You are probably used to collaborating on projects with your own department, but when it comes time to complete a big project involving the whole company, or even outside the company, you may feel a little out of your element. The good news is that there are many new tools that the IT department can share with the rest of the company to make everything easier. Using video conferencing software such as Blue Jeans allows a video share for IT departments to collaborate with all other departments on company-wide projects. Here’s a quick guide on how to use it for a large project and the many advantages it carries:
- Make Important Files Accessible For All
The most important part of completing a big project is being able to access all of the information and documents you need at any time. Even remote workers can access necessary files, including video files, using online software. Before, it would have been complicated and expensive to mail physical copies of these documents back and forth and you would have to wait several days for every response and adjustment. With conferencing software, you can simply upload the files, make them available to anyone who will need it, and ensure that everybody is uploading their own files and updating them as necessary.
- Play Video Files During Meetings
Frankly, everybody has trouble paying attention during meetings, even during conference calls. A study in The Atlantic reported that sixty percent of people have done something else while they were supposed to be in a conference call. Using video files during a meeting is a good way to bring people’s attention back to the meeting and keep them alert and energized. When you upload your video files to your conferencing software, you can then access them during a meeting, whether it is an online conference or an in-person meeting. This has a much bigger impact than just talking or showing others a slideshow presentation. Pitching to a client, for example, is much more impressive with a video.
- Build Social Relationships
You work well with your own team because you probably see them every day, have opportunities to get to know each other, and work effectively together. The trouble with suddenly having to work with people you don’t know that well is that it is like going back to your first day on the job when you didn’t know anybody but were expected to be a fully functioning team member. Even if the colleagues you have to work with are in different locations, or even different countries, you can use video conferencing and video sharing to build relationships with them. A study by Gigaom reported that eighty seven percent of people working remotely still felt connected to their team when using video conferencing. It is the next best thing to actually being in a room together. The flexibility of the software means that you can not only use it for business purposes but also to get to know your colleagues socially, allowing everybody to get along well and work effectively together.
- Keep Everybody Caught Up
There are many advantages to the global workplace and the ability to work and collaborate with people around the world. One downside is that even the convenience of online meetings doesn’t work for everyone due to different time zones. However, you can save your video meetings or any other video files and share them with anybody who missed the meeting or needs to catch up. This way you can ensure that even the challenges of different time zones aren’t a big issue and everybody is quickly caught up with new developments and can get on with their own part of the project without missing out.
- Outside Collaboration
Sometimes you may have to work directly with other companies, industry experts, or your own clients. Again, you can use video conferencing and file sharing to make this easier. Even if others don’t have the same software, as long as they have a device which can play audio and video and a reliable internet connection then you should be able to bring them in on any group meeting or online collaboration. You can build relationships with them, keep them caught up on new developments, and involve them in meetings much as you would with the rest of your colleagues.
A company wide, or even an inter-company project is a daunting and terrifying prospect to many, but it doesn’t have to be. Advances in technology make it easy and gratifying. If you aren’t using it already, be sure to pitch video conferencing software to your boss and plug the benefits that it can bring to everyone you work with. This way, all of your current and future projects big and small will be productive, efficient, and successful.