Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution

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1 Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution Introduction 2 Technology is revolutionizing how we collaborate 3 Collaboration: a changing practice 4 The buyer s guide 5-10 Next steps 11 About Infragistics 11

Recent years have seen a huge proliferation in enterprise collaboration tools, yet it is clear that many of these applications are simply not fitting with your employees requirements.

2 Recent years have seen a huge proliferation in enterprise collaboration tools, yet it is clear that many of these applications are simply not fitting with your employees requirements. Introduction Senior enterprise executives will be concerned to learn that on average, 59% of their knowledge workers experience challenges with their company s collaboration tools. This proportion is even higher among millennials 71% reported dissatisfaction in a 2015 survey. Recent years have seen a huge proliferation in enterprise collaboration tools, yet it is clear that many of these applications are simply not fitting with your employees requirements. Collaborative software has opened up a huge number of opportunities for businesses to work more effectively. Workers are able to connect with colleagues and external partners in more diverse ways - and with greater flexibility - than ever before. However, if the tools your teams are using fail to match their specific needs, the potential boost to productivity, efficiency and profit they represent will be missed. This whitepaper will provide you with the building blocks to decide which of the many collaboration tools is right for your company. You will access expert insight into the strengths and use cases of different software, and better understand how to make the right choices. 1 Dimensional Research Collaboration Trends and Technology: A Survey of Knowledge Workers. Available Online: Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 2

3 Technology is revolutionizing how we collaborate Collaboration has always been key to effective working, yet modern IT has radically altered the way we collaborate. We are now able to communicate faster and more effectively than ever before. Video conferencing is now common even twenty years ago this would have been almost unimaginable. Colleagues in different offices around the world can work in real time on documents in the cloud. Until just a few years ago, the closest we could get to real time document collaboration would have been via a fax machine. Recent years have seen a surge in collaborative tools; there is now a staggering variety of methods of collaboration facilitated via the world wide web. In Dimensional Research s summer 2015 survey with 753 knowledge workers in the US, Canada and the UK, respondents reported that they used a very wide range of collaborative tools in the workplace. Graph 1. What types of technology do you use to conduct professional collaboration of documents with co-workers, vendors or partners? (Percentage of respondents who agreed by tool) We don t use tools to collaborate Other Enterprise social media Enterprise-centric document sharing platforms Hangouts Public social media Project management platforms Consumer-centric document sharing platforms Corporate intranet or SharePoint Online meetings Chat or text Source: Dimensional Research, As Graph 1 demonstrates, companies have been willing to engage with a wide range of collaboration platforms in order to facilitate how employees work together. It is positive to see the wide adoption of a variety of platforms which can be accessed from many different device types. It is clear that many companies are taking positive steps to harness the power of tools such as smartphones and tablets, with 51% of respondents reporting that they use Chat and Text like apps. Of course, traditional tools like the desktop and laptops still play a big part in collaboration; rather than replacing them, businesses are simply diversifying. Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 3

4 However, employees at 16% of companies revealed that they use no collaboration tools at all. It is also clear that three types of tools (Corporate Intranet/SharePoint, Online Meetings, Chat/Text) dominate the collaboration market. Forward thinking businesses would certainly benefit from exploring the potential of a wider variety of tools for collaboration. Collaboration: a changing practice AIIM, the global community for Information Management professionals, defines collaboration as follows: Collaboration is a working practice whereby individuals work together to a common purpose to achieve business benefit.³ Collaboration is a working practice whereby individuals work together to a common purpose to achieve business benefit. While collaboration has always existed, technology has facilitated the growth of new forms of collaboration. These fit into two broad strands according to AIIM. Synchronous Collaboration Participants interact in real time Technology includes: Conference call Instant messaging Hangouts Real-time document editing Sharing screens Working in same physical space Asynchronous Collaboration Participation is time-shifted Technology includes: SharePoint Enterprise and public file shares Wiki pages Enterprise video messages Project management platforms Regardless of the form they take, these new collaborative technologies can have an enormous impact on how companies work. In consultancy firm Deloitte s 2014 Global Human Capital Trends report, a case study with Canadian telecommunications company TELUS demonstrates the value of collaborative tools to modern organizations. In 2007, employee engagement at TELUS sat at 53% and the company used no collaborative technology. Just six years later, and after the implementation of a range of collaborative learning tools, engagement had increased to 83%. Collaboration tools can be incredibly powerful and have an enormous impact on how employees work. Choosing the most appropriate tools for your workplace is therefore key. The following sections will arm you with the tools you need to choose the right collaboration solution. 3 AIIM What is collaboration? Available online: 4 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends Available online: Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 4

