#Collaboration Tools

[ipcommunications]

Requirements to Fulfil For Successful Video Calls

Covid-19 pandemic forced the entire globe to sit at homes, face lockdown and closing down of businesses on a temporary basis. This was like a challenge for business owners keep the business running while staying safe from this deadly virus at the same time. This is where video calls and video conferencing came to the rescue of theses businesses. Very soon, it was realized that this is something that they were missing till now and investing so much of time, efforts and money in arranging meeting, meeting with clients and so on.

Even till now, these video conferencing and video calling solutions are being used by businesses globally and it is estimated they are going to become more and more influential with every coming day.

What Are The Basic Requirements For Video Conferencing?

So many online collaboration tools are available and all of them are not as good as the video calling and video conferencing. They are very simple to use with just some very little hardware that we have discussed here.

High-Resolution Webcam

For a successful video meeting, a high resolution camera would be the first hardware required. Any ordinary webcam would do, but experts recommend using a good quality camera for a better impression in communication solutions. Therefore, it is recommended to use webcams that only support 1280×720 resolution (720p).

Fast Computer Processing

To enjoy good quality streaming, a good quality CPU is also required that does not lag at all during the video conferencing. Only a fast running processor would ensure that the audio and video quality does not degrade at all and you get to enjoy video calling of superior quality every time.. Hence, experts recommend that your computer should have a minimum 2 GB of RAM and a quad-core processor.

Sufficient Network Bandwidth

With slow Internet in your desktop or laptop, it is literally impossible to enjoy video calling. The same could become embarrassing, if the meeting is related to the business and who knows that your potential clients may get disappointed from this. To ensure that nothing like this happens, the best possible network is what you should arrange. Experts recommend that 1 Mbps is sufficient for 15 fps at 720p resolution, while 30 fps at 4K will require closer to 4 Mbps.

[jumpplblog]

Which is the best multi-user, online project management tool?

A good project management tool has to offer some specific facilities like team collaboration and management, time tracking, reporting, file management, real-time, collaboration, different ways to view and filter your tasks.

Meet Jumppl

Jumppl is a Project & Team Management Platform that delivers measurable improvement in Team Productivity. Project Management, Team Management, and Work Collaboration are all packed in One Wonderful Package!

We created Jumppl with the goal of being a business management platform where agencies can manage most (or all) of their daily workflows in one place. Being an agency ourselves, Jumppl was born out of our own needs, where our data and communications were scattered across many different solutions.

You can visit our website to learn more, www.Jumppl.com, there’s an option to sign up for a free trial. Give it a shot!

[theotherfruit]

Short Overview | TOF® | Making Choice Personal

[thelawandmore]

The 5 Most Underutilised Features in Legal Tech Systems 

The 5 Most Underutilised Features In Legal Tech Systems

Legal technology is constantly evolving and improving, offering lawyers and legal professionals a range of tools and features to enhance their productivity, efficiency and quality of service. However, not all legal tech users are aware of or make the most of these features, which can result in missed opportunities, wasted resources and suboptimal outcomes. In this blog post, we will highlight…

[buynest-partner]

The Future of Freelancing: How AI is Revolutionizing the Way We Work

"Maximize your productivity as a freelancer with AI-powered tools! Our latest article explores how freelancers can benefit from automation, project management software, financial analytics, and more. #busynest #freelancing #productivitytools #AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer the stuff of science fiction movies. Today, AI is transforming the way we work and live, and freelancers are no exception. As the gig economy continues to grow, more and more freelancers are turning to AI-powered tools to increase productivity, streamline workflows, and deliver better results to their clients. In this article, we’ll explore some of the…

[pampermama]

Remote Work Revolution: Top Tools and Tips for Thriving in a Virtual World

The remote work revolution has changed the way we work, learn, and collaborate. As companies and employees continue to embrace this new reality, it’s crucial to adapt and thrive in a virtual environment. In this article, we’ll explore top tools and tips to help you excel in the world of remote work, increase productivity, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.1.Setting up your remote…

[vitelglobal]

In today's fast-paced business environment, having a reliable and efficient phone system is crucial. From the latest technology trends to the most cost-effective solutions, we've got you covered. So if you're looking to upgrade your business phone system, read on to discover the top secrets about business phone solution providers!

