with customizable schedules and shared calendars to set time aside for mental health efforts
So if you want to capitalize on the latest enterprise collaboration trends, sign up for Bitrix24 and discover its potential to improve your working culture.
Unlimited Free Users.
Bitrix24 provides all the tools you need to adopt the latest breakthroughs in corporate collaboration. Armed with an all-in-one platform designed for every aspect of your business.
Register Today
FAQs
What are the latest trends in enterprise collaboration?
The latest trends in enterprise collaboration are:
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Hybrid work models
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AI and automation integration
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Enhanced security measures
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Integrated communication platforms
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Virtual collaboration spaces
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Data analytics for insights
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A focus on employee well-being
How is AI transforming workplace collaboration?
AI is transforming workplace collaboration by automating routine tasks, creating content in an instant, providing relevant insights, turning speech into text, facilitating seamless communication through tools like chatbots and virtual assistants, and more. The result is a more personalized collaboration experience and improved efficiency.
What tools enhance team collaboration in a hybrid work model?
Tools that enhance team collaboration in a hybrid work model include:
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Virtual workspaces
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Integrated communication platforms
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Project management software
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Secure file-sharing systems
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Video conferencing tools
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Employee well-being applications
These tools facilitate seamless communication, real-time collaboration, and efficient task management regardless of team members' locations.