5 The buyer s guide Different organizations will have different collaboration needs. As a result, choosing the ideal collaboration tool will depend fundamentally upon the structure and purpose of your organization. While each organization will have different end goals, deciding which tool is right for them will follow the same process and considerations. Once you have considered all the following steps, you will be in a strong position to choose the best collaboration solution for your company. We will now turn to the six essential considerations required when deciding which collaboration tool is right for you. To illustrate each point, we have described how A/C Co., a construction company, implemented each step in their search for the right collaboration solution. 1. Define your end goals The first step in choosing the right collaboration solution is to decide which end goals you hope to achieve. You may be seeking: A general environment which will facilitate collaboration across the business Improved collaboration on documents Instant messaging for office workers Instant messaging for travelling sales people A collaborative training environment There are a huge range of possible end goals, yet having a very clear idea from the beginning of where you want to take your business in terms of collaboration is crucial. Once you have developed a vision of where you want to be with your collaborative technology, you can start being more specific about what that will actually look like. A needs/wants list is a helpful starting point to begin choosing from the extensive list of possible solutions. Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 5

The following table provides an example of a needs/wants list for a company that has decided to increase mobile document collaboration: Mobile platform Needs Must configure with Android and ios

Such a needs/wants list will help you narrow down the tools which will correspond with your end goals. How did A/C Company do this?

6 The following table provides an example of a needs/wants list for a company that has decided to increase mobile document collaboration: Mobile platform Needs Must configure with Android and ios Connect securely with our Office 365 environment Include security functions Etc. Wants Provides offline access Provides touch friendly document editing Business Intelligence capabilities included Etc. Such a needs/wants list will help you narrow down the tools which will correspond with your end goals. How did A/C Company do this? A/C Company were aware that many of their construction site managers were still dependent on paperbased processes. This created miscommunication and delays. They therefore developed a vision where site managers would be able to access the company s SharePoint from their mobile device. 2. Deciding on your budget The second step in choosing your collaboration solution is to set your budget. This, more than anything, can help you narrow down which solution is realistic for you. When comparing costs, key questions to ask include: How many of our users will realistically use this tool? How many licenses will we need, and will they all be on the same level? Which subscription level provides the right number of features we need? You should also consider questions around hardware. You might, for instance, choose a collaboration tool which requires the use of ios or Android operating systems. This will therefore entail exploring choices around BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or supplying employees with company provided devices. For most cases, this may also require the deployment of Mobile Device Management (MDM) software to comply with the company s security policies and the costs need to be taken into account. An additional cost which you need to factor into your budget is your choice of cloud versus on-premises installations. Today (and into the future), an ever larger number of businesses are moving their operations to the cloud, and environments such as Office 365 are becoming incredibly popular. Nonetheless, many firms still opt for on-premises tools like SharePoint which depend on investment in local servers. These choices will also have an impact on costs. Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 6

If, after a year of use, the solution they eventually chose wasn t leading to an improvement, they would have to re-evaluate. 3.

7 How did A/C Company do this? The firm calculated that delays cause by their current paper-based system cost up to 5% of annual revenue anyway. They therefore chose to invest the equivalent of 5% into their new tool as an experiment. If, after a year of use, the solution they eventually chose wasn t leading to an improvement, they would have to re-evaluate. 3. Review your current technology The next step in choosing the right collaboration solution is to complete a full inventory of technology currently used at your company. The value here is that you will: a. Make cost savings if you discover some of the technology you already use can support the new collaborative software. b. Understand which collaborative tools will be compatible with your current set up, meaning you avoid investing in a tool which fails to connect with your existing IT. The following table can be used as a basis for completing an inventory of the hardware and software you use. Hardware Dell Laptops Year bought Up to date? Compatible with desired collaborative tool? 2015/2014 Yes Yes Samsung tablets Etc No No Software Office Yes Yes Adobe PDF Etc No Yes Your inventory need not be comprehensive. If your goal is to simply improve collaboration in one specific area of business (such as the ability of travelling sales teams to access documents from a distance), it will not be necessary to check if your R&D team (for instance) are able to use the new system to collaborate. Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 7

How did A/C Company do this? The company asked their IT team to complete a full audit of the hardware and software currently in use across the business.

8 How did A/C Company do this? The company asked their IT team to complete a full audit of the hardware and software currently in use across the business. This information was entered into an Excel spreadsheet. 4. Requirements gathering: speaking to end users You should now have a clear vision of how you want your new technology to be used, what your budget is and a good idea of which technology you already have in place. The next part of this puzzle is to carry out requirements gathering with end users. Requirements gathering is a little like market research. Just as a company may have a brilliant idea, yet which fails to sell because customers simply don t need it, executives may have a great idea about collaboration tools which don t actually correspond with user needs. It is therefore essential to develop a clear idea of what your employees and target users actually want from their software. Why requirements gathering is so important Imagine you are a construction worker. You employers have the bright idea of providing you and your colleagues with an app that allows them to use their smartphones to chat with one another and discuss resource requirements, project plans and as a source of knowledge sharing. The vision is that colleagues can ask one another for help and advice, sending questions like: How do I fit pipe 9B? Does anyone on site know if we are using Part B1 or Part B2 for this join? Can someone tell me when we can expect the glass delivery? A similar app is already in use by staff at the head office, and it seems to make sense to provide the construction workers with such a tool too. However, the app is a failure. First, it would simply be dangerous for construction workers to be texting one another while on site. Equally, most of their interaction is face to face, so there is little need for an app to do the same. Had the company done its requirements gathering correctly, it would have realized how ineffective such an app would be. While regular construction workers didn t feel they personally needed such an app, they all agreed that it would be helpful for the foreman and project manager to have an app that could connect to the company SharePoint. In this way orders could be placed, reports filed and updates received. Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 8

