When the world was hit by the pandemic, you’ve probably heard companies and startups alike adopting the asynchronous communication model. While it’s great on paper, it will only work if you have the proper communication tools in place and everyone in your organization understands all of its best practices.

With how preoccupied we tend to be with clients and vendors, we might be neglecting how we communicate as a team. While this may seem trivial at first, the truth is that a single disengaged employee at the average salary level can cost you almost $16,000 per year. That stacks up over time.

With the many internal communication platforms available in the market, you might wonder what’s best for your organization. Although every company has its own unique needs, below is a list of X simple digital tools that address some of the critical requirements in the workplace and help you build a solid foundation.

Private, Group Messaging, & Chat: Slack

Available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux

Slack has been a go-to platform for instant internal communication in recent years, and rightfully so. It has a clean and straightforward interface, making it easy to adopt in any workplace.

The app also has several valuable features for remote employees, such as the option to fine-tune your notifications, which can help you avoid an overwhelming number of incoming messages. Furthermore, Slack is secure. It boasts robust security and data protection features such as information governance and identity and device management.

With Slack, you can create a channel for group discussions. If you work for a large company and want to discuss things that are only relevant to employees in a single department, this feature might be helpful for you. You can also conduct one-on-one conversations with a few coworkers or start a private group chat.

Video Conferencing: Zoom

Available on Web, iOS, Android 

Maybe boosting your internal communication means having more video conferences or virtual water coolers. For that, Zoom is a good option.

The platform has gained popularity in recent years, especially as remote work has become more prevalent. As a result, Zoom has become the standard communication tool for videoconferencing in many businesses globally.

The app is ideal for small, medium-sized, and large companies who wish to keep their remote teams in sync. It's simple to use, has HD video and great sound, supports various integrations, screen and content sharing, group meetings, and other features.

Document Collaboration: Google Workspace

Available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web  

Whether for on-site, remote, or hybrid workplaces, collaboration software is essential for every team.

Just imagine how your team would work without a document collaboration tool. How are you going to join forces and collaborate on a project? There are several document collaboration solutions available out there, and the best thing about them is that many of them are free or come with a minimal fee only.

It’s pretty much a no-brainer that the Google Workspace is at the top of everyone’s mind. It has everything from documents and spreadsheets to presentations and forms.

File Sharing: Dropbox

Available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web  

Remember when an office's knowledge base used to be a mess of paper papers stored in file cabinets or placed wherever they might fit? Those days are long gone—filing cabinets have evolved, too! Teams can now use Dropbox as their knowledge management system.

Dropbox is a safe and secure file storage and sharing platform for your workplace. You may restrict access to a folder to those who need it, add comments to files, and track changes by checking the folder history.

Dropbox also launches new services now and then that can help modern workplaces maximize collaboration efforts. One example is Dropbox Paper which teams can use for working on a project together in real-time.

Project Management: Asana

Available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web  

Looking for a way to have a bird’s eye view of all your projects? Asana is a simple and effective project management platform that your team can use for internal communication as well as task monitoring to maintain efficiency.

This digital tool allows you to assign tasks to yourself or other team members and establish a timeline and a deadline. These features let you know how each project is progressing and who is working on it. In addition, you can make working with the app even more efficient by using Asana Keyboard shortcuts.

Asana enables you to collaborate in one place, break down projects, exchange files, add integrations, and sync data with other platforms such as Google Calendar.

Ready To Take Your Organization’s Productivity To The Next Level?

Knowing the right tools that will cater to the needs of teams in your company is always a step forward in the right direction.

The tools we’ve listed above will help you in achieving meaningful collaboration. Just by allowing all of your teams to communicate with each other in an effective way, you will enjoy increased efficiency and productivity in the workplace.

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