[tragofone]

Best Video Meeting Practices to enhance Remote Team Communication

The recent series of events, technological advancements, and a shift in the business landscape have led most organizations to have a distributed workforce. Video meetings of course emerged as one of the most preferred tools for these distributed team mates to collaborate. However, this also meant people had to push out of their comfort zone and learn and adapt to new technologies. But following certain best practices can make this transition a lot easier and ensure a smooth collaboration and a seamless user experience. Without further ado let’s deep dive into these.

#1. Choose a video communication tool that fulfills your requirements

Any good video conferencing solution for business communications must enable your team members to:

Communicate – Chat and message while on a video call, integrate with any existing chat or messaging channel you may be using.

Collaborate – This includes screen sharing, file sharing, etc.

Provide feedback

Your video calling software needs to fulfill these basic criteria and more. Very few players in the market offer such capabilities so make sure to choose one that fits the bill. Choosing the right software is the first part, the next is to choose appropriate hardware like a high-quality microphone, headsets, and speakers for good sound quality. While most new-age computers and phones have these already built-in, investing in a high-quality headphone still makes sense for a distraction free and noise free call experience.

#2. Train your employees to use the video conferencing software and hardware

It would be a first for many of your employees to interact on a video call with their teammates, share information (screen, documents, etc.) on a call. In a professional environment sharing personal information accidently or forgetting to mute or unmute your call at the right time can lead to a lot of embarrassment and at times losing out on an important client. We have all had days where our seniors had to repeatedly remind us to mute ourselves or switch off our videos during morning meetings and group training.

Make sure to train your employees on the video conferencing software and any hardware involved. Whether a presenter or a participant, your employees should know the minutest of features with regards to the tool to extract the full potential and effective collaboration. Not only this, but they should also be trained on how to resolve minor glitches or any technical snags. Remember, today video meetings are not just restricted to internal meetings.

A myriad of client meetings also happens via video conferencing. The way your employees handle video calls and their basic video call etiquettes speaks volumes about your organization culture and professionalism. Training your staff on the video conferencing tool is therefore a non-negotiable in today’s work culture.

#3. Record your meetings and share highlights with the team

Having a distributed workforce at times also implies having team members working in different time zones. Even if that is not the case, there could be several scenarios where all the concerned participants may not be able to attend a call. This could specially be the case where you may have organized a training session or a webinar for a large group. Even in cases where all participants are present, they may not necessarily register all the information pertaining to the meeting later.

It is always a good practice to record your video meetings and share them with the intended participants. One, people who missed out on an important session can always catch up and in case of any future disputes or disagreements regarding a project, people can always go back to the recording and refer to what was discussed.

In addition, always share minutes of meeting (MOM) after your video meetings as was traditionally done when offline in-person meetings were a thing. Marrying old ideas with new ones can at times yield the best results.

#4. Engaging and interactive video meetings

This one should top the list.  Whether a participant or a presenter, video meetings should always be engaging and interactive. Attending a video call with your videos off dissolves the purpose and significantly impacts the engagement levels of the participant. In most scenarios it is advisable to keep your videos on when doing a video call. Also make sure your background is devoid of any clutter and distractions.

Plan the session such that there are ample opportunities for participants to interact with each other. For example, in a long training session it can be a good idea to break it up into small modules of 20 minutes each and have a quiz after every module. This will ensure participation and engagement.

#5. Seamless transition between varied communication channels

For a  video meeting to be productive and achieve the desired outcomes, it is important to enable participants to multitask without compromising the quality of what they are presenting in the meeting. Like we iterated in the first point, choosing a software or a tool that lets them truly collaborate is the key.

And, how do they collaborate? By giving them access to tools that are easily within their reach during online meetings. This includes chat. Windows, an option to share their screen and important files, so that all participants can refer to the common data points, exchange their thoughts, come up with an action plan or a solution for the point of discussion at hand.  

Online meetings take as much time as in-person meetings. The only time and money you save is on the travel. There may be days when you are in video calls all day long, however, it should not impair you from doing other routine tasks like sending out important emails and approvals. A great tool lets you perform these unavoidable tasks in the background without making an impact on your presence.

Tragofone, a one-stop solution for your video conferencing needs

Tragofone is a softphone app which lets you do more than just calling. Based on WebRTC, Tragofone can be downloaded on your PC or laptop or even your smartphone. Connect with your team members on a video call anytime and anywhere, share screens, exchange files, chat with your team members on the go.

The push notifications feature makes sure you do not miss any calls or messages and eliminates the need to keep the app running in the background. Think of implementing our suggested video calling practices, all of it is possible with Tragofone.

