83% of workers are more productive with collaborative tools

The introduction of mobile solutions has transformed the way employees work. Now they can develop their tasks effectively in different spaces, without having to go to the office, through telecommuting. However, when they return to the workplace, the mobile revolution remains incomplete and therefore ineffective, since most offices lack effective collaborative tools among workers, partners and customers.

The adoption of technologies and collaboration tools in companies is a fact, but a fact still incomplete. In a Forrester study, 83% of information workers said they could be more productive if they had the right collaboration tools, regardless of where they worked -in the office or remotely-.

Forrester wanted to look into this reality and for this undertook a statistical study that was revealing: while IT and business installations professionals with more than 1,000 employees perceive that their organizations provide them with the necessary space and tools to collaborate, information workers find that their current tools are insufficient.

This study, titled “Digital, Disparate, And Disengaged. Bridging The Gap Between In-Office and Remote Workers,” provided four key conclusions to understand the current state and trends that must be followed in the adoption of collaborative solutions in companies:

1. Workers no longer need to perform their work in a specific physical space. The variety of mobile devices and the accessibility to the Internet have increased mobility and connected employees with a whole network of collaborators (other employees, partners and customers) changing the nature of the work itself and the expectations they have of the tools at their disposal.

2. Disconnected workers are frustrated workers. Although half of the meetings rely on technology solutions to connect with partners and colleagues located in other cities or countries, almost all respondents reported problems with their company’s collaborative applications. This affects negatively to productivity, and generates a feeling of inefficiency and frustration that is accentuated in the case of remote workers.

3. Collaborative technology investments are failing. All workers are aware of the potential benefits of collaborative solutions. However, companies lose money because of the delay and slowness in their effective implementation.

4. Next-generation collaboration technologies will drive employee engagement. Information technologies themselves and information workers want to enhance collaborative capabilities, which will result in improved and increased productivity, business initiatives, commitment and retention of employees.

In conclusion, according to the study carried out by Forrester, we are in the right moment for companies to evaluate if the collaboration technologies implemented in the offices keep pace with the mobile revolution.