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Collaboration has some undeniable perks, from brainstorming to actually building upon an idea. But what about creating things that don’t require the input of an entire team? A logo, for instance. Can the rivalry between a bunch of designers racing to draw the best design for one paying company actually improve the outcome? As it turns out, it can. But only when the competition dial is turned to just the right level
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The Unified Communications (UC) market is chock full of media meant to promote the use of technology for communication and collaboration. Overall, that’s a good thing. But the nature of the materials is often abstract, trading the human element for the tech jargon.
In reality, technology only assists the transmission of information, which can actually detrimental to communications in the absence of basic skills, such as friendliness, feedback, or eye contact (in the case of video calling). Below, we bust three myths about “good communication” that get tossed around in marketing materials, including counter-marketing ones
Want to stay relevant as machines gradually take over the world? Pick a job that can’t be automated. The work done by humans is getting systematically replaced by devices as time progresses and technology makes new leaps forward. It’s a fact of life that our society is all too familiar with. But there are still plenty of tasks that will be hard to replace by gadgets.
The jobs that machines fumble over are incidentally the same jobs that make life exciting. Choreographers, fire fighters, chiropractors, art directors, coaches, and many others can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that robots won’t render them irrelevant any time soon
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Making sure you sound good over the phone is critical to building a good rapport with your clients. Whether you’re converting a lead into a buying customer or troubleshooting a technical issue, there are many techniques you can use to get the person on the other end of the line to really like you. Here are some of them.
When we set out to develop Hubgets, we started with the customer’s problem – fragmented collaboration – then we began building. Creating a top-notch product for a non-existing market gets you nowhere. You want to analyze the problem first, then find the solution.
This mindset isn’t typical in business, believe it or not. Many companies create products with their fingers crossed behind their backs hoping someone will buy them. We don’t think that’s the right way to go. That’s why we designed Hubgets to look and feel a lot like a social networking platform – one that people would know how to pick up and use at first glance, creating a lean learning path for everyone looking to boost their collaborative efforts, internally and externally.
Cloud-reliant software and services have enabled a paradigm shift for developers and service providers alike. Once based on the buy-once-use-forever concept, the acquisition of software and services has gravitated towards a licensing business model that has proved to be far more lucrative for every party involved, from the people who code the solution to the end users.
A recent report by Nemertes Research indicates that Unified Communications (UC) solutions, or Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), are selling much better as subscription bundles, as opposed to perpetual licensing which involves a large upfront investment. And it’s hardly a surprise.
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Cementing the belief that communication is vital in building and retaining a team, a study conducted by human resources firm SHRM reveals that employees rate their relationship with their immediate supervisor among the top five job satisfaction contributors.
Specifically, 54% of employees in the survey indicated that a good relationship with their team manager or supervisor was “very important” to their job satisfaction. Middle-management cited this aspect more vocally than the executive ranks (probably because the C-suite doesn’t get bossed around as much).
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We love it when communication flows. Everything we do at 4PSA revolves around communication and collaboration, so we believe strongly in the power of using these as tools for building teams and businesses. But sometimes, shutting up can help too.
According to a study published in the Journal Of Social & Personal Relationships, blocking communications with negative people can increase your productivity and even boost your IQ. It’s the kind of research that seems to reach an obvious conclusion, but most of us are oblivious to these teachings our entire lives.
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I recently stumbled upon some lectures that talk about communication & collaboration in business, explaining its crucial role in leveling the field for executives and floor employees alike, driving successful operations across an entire organization. They were great reads and I want to lay out some bullet points for our readers. If you own a business, listen up!
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People with thick accents aren’t exactly well liked. Especially those who really cripple a language trying to convey their thoughts verbally to others. But according to H. Jackson Brown Jr., it’s not something to criticize.
I laughed when I read this: