Why workplaces need 'teams' feature

With workplaces no longer defined by buildings or rigid working hours, work culture is constantly evolving. Businesses have become mobile and hence, productivity is not limited to a fixed set of working hours.

When it comes to collaboration, organisations are making a definitive shift from archaic communication solutions like email and corporate intranets to newer tools such as team chat apps and real-time messaging softwares. Such tools, powered with native applications and integrations have revolutionised workplace collaboration. And yet, the modern workplace needs more.

This is because, ‘teams’ in a modern workplace refers to communication beyond the organisation. Efficient workplace collaboration now includes teams as diverse as vendors, clients, industry peers, influencers and advocates.

A messaging service for a business enterprise must empower users with the possibility to stay connected, constantly exchange information and ideas and take informed decisions. However, this must all happen on a single platform that supports the creation and usage of ‘teams’ beyond the organisation itself.

This need-driven change in workplace culture and the new definition of 'teams' have been instrumental in introducing the ‘teams’ feature in a business messenger app. The ‘teams’ feature in a business messenger pushes the boundaries of a modern business setup and completely transforms workspace collaboration. Identified below are a few of the areas where ‘teams’  feature will positively impact the modern workplace.

‘Teams’ enable companies to upgrade to an ‘Organisation Team,’ allowing users to automatically add their email ids with the company email without any approval from the administrators.

Furthermore, the ‘team’ messenger is supported across all platforms, including Desktop (Windows and Mac), Web and Mobile (iOS and Android), which is beneficial for a modern and versatile workplace.

The contemporary workplace strives to make employees as productive as possible. And that requires effective collaboration among all stakeholders. Statistics shows that 68% of employees collaborate with a remote co-worker on any given day (Forrester). An instant business messaging app enabled with ‘teams’ feature, allows for creation of groups within a team. Members of a team can create project-specific groups and integrate other relevant applications.

Seamless communication
Currently, collaboration at the workplace includes multiple mediums to communicate with different teams. As the process is very cumbersome, use of these mediums can cut down overall productivity. With team messaging apps boasting of app integration, users can create and collectively access teams and use these integrations with one single account. No more switching between accounts and/or devices for messaging internal or external teams.

The modern workplace no longer sticks to the 9-5 rule. Work results matter more than the time involved to produce them. Therefore, latest technology, including business messaging apps is deployed to increase efficiency at work.

The feature saves a lot of time for the employees by allowing them to create separate teams on a single platform, even for different facets of their work. Organisations ensure employees keep abreast with industry and professional news through knowledge flows and social learning. The ‘teams’ feature lets users create ‘invite only’ or ‘public’ teams. These admin-controlled public teams, where anyone on the Internet can discover and join, enrich the learning ecosystem.

New-age business setups are mobile, and hence, demand greater security than traditional ‘brick and mortar’ workplaces. The ‘teams’ feature comes with powerful administration capabilities that ensure top-notch security.

Organisations can choose to restrict team members to those in the institution by blocking external contacts belonging to other domains. File-sharing options can be secured by administrators through restrictions, and teams with ‘invite-only’ options can also be created.

Present day businesses invest heavily in technology which can be deployed quickly and efficiently, that works best for their business and enables their employees to be more productive. ‘Teams’ are all-inclusive, real-time messaging apps that widen the communication ecosystem for better engagement.

(The writer is CEO and founder, Flock — a team messenger)