Team Collaboration software is the ultimate source to boost your team’s productivity while the members work from home and connect virtually. It can lead to better bonds, cooperation and innovations for your organization.

Many such software have been launched that claim to be the best collaboration tool. But unless you evaluate the features thoroughly, you may not be able to decide which team collaboration software is best suited for your organization.

There are some key features that make a team collaboration software effective and impactful. Here’s what you should look before investing in a team collaboration software.

1. Real time conversations

A huge advantage of using team collaboration software instead of traditional email is the fact that users get a combined platform for all types of interactions – be it email, instant messaging or video conferencing. This feature simplifies remote working to a great extent, and definitely adds to the productivity of the team.

Effective team collaboration software can sync the conversations across multiple devices, and store historical log of events too. In this way, users can access specific details as and when required. With such features, your team will stay not only in touch but also updated.

2. File sharing and storage

Your virtual team collaboration would hardly be useful without the options of file sending, sharing and storage. Until now, most of the organizations were managing their documents on the G Suite, sharing and editing files and documents on Google Drive. This is a decent option for real-time file sharing and access across teams.

Some team collaboration software like Microsoft Teams, allow for complete document management within the software itself. This is a remarkable advantage, if you compare Microsoft Teams vs. Zoom. Users can also edit, comment and organize files in real-time during meetings.

3. Mobile-friendly interface

As organizations are embracing the new normal of work from home, it’s not always guaranteed that the staff will be connecting and collaborating from desktop or workstations. With the increasing dynamism in work environments, companies require a team collaboration software that will equip them to facilitate team meetings and workflows from desktops as well as mobile devices.

Mobile-friendly team collaboration software empowers your team to stay connected on the go, all the time. They can also choose work on multiple devices like smartphones or tablets, and view multiple screens simultaneously.

4. Notifications and alerts

While a team collaboration software allows much convenience in terms of file sharing and editing within the software, it might become rather cumbersome for users to keep track of the multitude modifications taking place. Users may find it difficult to keep checking the app every now and then. If they don’t keep tracking, they might just remain ignorant of issues requiring urgent attention.

That’s why, a team collaboration software with push notification feature is a life savior for team workflows. With a pop-up or email notification, every user can stay informed about the latest updates and modifications. This would include alerts for new tasks, modifications to existing tasks, status update, reminders for upcoming deadlines etc.

5. Security features

Security features are essential for safeguarding the privacy and information of your team’s virtual meetings. If the Team Collaboration software lacks appropriate security checks, unauthorized people may hack your server and cause interruptions. What may be worse, your data may be stolen without anyone even realizing. In the world of virtual file sharing and collaborations, new security threats can come up often and your software should be designed to tackle such breaches.

Always check for these security features in the software you choose for your team’s collaborations:

• Delete all stored data remotely, in case a device gets stolen or lost.
• Secure access protocol.
• Multi-factor authentication process for preventing password thefts.
• Data encryption for securely using any cloud apps.