Collaboration Features

What are Collaboration Features?

Collaboration features are tools or functionalities within software that enable multiple users to work together at once, regardless of their physical location. Shared workspaces, real-time editing, version control, commenting, task assignment, and notifications are all collaboration features.

Apps with collaboration features include:

• Communication platforms
• Project management software
• Design tools
• Online document editors
• Video conferencing platforms

For efficiency purposes, these types of systems require multiple people to be able to work on, share,  track, and approve tasks simultaneously. Without collaboration features, that’d be virtually impossible.

Synonyms

• Cloud software collaboration features
• SaaS collaboration features

Why Collaboration Features are Essential to SaaS Products

Because collaboration capabilities make it possible to work with others on projects and tasks simultaneously, they’re critical for team productivity and alignment. Through simple visual cues and intuitive UI, they keep everyone on the same page and hold individual users accountable for what they’re responsible for.

If you’re selling a SaaS product that has anything to do with communication, project management, or document creation and editing, it’s extremely unlikely you’ll have a viable product without these functionalities.

Enables remote work

An Upwork study revealed that around 22% of the U.S. workforce will fully remote by 2025. As of now, more than 1 in every 4 workers (28%) worldwide operates on a remote model.

Then you have hybrid workers, who make up an even larger chunk of the workforce. And, even if everyone at your org comes into an office, you probably have contractors for things like web design, development, writing, and other services.

Collaboration features allow your team to work together wherever they are. Live chat  and call features make it as if you’re in the room together. Sharing, accessibility, and version controls keep everyone on the same page. And collaborative interfaces reflect document changes instantly.

Provides communication channels

Sure, you could manage everything from an email thread. But it’d be extremely confusing and inefficient. Instead, platforms like Slack enable channels for different departments and projects, direct messaging for private conversations, and file-sharing capabilities.

Better yet, you can integrate these tools. Let’s say you’re planning for a new ad campaign. You need your designer, writer, and the rest of your marketing team on the same page. You communicate with Slack, track the project through Trello, and build everything in Figma.

• When someone makes a comment in Figma, it auto-notifies your Slack channel for everyone to see.
• Slack conversations can instantly become notes in Trello cards, without having to switch between apps to copy the information over.
• Once you’ve finished a milestone or task, you can embed the file into Trello and update its status.
• When it’s all complete, Trello will automatically post in #ad-campaign that everything is ready to launch.

It eliminates all the app-switching from your workflow and guarantees nobody misses anything important.

Supports inter- and cross-team alignment

The example above is just one of thousands of ways online collaboration tools support alignment.

But think about the following:

• The design team’s timeline for depends on certain features that only the dev team can build.
• Without a streamlined way to collect and aggregate customer insights, marketing won’t know how to target your audience and product teams won’t know what to improve. 
• Different departments and projects need different sets of data to monitor progress. When they can’t access it, or have to manually hunt for it, version confusion ensues.

Collaboration features minimize barriers between teams, leaders, and executives who are either actively working on projects or have a vested interest in their progress and completion. They also make it easy to share data, which is crucial for things like sales alignment and product innovation.

Core SaaS Software Collaboration Features

To facilitate remote collaboration, software needs to have features that make it possible to update, edit, and comment on work in real-time. And, since back-and-forth communication is a big part of team collaboration, there also needs to be robust chat and call features.

Let’s take a look at the non-negotiable features for efficient collaboration:

Real-time, multi-user editing

When remote teams (or team members near each other but on their own devices) can work on the same project at the same time, it eliminates frustrating issues with version control and changes. Plus, it allows for immediate collaboration and feedback where needed.

Examples of tools with multi-user editing include:

• Google Docs
• Figma
• Miro
• Overleaf
• InVision
• Adobe Creative Cloud
• Content management systems (CMS)

Basically, anything you use to create something visual or textual needs to have some form of real-time editing.

Comments, annotations, and feedback

To move projects along, you need to know what you’re working on, why you’re working on it, and how to improve.

In a remote setting, thread comments are essential for clarification — especially when messages or calls aren’t possible. They help users discuss feedback, reference important information, and mark anything that needs improvement.

For example, in a Google Doc, you can highlight text and start a chat in the sidebar. In Figma, comments can be directly attached to specific elements on the design canvas.

With this, there’s 100% clarity as to what the commenter is referencing — compared to just mentioning a specific section.

Version control and rollback

Version control is pretty self-explanatory; it’s a system for keeping track of multiple versions of a document or project. It enables teams to revert to previous iterations, collaborate on different versions simultaneously, and see who made what changes.

There are a few ways to handle version control:

• Through the software (e.g., Figma)
• With built-in storage versioning (e.g., G Suite)
• Through third-party versioning tools (e.g., Git)

When version control is a native part of the software, it’s infinitely easier to switch between versions. You can also view past comments and feedback after they’ve been closed, which helps with future decision-making and prevents accidental changes from derailing the project.

Task management and project planning

The ability to visually organize projects, create tasks, and assign them to team members is a game-changer for just about every project type. It’s impossible to run your business without accountability, clear goals, and a manageable workflow.

Tools that facilitate task management include:

• Trello
• Asana
• Basecamp
• ClickUp
• Monday.com

Each one has a different take, but they all accomplish the same thing. They allow you to drag-and-drop tasks, assign them, add notes and comments, see progress tracking, and so much more.

File sharing and accessibility controls

If you have to leave the app to share files or data with someone else involved in the project, that’s a workflow time-suck. Instead, keep everything in one place so you can stay focused.

Ideally, your software will enable you to:

• Share files with anyone within or outside the organization
• Set controls for who can view, edit, or download files
• Upload multiple file types to a single project

Role-based access controls are especially important when you’re working with sensitive information (e.g., financial data) and need to make sure only authorized parties have access.