9 By completing a solid round of requirements gathering, you avoid these kinds of misunderstandings and wasted investment. How should you approach requirements gathering for your collaboration solution? Your approach to requirements gathering will depend on the kind of collaboration tool you hope to use. If you plan to deploy a company-wide file share, you ll likely begin with a survey. If your vision is of mobile access to Business Intelligence for a limited number of stakeholders, your approach will probably begin with one-on-one interviews. Whichever approach you take, your research should cover the following areas: What pain points do users have when it comes to collaboration? How are they currently managing them? Do they already have a specific idea or suggestion of how it could be resolved? When and in which kinds of circumstances do they need to collaborate? Which part of their work will be collaborative? Performing research with your end users will help uncover a whole range of issues and help you learn where their pain points actually are. This may reveal some surprising trends and have a big impact on the collaboration solution you choose. How did A/C Company do this? The IT team at A/C Company carried out a series of interviews with foremen, site managers and project teams. They asked about what caused hold-ups to building and created a list of challenges in communications that these team members faced. This research gave them a more specific idea of what site managers needed. They not only wanted a tool to look at internal construction plans, they also wanted a tool which would let them use a SharePoint extranet to place orders with suppliers. 5. Look at specifications Love it or hate it, researching the specifications of your desired collaboration tools is extremely important. Besides the obvious necessity of ensuring the tools you review will actually configure with your existing IT solutions (use the table in section 3 here), it is valuable to ask additional questions of the provider you choose. Does the product have a future? Established vendors provide the security that theirs is a brand which will grow and continue to provide technical support for the lifetime of the product. How regularly is the product updated, and how are updates deployed? What kind of support do you get with the app? Is there dedicated, worldwide assistance? Does the product offer security (and configuration with MDM providers if it is a mobile solution)? Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 9

How did A/C Company do this? The IT team began looking on search engines for mobile tools which would configure with their SharePoint environment.

Narrow down the best options Whether you are exploring tools that will help geographically disparate colleagues share files, allow employees to start conference calls with external consultants or

10 How did A/C Company do this? The IT team began looking on search engines for mobile tools which would configure with their SharePoint environment. They then selected a range of tools which were within budget, would correspond with the requirements highlighted by their end user research and were able to draw up a list of candidate tools. 6. Narrow down the best options Whether you are exploring tools that will help geographically disparate colleagues share files, allow employees to start conference calls with external consultants or allow travelling workers to be productive on the road via an app, the previous steps will have provided you with a framework for choosing the right tool. You should now have a shortlist of desired tools. Reaching your final decision about the right tool for you can be complicated. However, if you are caught between just two or three candidates, the best option is to try them out. Most software companies will provide a free trial of their tools which will allow you to explore how the application would function at your company. Carry out tests comparing each tool, discuss their effectiveness and ease of use with your end users and select the tool which is most appropriate for you. How did A/C Company do this? The team downloaded free samples from three different providers. They then asked their site managers to trial each product on company provided tablets for one week. With the feedback collected, they were able to make a choice about the most suitable product for the company. Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 10

11 Next Steps This whitepaper has outlined the major steps involved in choosing the right collaboration solution for your business. While there is a huge variety of collaboration tools available anything from conference calling to instant mobile messaging tools to SharePoint and beyond - the steps involved in choosing the right tool are uniform. Following the process explained in this whitepaper will help you select the most appropriate collaboration tool for your business. For further information on how SharePlus can bring value to your company and help you achieve your collaboration goals, contact our Sales team today, or try a free download via our website shareplusapp.com About Infragistics Infragistics is a worldwide leader in providing tools and solutions to accelerate design, development, insights and collaboration for any organization. Infragistics enterprise-ready UX and UI toolkits are used by over 1m developers to rapidly prototype and build high-performing applications for the Web, Windows, ios and Android devices. Infragistics Enterprise Mobility solutions SharePlus and ReportPlus give business users the latest advancements in self-service business intelligence and collaboration software. Additionally, Infragistics offers expert UX Services and award-winning support. Now that you ve read our whitepaper, try SharePlus Enterprise Today! Download your 30 day free trial at: shareplusapp.com For additional information on Infragistics, products and services, please call us at: +1(800) (US) +44(0) (EMEA) +81 (3) (Japan) +61 (3) (APAC) Stay up to date with the latest industry and technology trends, to tackle today s business challenges with ease: /shareplus /company/shareplus---mobilesharepoint-&-office-365-solution /shareplusapp?ref=hl infragistics.com/community/ blogs/shareplus/ Buyer s Guide: How to Choose the Right Collaboration Solution shareplusappp.com 11

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