Fostering communication and collaboration is crucial to the development and progress of your business. According to 360 Solutions, a company with 100 employees may lose up to $528,443 per year due to downtime resulting from communication issues. Based on these findings, it is safe to say that a company’s communication system can have a drastic impact on its bottom line. However, placing an emphasis on creating a comprehensive collaboration and communication strategy is imperative for businesses to achieve sustainability and long term growth.

Read through to know some common collaboration mistakes that businesses are often vulnerable to. A better understanding of these pitfalls may not only help you eliminate operational inefficiencies, but also enable you to save on downtime costs.

1.     Inappropriate Communication Tools

One of the most common mistakes that most small businesses are vulnerable to is using inappropriate collaboration tools. Tools with limited features or inefficient functional capabilities are likely to cause more harm than good to your communication system.

It is best to invest in a well-integrated communication program that facilitates various aspects of work to collaborate and maintain control over workflows. By using a comprehensive software package, you can ensure that your remote collaboration is as good as face-to-face communication.

2.     Not Developing a Collaboration Plan

In order to get all parties on the same page make sure that you provide your workforce with proper guidelines addressing how the communication should take place, which tools should be used, when the teams are required to communicate, and other related matters. With a proper collaboration and communication strategy, not only can you improve coordination among team members, but also eliminate errors that could potentially cause serious harm to your business in the long run.

3.     Using Inconsistent Collaboration Approaches

Inconsistency is perhaps the most detrimental collaboration mistake. Often times the technique or approach the sales and marketing teams use are different from what is being used on the shop floor or by management. This leads to inconsistent workflow processes, which may affect the overall productivity and performance of the company.

In order to avoid this, make sure that you implement technology and approaches that fit the needs of both internal and external communication. Using the same approach may create uniformity and reliability leading to improved communication.

Collaboration is a critical element for the growth and success of your business. Luckily, there are software solutions available to overcome pitfalls common among small businesses. Using those solutions, you may effectively improve your communication to drive your business toward continued success and growth.

Looking for reliable collaboration tools? Contact us or call us at 1-877-765-2655, collaboration software