Communication channels

Email is an essential tool for remote teams, but it’s not something that facilitates real-time collaboration. The best way to discuss project specifics and brainstorm ideas with team members is through integrated chat features.

Every collaborative tool should have:

• Live chat for team members working on the same project
• Direct messaging for one-on-one conversations
• File attachment and sharing capabilities
• Meeting or video call options
• Group chats for department or project-specific communication

Again, the goal here is to streamline and centralize communication. When everything is in one place, it’s easier to find past conversations, attachments, and links.

Notifications

Even if everyone knows they’re working on a project, it’s easy to miss updates and changes. Notifications help mitigate this issue by notifying relevant users when a task is complete, someone leaves feedback, or anything else happens within the project.

Notifications can be delivered via email, but you can also configure notifications through your messaging tool (e.g., Slack) or receive them from the app itself.

Integration capabilities

No matter what collaboration software you use, it should be able to integrate or work seamlessly with the other tools you use on a daily basis.

For example, if your team uses DealHub for CPQ (configure, price, quote), Slack integration guarantees your leaders get notified whenever something needs an approval, and reps get notified whenever their leader approves it. They can also approve/deny proposal terms without leaving the app, which saves time from app-switching.

You’ll also see notifications for new customers added to the pipeline, signatures received, and other vital updates that keep everyone in the loop.

Benefits of Collaboration Features

There are several advantages to implementing collaboration tools for your team to use. Frankly, in this day and age, you can’t survive without them.

Increased productivity

Real-time collaboration software can increase workplace productivity by 30%.

How?

Collaboration tools streamline communication and project management, which ultimately results in increased productivity and lower overhead for your team. With everyone on the same page and able to quickly access the info they need, you’ll rarely have to worry about missing deadlines or losing track of project details. And when you do, you’ll at least have accountability.

Beyond that, you’ll also complete projects more quickly. Everyone can respond to changes and updates as soon as they see them, or make a mental note for later. Things that would normally take days or weeks can now get done in a few hours.

Enhanced communication

When you can share your thoughts, data, and insights immediately, you can make decisions more quickly. Collaboration software allows for immediate sharing and discussion, which ultimately helps the whole team (and organization) move forward faster.

Plus, having everything in one place means anyone can reference it at any time. During video conferencing, exec meetings, and client calls, everyone can dive into the details of a project like they’ve all worked on it from start to finish.

Higher sales

Sales growth might not be your immediate thought when you consider the benefits of collaboration, but it’s one of the most important. Deloitte found that a collaborative working approach can yield a 27% increase in sales. And well-connected teams boost profit margins by 21%.

By using collaborative tools to…

• Align sales and marketing teams
• Develop better products
• Offer better customer experiences

…you’ll sell more products and retain customers for longer.

Not to mention, you have tools specifically built for sales collaboration. DealHub’s sales collaboration tools are a perfect example of this. They unify buyers, sellers, and deal desk teams. Features like digital sales rooms and contract version control make it easy for buyers and sellers to collaborate on complex deals, and for leaders to approve and track progress.

Better decision-making

Business alignment facilitates better decision-making. Plain and simple.

With collaboration software, you have access to everyone’s perspective and the collective intelligence of the group. Combining everyone’s thoughts and ideas together leads to more informed decisions that benefit every stakeholder more equitably.

Plus, collaboration tools offer data-driven insights in real-time. With access to sales analytics, marketing performance, and other kinds of data, leaders can make high-level decisions more confidently.

Improved customer satisfaction

The customer is a huge beneficiary of collaboration within your organization. Better communication, improved decision-making, and data-driven insights all lead to happier customers.

Collaborative software makes it possible to:

• Respond to queries and solve problems for customers quickly
• Build features and products that your customers actually need
• Build your ideal customer profile (ICP) and market to them
• Create efficient sales workflows that don’t keep prospects waiting around
• Give sellers the info they need to take a consultative, value-added approach

All these things lead to happier customers who love your product and value your service. And that translates to higher retention and unprecedented levels of advocacy from your customer base.

Best Practices for Effective Online Collaboration

Now…just because you have access to collaboration tools doesn’t mean you’re collaborating effectively.

Here are some best practices for making the most out of your collaborative efforts:

1. Empower leaders to lead.

For effective collaboration, it’s important that everyone has a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities within the team. Give leaders the power to make decisions and delegate tasks, while also promoting open communication and feedback from everyone involved.

2. Set clear goals and expectations.

Collaboration can get messy if everyone isn’t on the same page. Make sure everyone knows what the main objectives are and what is expected of them in terms of deadlines, quality, and contribution.

3. Establish communication protocols.

With online collaboration, it’s important to establish guidelines for communication. This can include designated channels for different types of communication (e.g. project updates on Slack, urgent issues via email) and expectations for response times.

4. Encourage open communication and feedback.

Collaboration thrives when everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas without fear of judgment or backlash. Encourage a culture of open communication and constructive feedback to foster a more collaborative environment.

5. Use tools that fit your team’s needs.

Not all collaboration tools are created equal, so make sure you choose ones that best fit your team’s needs and working style. For instance, Trello works well if you prefer kanban/board-style project management, while Asana is better for task lists and deadlines.

6. Establish a system for tracking progress and accountability.

Collaboration requires everyone to be accountable for their actions and progress. Establish a system for tracking deadlines, tasks, and milestones so everyone is aware of their responsibilities and can hold each other accountable.

7. Celebrate wins and learn from failures.

Collaboration is all about working together towards a common goal. To solidify it as a core aspect of your company culture, reinforce the importance of teamwork by praising successes and adapting from failures as a team.

People Also Ask