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Make a top 10 list of smart business practices and collaboration will probably be on it. Collaboration is a typical part of the workday for many of us. We connect with coworkers, clients, and vendors to communicate ideas and share information to create something together that improves our business processes.
It’s natural to assume that with the rise of mobile apps and a workforce full of early adopters that collaboration has boomed in the last few years. The potential to interact constantly with our internal teams, customers and other stakeholders is more possible than ever before. With email, social media platforms and virtual meeting tools providing the opportunity to constantly exchange feedback and ideas – theoretically – should help us work together more effectively.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes the abundance of information flowing back and forth gets lost or buried in the constant hum of activity. It can be difficult to stop and take time to strategically look at how to take this information and utilize the tools available to enhance productivity. We may have access to data and files, but do we have a process or system for organizing and sharing the information. The overload of information available without a system also makes it difficult to find.
Have you ever discussed a project with a coworker and had a eureka moment only to spend the next hour frantically searching for the files and facts you were just referencing? It could be in a file on your laptop or in another email account. Wait, could it be on a project management system you’ve forgotten your password to? Now you need to contact another coworker who has access to those files. When you finally locate the file, you discover its a incomplete versions – and you’ve spent nearly the entire day searching.
It’s frustrating when this happens, because the sheer number of tools we use should put the right data at our fingertips. However, that’s not always the case. Too many silos and disconnected systems lead to delays and confusion instead of the lightning-fast collaboration we want.
One solution, which ApostleTech finds invaluable is Salesforce Community Cloud – note the emphasis on community. This applications allows users to share ideas, files, launch conversations and collaborate easily and efficiently across the organization.
You’ll get more of what you need from Salesforce Community Cloud and boost productivity.
This kind of advantage isn’t a “nice-to-have”, — it’s a must-have. Business moves fast, especially in sales. Nobody wants to spend hours looking for information.
A competitor that’s already got systems in place that give them the ability to respond quickly has the advantage. However, when you’re the one positioned to turn discussions into action on the spot, you’ve got as good as a chance or better to close the deal and move business forward.
Companies that take a collaborative community approach solve more problems, eliminate delays, and achieve bigger things.
After a project cycle is complete, with Salesforce Cloud Community you can get feedback in real time, which in turn empowers your team to modify their efforts for better performance. This makes an impact not only on your profit, but it also sends productivity through the roof.
We’ve discussed the internal perspective and its advantages to sales teams, but collaboration can also improve the customer journey tenfold. Imagine a world where customer feedback doesn’t stay in the service department or languish in a report, but instead goes to the product team on the spot. This automatically prompts immediate steps toward improvement. The customer’s voice is recognized, and the company is stronger for it.
Today’s teams are adopting tools aimed at helping to communicate more efficiently – but the tools are no longer helpful when they make it harder to collaborate. The next time you do an audit of your business, think about why you want to connect customers, employees, and stakeholders. Is it simply for the sake of communication? You must be clear about your objectives and understand how they align with your business goals.
You want to avoid isolated communication. Instead look for solutions that partner communication with real connection. Your employees will find themselves resolving challenges faster, building valuable relationships and expanding their networks. Best of all, they’ll come together to achieve better results than before.
If you’re fed up with managing multiple communication channels that stunt the growth of your sales team and make it difficult to enhance the customer experience, get in touch today and learn more about what building a Salesforce community can do for your business.