Benefits of Video Meetings

Now that we have discussed how to make the most out of your video meeting tools, let’s walk through the benefits of video meetings.

#1. Improves Communication

The workplace and people’s preferences have undergone a seismic shift. Mobility, flexibility and clarity is of utmost importance which also has been a key driver in the popularity of a remote and hybrid work culture. Video meetings bring both remote workers and in-office employees at one place and enables them to communicate with each other directly leaving no room for any ambiguity.  It enables business leaders to address a large audience without any chaos, long travel schedules, and hefty costs.

#2. Streamlines collaboration and solves problems in real-time

Continue reading...

[ipcommunications]

Future of VoIP Business Communication Solutions – Let's Hear It from Experts

In terms of business communication solutions, voice over internet protocol or VoIP is considered the cornerstone of several businesses' communication strategies. They allow us to make and receive calls over the Internet and, thus, reduce the cost while staying accessible from wherever possible. For several decades now, VoIP has been very instrumental in helping businesses establish a high-performing remote work setup. People often imagine what is the future of VoIP and this question is what we have also tried to answer in this post.

Increasing Demand for Unified Communications

It is expected that, along with digital handsets, the demand for unified communication will also increase in the future. Unified communications mainly refer to integrating several solutions like hosted voice phone, audio/video conferencing, instant messaging and file sharing, all integrated into a single platform by the service provider. Unified communication will make business functioning faster and easier and allow companies to find specific contacts and coordinate with their teams easily.

Improved Service Quality

5G technology is now becoming a common thing across the globe, and it has boosted Internet speed several times. Till now, the congested or slow network was a detrimental factor as far as VOIP and video conferencing software usage was concerned. But now, this will become a thing of the past, as 5G will result in improved VOIP calls and information sharing.

Artificial Intelligence and Voip

It is expected in the future that artificial intelligence will become more prominent in terms of business communications and also VoIP. According to industry veterans, artificial intelligence will make voice-to-text easier in VOIP phone systems. It will make recognising conversations and converting voice into text much more effortless. Then it is also believed that interactive voice response, or IVR, will get a complete makeover with the help of artificial intelligence.

The future of VOIP and business communication looks great, as it will deliver an Omnichannel experience and efficient customer services to the clients. Then artificial intelligence is also believed to make cyber security further stronger on VOIP networks. It will protect sensitive data and prevent businesses from any social engineering scams.

[c4455]

Free Communication Apps you can Take Advantage of at Your Workplace

Currently, we text more often than we call. Calls are still made nowadays; they just take longer and are frequently inconvenient. Texting provides an easy way to communicate without having to spend an hour on the phone.

Because they offer more features than SMS messaging apps, messaging apps are now more frequently used by us. Apps for messaging offer fun ways to customize chats with friends, students, or coworkers. If you want a seamless manner to connect with your family and friends, you need the free chat apps that are available across various platforms. Ideally, on both mobile and desktop.

Then, which free cross-platform chat programmes ought you to try? What are the most popular instant messaging programmes available today?

Apps for Business Communication That Are Free

WhatsApp

Despite the Facebook acquisition and concerns about advertising, WhatsApp still outperforms all other messaging services globally. At the time of writing, it is being used by more than 2.5 billion people each month, and the growth is continuing.

But what about communications that are cross-platform? WhatsApp apps are available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Additionally, there are independent Windows and Mac desktop applications, a web application (to which a QR code is required for login), and other choices. Sadly, Linux doesn't support WhatsApp.

Additional significant WhatsApp features include voice and video chat, 256-person groups, and end-to-end encryption for all messages.

2. Telegram

Windows users may be interested in learning about the best messaging programmes for PCs. The Windows client for Telegram, in our opinion, is the best one available.

The software is really lightweight and speedy, and it offers all the same features as the mobile versions. Additionally, you may sign in without a QR code, unlike WhatsApp, using just your phone number. Unusually, Telegram even offers a portable Windows client that you may use without installing it on any Windows machines you use.

The Telegram app is available for iOS, Android, and macOS. It is the first free chat application on our list to support Linux. Future message planning capabilities, groups with up to 200,000 members, bot integration, and support for self-destructing messages are some of Telegram's most practical features.

3. Teams.cc

Teams.cc is the ideal option for you if you're seeking for a free communication tool that you can use for both business and personal conversation.

Teams.cc, built by 500apps, can be used for personal communication as well as team communication and task management because it is completely free. This programme has a very user-friendly layout with clear icons and functionality. Additionally, it allows emoticons, attachments, app integrations, high-quality audio and video calls, and much more. To effortlessly communicate with many individuals, you may also build private and public channels.

