Workflow Management Software: Businesses are Getting into the FlowWritten by Joe Miller
Ah, ebb and flow of work. Sometimes it seems like there is much more ebbing than flowing with all of workflow, deadlines, projects and presentations, but overall tide seems to constantly be flowing in and out, in and out, in and . . . sorry. Recently a friend returned from a cruise in Bahamas and commented that he still felt that he was ebbing and flowing as if he were still on water. Many times I have felt same way after a long day of incoming projects and outgoing reports. But I am not alone. Recent business studies have shown an increasing need for some kind of workflow management software to enable more efficient workflow management.Overall, most of daily business activities include collaboration with committees, departments, that board, or this client, in order to bring everyone onto same page. Though collaboration is most effective way to enable workflow, challenge is finding workflow management software that enables effective workflow. Drafts of budgets, sales reports, market presentations, and more, flow back and forth as fast as a mouse can click “send.” The back and forth, or ebb and flow of these documents is often a challenge to manage. About two-thirds of businesses do collaborative work as a normal part of business day, and I am sure that most of them know what I am talking about. Workflow management software is now available in a variety of workflow management software packages. In fact, if you type “workflow management software” in Google, search yields about 8 million 120 thousand indexed pages regarding subject. This is a reflection of growing need for workflow management software which helps businesses track documents that are incoming and outgoing. True, right workflow management software will help you feel that you are standing on solid ground again, but searching through over 8 million options available may make you feel that you are drifting out on water again. There are two major challenges to adopting workflow management software. First, it is often intimidating to adopt new technology. Second, it is a challenge to find workflow management software that meets your businesses needs.
| | Can Group Collaboration Software Meet Business Needs?Written by Joe Miller
According to a survey conducted by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures entitled “Content-Centric Collaboration,” 51 percent of businesspeople utilizing technology such as Microsoft Office and e-mail collaborate almost daily as a part of their business operations and need group collaboration software to support electronic collaboration.The report indicated that need would continue to grow over next year. This stat is not surprising because technology can be very valuable in improving business operations. However, two challenges seem to stand in way of supporting electronic collaboration: “convincing users to consistently take advantage of capabilities” and “encouraging users to contribute information into system.” One of questions that has arisen from these challenges is “Is there a group collaboration software that is simple for users to adopt?” Since two-thirds of businesses collaborate using e-mail, one of biggest tests for group collaboration software is whether it can integrate with e-mail. When considering type of collaboration that takes place with e-mail, businesses see that e-mail collaboration includes attachments created mostly in Microsoft Office applications. This means there is another test for group collaboration software, “Can it integrate with Office applications. User Friendly Group Collaboration Software The first two challenges of adopting group collaboration software are not uncommon to adopting any new technology. Often times a new technology can be very intimidating. Is there group collaboration software out there that is user friendly? First, it is important to recognize that group collaboration software packages available today include different components which vary according to package you select. Most businesses may begin looking by typing “group collaboration software” in an online search engine. This will yield 19,500,000 indexed pages. In order to narrow down your choices for a non-intimidating group collaboration software package, begin by searching for a package that does not require IT (information technology) infrastructure. This means that you do not have to add any new technology to your computer in order to use software. No IT also means that software works automatically with your applications, without having to install and maintain separate servers or applications. There is group collaboration that you can download and then sit back, relax, and let it work for you. Use free demo option to see how group collaboration software works for you.
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