Collaboration tools are an indelible part of today’s workplace, enabling employees working from home or in the field to maintain contact with colleagues in the office. There’s a broad range of collaboration tools to choose from, offering features such as chat, file sharing, texting and video conferencing. In many ways, however, collaboration remains a frustrating experience.
In the past, vendors were primarily concerned with file format compatibility. In other words, if one user shared a document with another user, would they be able to open, view and edit that document without any issues? When it came to basic tasks such as scheduling a meeting or joining a video conference, users were expected to muddle through.
AI is rapidly changing that paradigm. Vendors are integrating AI-powered features into collaboration tools to make it easier to set agendas, share documents and videos, summarize discussions, and schedule follow-up meetings if needed. These features help improve communication, streamline workflows and foster creativity.
Relieving Collaboration Headaches
Collaboration tools in and of themselves increase productivity by enabling more spontaneous engagement. In a recent survey by Tech.co, 46 percent of respondents said communication and collaboration tools had a high or very high impact on their operations.
These results point to the critical importance of connecting remote and mobile workers with those in the office. Collaboration enables teams to share information and ideas that facilitate better decision-making.
Often, however, employees must surmount numerous hurdles to get there. They must determine which tools to use and navigate multiple interfaces using a diverse array of devices. Once meetings start, they must grapple with distractions such as late-comers, offline noises and challenges sharing files.
AI eliminates many of these hassles by automating common tasks. Employees can start and join meetings using voice prompts. AI tools can detect and suppress undesirable noise and automatically adjust cameras and microphones so that everyone can be seen and heard. Natural language processing tools can transcribe meeting notes and distribute them to all participants.
Unleashing the Value of AI-Powered Collaboration
AI-powered collaboration creates value in several ways. Automation helps streamline processes and eliminate redundant tasks, reducing delays, minimizing human error, keeping projects on track and freeing up teams to focus on higher-value efforts. It makes real-time collaboration effortless across teams that are dispersed across time zones. Translation features can help overcome language barriers and foster inclusivity.
AI enhances project management by identifying and categorizing ideas shared during meetings, making it easier to track progress and create agendas for future sessions. It can also assign tasks and route documents needing approval, eliminating the need for manual tracking. By analyzing available resources and predicting project requirements, AI can ensure that the right people are assigned the right tasks. It can also identify potential risks and bottlenecks to reduce delays and cost overruns.
Adding AI into collaboration tools makes it an integral part of workflows, creating a unified work environment that minimizes the learning curve. AI also enables personalization by analyzing each user’s preferences, behaviors and work patterns. Information is organized and presented in a way that makes sense for the employee’s role.
Choosing the Right AI-Powered Tools
Several of the major collaboration platforms now have AI features that create a more productive and intuitive environment. Copilot for Microsoft Teams, Webex AI Agent and Zoom Companion have many overlapping capabilities but each also has unique strengths. Choosing the right solution depends on user needs and preferences and which platform you’ve adopted across your organization.
Cerium has extensive experience in the implementation and management of collaboration platforms and a team dedicated to AI. We’re here to help you select AI-powered collaboration tools that will improve communication, productivity and engagement across your organization.