This software is part of 500apps' All-in-One Infinity Suite, which includes 50+ apps to improve every aspect of your company's operations. Up to 10 users can use it for free, and after that, the complete suite costs just $14.99.

Teams.cc is our top pick for free communication apps that you absolutely must check out because of these capabilities and many more.

Conclusion

Any of these free messaging apps can effectively take the place of your phone's built-in SMS messaging programme. And to top it off, the majority of them also enable sending and receiving SMS texts, so you could use one of them as your primary messaging app.

Using messaging apps, you can communicate with your loved ones more amusingly and privately, whether they are local or far away. However, there are a number of great apps to choose from if you still enjoy SMS.

[bluesheetsautomation]

7 Must Have Tools to Manage Teams during Remote Work

Remote teams have unique needs. Depending on your industry, team size, locations, and company structure, your remote setup might look vastly different when compared to another team. However, there are a few basic tools that every remote team needs regardless of what they’re doing or how the team is structured.

Here are the 7 types of tools that every manager needs to keep up with their remote team:

1) Collaboration Tools (Slack, Teams, etc.)

The first priority for most remote teams is getting information around the group quickly. You need a tool that allows you to centralise assignments, communication, and other activities related to your workflow. A good collaboration tool acts like a virtual office space.

A virtual office isn’t all about work. The purpose is to keep people connected. What you’re doing is creating space for your team to check in, chat, interact, and pass information in a central location.

Slack is one of the most commonly used collaboration tools, followed by Microsoft Teams. Lesser known tools like Flowdock or Dapulse also offer a similar setup. The most important parts of any collaboration tool are ease of use, ability to organise, and accessibility to all team members. As long as the tool fits your team in those three areas, the specific tool doesn’t matter.

2) Project Management Tools (Trello, Asana, Basecamp, etc.)

The next step down from a collaboration tool is a project management tool. While some people lump project management tools in with collaboration tools, they have very different functions. The main point of a project management tool is to make it possible for remote workers to follow the flow of work in real-time. These tools allow individuals and teams to track the progress of a project any time.

Another major benefit of project management is the freedom for each team member to work in their own time. They know the deadline, process, and expectations. With this information, they can plan their schedules to align their individual preferences and needs with your team needs. Caitlin Reddington, junior editor for All Things Hair, says this about scheduling: “Sticking to a consistent schedule and routine has helped me stay productive while working from home. I’ve also enjoyed taking advantage of my extra free time.”

Trello is a great example of this. For each team you manage, you can have a central Trello board outlining projects in a broad view as well as smaller boards to provide a detailed look at everything that’s happening. Good project management tools are a visual aid to help everyone grasp the size of a project, the progress, and their individual responsibilities. These tools create and maintain a work process everyone can follow.

Besides Trello, there are also tools like Asana, Basecamp, or ProofHub.

3) Shared Notetaking Tools (Notion, OneNote, Evernote, etc.)

Remote teams need a central place to pin information. Consider a notetaking tool to be the equivalent of a whiteboard, a sticky note, an information database, and a bulletin board combined. These tools often integrate well with popular collaboration apps, or they may come as a built-in feature (Teams has OneNote built in, for example).

Notion is one of the most versatile notetaking tools. It has the flexibility to allow everyone to customise their notes into the most useful form with both public and private note boards. For a remote team, Notion is one of the better options. Other tools include Evernote, OneNote, Google Keep, or Apple Note.

4) Password Management Tools (LastPass, 1Password, etc.)

Any team that works remotely is going to have a lot of credentials to keep track of for company accounts and individual accounts on different apps, tools, websites, and services. For security purposes, it’s wise to set up a process for every team member to make it easy to create and share credentials safely.

Password management tools make security a lot easier. You can generate unique passwords for every account to avoid password reuse, share passwords with relevant team members seamlessly (often without them seeing the actual password), and keep track of every account in a secure location. If someone stops working for your team, you can simply revoke their access to account information.

LastPass, Dashlane, and 1Password are examples of password management tools. If you already use a VPN service or other online security service, check first to see if they offer a password management platform as well.

5) Automation Tools (Bluesheets, Integromat, etc.)

A quick and easy way to improve your operations, while giving time back to your team, is automation. Almost any repetitive task can be automated, and the biggest culprit is often finance. Just think about how many times you forward an email to accounts, or download an invoice, only to upload it again.

