Here at Communique PR, we know that collaboration is key. In fact, collaboration is one of the Core Values of Communique PR. Collaboration and team work are essential to a successful office environment, and there are a few great technology solutions out there to help make office collaboration seamless and efficient. At Communique, we love Smartsheet (see Smartsheet: a Collaboration Tool for PR Teams). However, there are several effective and popular collaboration tools worth looking into for your office environment.

• Dropbox

Extremely popular for both personal and business use, Dropbox is a simple way to share files in the cloud, offering 2 GB of free storage per user, and 50GB for $9.99/ month. The service is available from their website, or from a downloaded desktop application.

• Google Docs & Drive

Google Docs is a classic, but remains popular. Free for your first 5GB, Google Docs allows the user to create documents, spread sheets, and presentations, sharing with any number of contacts. Creators are allowed to invite viewers, other administrators, or other editors, all with varying capabilities. This famous service will soon convert to Google Drive.

Google Drive is the online giant’s version of Dropbox, offering 5GB of free space. Google Drive functions similarly to Google Docs, a plus if users are already familiar with the service.  However, pay close attention to the Terms of Use; you may want to avoid putting your private or important files on this service.

• Yammer

Yammer will look familiar to Facebook users: it mimics the social network, but your ”friends” are now your coworkers. The online service has become quite popular, spurring a recent purchase by Microsoft. Users must use their work email to login, and can post and read others comments on different conversations. Additionally, Yammer allows the user to follow certain conversations. Groups can be distinguished in order to have discussions in different departments. Yammer also allows users to upload documents and edit them together, within the cloud. Yammer desktop and mobile applications that sync with the online service are available.

• 37 Signals

37 Signals offers three products: Basecamp, Highrise, and Campfire. Basecamp is a collaboration tool for projects, and it offers a 45-day free trial of the service. Highrise allows you to not only manage contacts in the cloud, but record email conversations and set notifications for follow ups. Campfire is real time group chatting with visibility of images, conversation archives, conference calling abilities, and access to Basecamp if you so choose. Both Highrise and Campfire are available for 30-day free trials.

• Zoho

Zoho provides a multitude of collaboration applications. Its “Chat” allows for real-time group discussions; its “Docs” application permits documents to be shared, managed, and edited, fully integrated with MS Office. Zoho exists in the cloud, and thus an organization can use its wide range of apps from anywhere. Prices for collaboration tools vary from free to charging per user; check out their Collaboration Applications page for more information.

• Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 offers an online, collaborative version of its popular office tools, including calendar, email, spreadsheets, word processing, presentations, and OneNote. Microsoft provides a free trial, but the full package will range from $4 to $20 per user per month.

For additional information on collaboration tools, check out the following blog posts:

• Collaboration Done Right – Eight Tools to Help
• Four Tools for Improving Office Collaboration
• 9 Great Document Collaboration Tools for Teams

While collaboration tools can be great for involving staff and staying on top of projects, they are only effective when your whole team uses them. At CPR, we love Smartsheet because it is minimal, efficient, and fits our needs perfectly. Think carefully about your team’s needs and uses when selecting a collaborative platform—there are plenty from which to choose!