With Bluesheets’ bookkeeping automation for accounts and expense management, your team can do away with tedious financial processes. The real time processing speeds up turnaround times, and the machine-learning system guarantees data accuracy. So you can remove processing headaches and eliminate errors in one swoop.

For other menial tasks like email automation and document management, Integromat is a lesser known product that can piece your systems together. With the right automation tools, you can dramatically improve efficiency in remote work.

6) Communication Tools (Skype, Zoom, etc.)

Good communication is essential for remote teams. Set a specific communication protocol and make a certain tool your standard tool for passing information along. While tools like Slack might work well in collaborative communication, there’s no built-in video or voice calling features. Teams has this built-in as part of their platform.

If your existing tools don’t offer communication options, or if those options aren’t sufficient for your needs, get one of the many free or inexpensive communication apps. Skype, Zoom, and GoToMeeting are some of the top video, audio, chat, and screen sharing tools.

7) Practical Tools

Every team is different. Depending on the nature of your work, you may want to consider a few other practical tools to help you and your team work more efficiently. Here are a few examples of practical tools that might be must-haves for your team:

Document Signing

Printing, signing, and scanning a document isn’t efficient. You can’t count on everyone having a printer and scanner readily available. Instead, find a useful tool that allows you to do digital signing. Examples include DocuSign, HelloSign, RightSignature, and Adobe Sign.

Document/File Creation

Your team likely already has access to a basic office tools, but it’s worth setting up a standard process be deciding on which tools to use and giving your team access to them. Microsoft Office and Google G Suite are the two most common creation toolsets, with both including tools for word processing, spreadsheets, slides, and other types of file creation.

Filesharing

If your chosen collaboration tools don’t offer a central place to share files, get another tool to fill the gaps. Remote teams who share larger files with each other may have more need for these tools, especially if video files need to be shared. Microsoft Teams gives you access to SharePoint, but other independent tools include DropBox, Google Drive, or OneDrive. However, there are endless options for file sharing that might fit your needs more closely.

Designing

If you’re going to be doing any collaborative design, such as simple picture editing for blog posts or social media, a cloud-based design program may be useful. Something simple like Canva or Pixlr is usually sufficient, but tools like Design Wizard or Infogram give more tailored options.

Time Tracking

Sometimes remote teams lack accountability. For any situation where accountability could be an issue, or if billing is done on an hourly basis, time tracking tools are helpful. Some collaboration or project management tools have built-in time tracking features. Otherwise, look for tools such as Toggl, Time Doctor, HubStaff, or Harvest.

Conclusion

Tools enable your remote team to work efficiently without having to be together in the office. With the right set of tools, you’ll be able to get everything done just as well as you would if you shared a space together.

[sadiqtech]

Best Whiteboard software for Remote meetings in 2022

No one will argue that everything in our lives has transformed over the last few years. But has your remote presentation evolved? Do you just go into a remote meeting, make your deck full screen and just talk? Do you know that this is completely counter to the neuroscience behind learning and engagement? What if there was a way to dramatically increase audience engagement, participation, and retention of information, what would that be worth to your organization?

How do you connect and engage with a hybrid audience effectively?

Reactiv SUITE helps boost your audience engagement in any hybrid meeting.

Display, organize, manipulate, and annotate content as naturally as paper. Easily present multiple types of information, jump to any topic and seamlessly capture feedback without the limitations of traditional screen sharing tools.

Even pin your camera, control your image, and elevate your presence to stand out.

Reactiv SUITE to power your online meetings

Reactiv SUITE is designed to solve the problem of low engagement in meetings. Pin your camera and elevate your presence. Put your audience on a secondary monitor and elevate their presence. Show content and manipulate multimedia files as easily as if they were paper. Write, ink, highlight, underline, and markup documents to focus your audience’s attention.

Deliver impactful presentations that create long-lasting memories and build trust.

Discover how Reactiv SUITE can help make your meetings memorable with a free trial.

for more info: https://vizetto.com/ideal-setup-remote-meetings/

[louddreamerweaselpurse]

35 Collaboration Tools That Can Help You Scale Your Business : The Hustle Story

How do you succeed in business? By creating a great product and filling the market with it. But if your product is not really good, or if the market is too small, or if you don’t have enough resources, then you will fail. The only way to succeed in business is to find collaborators who share your vision and who can help you scale your business. That’s what this blog is about. This post will introduce 35 collaboration tools for business that will help you to grow. Check Out The Different Types of Crowdfunding