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Recently, there are many useful tools for sharing information, such as groupware and chat tools.
On the other hand, many people may be confused about which tool to choose because they do not understand the differences between them.
Here, we explain the importance of information sharing within the company, the functions of the tool, and the benefits of introducing it.
We also introduce how to choose tools to introduce in your company, so if you are planning to introduce it, please refer to it.
Importance of information sharing within the company and characteristics of tools
When working as a member of a company, information sharing within the company is indispensable.
First, let’s take a closer look at the meaning and importance of information sharing within the company, and what information sharing tools are.
Meaning and Necessity of Information Sharing
In the first place, information sharing refers to sharing information held by individuals within the company and scrutinizing the contents.
Merely disclosing your knowledge does not mean that you are sharing information.
It is important to select the necessary information within the company to improve the efficiency of operations and increase the motivation of employees.
In addition, if knowledge and know-how are shared within the company, it will be possible to prevent personalization, and you can expect to improve the skills and knowledge of the entire company.
In this way, the process of information sharing plays a role in improving employee skills and teamwork, as well as increasing productivity within the company.
When sharing information within your company, be sure to pay attention to whether the information is necessary and where it can be used.
Features of information sharing tools
We recommend using tools to share information within the company.
Currently, a variety of tools have appeared according to the content and purpose of sharing, and it is possible to use them to solve various problems.
Information sharing tools include:
| task management | A tool that allows you to share the tasks and progress of each employee. The division of work will be smoother, and the efficiency of the group can be expected to improve. |
|---|---|
| Attendance management | A tool that allows you to manage the start and end times of each employee. It is convenient for sharing shift information. |
| virtual office | A tool that allows you to chat and make voice calls with staff in the virtual office. Information can be exchanged remotely. |
| groupware | It is a service with functions such as file sharing and bulletin board. Various types of data can be shared. |
| Web conferencing | A tool that allows you to talk while checking the other person’s face through the screen. You can easily share screens and documents even remotely. |
By combining multiple tools, you can expect further efficiency improvements.
Let’s choose a tool according to the information you want to share within the company, such as documents and files, each other’s schedules and work progress.
Advantages of introducing information sharing tools
By introducing information sharing tools, you will be able to use various functions that are not available with e-mail or telephone.
From here, I will explain the benefits of information sharing tools within the company.
Quickly find the information you need
The biggest advantage of information sharing tools is that you can search for the information you need later.
Verbal communication such as phone calls and meetings will not be recorded unless you take notes yourself, and you cannot search for it later.
In the case of e-mail, there is a risk that the data will disappear after a certain period of time.
On the other hand, if it is an information sharing tool, it is possible to check the contents of past posts at any time.
You can also organize information within the tool by grouping them according to their content.
In addition, many of the tools allow you to set the scope of disclosure, so you can use it as a memo for yourself as well as information to be shared with the whole.
These functions also help reduce communication costs, such as receiving the same questions over and over again.
Accumulation of knowledge and know-how
Knowledge in the business scene refers to useful information for companies obtained from conversations and books.
In addition, know-how refers to the tips and wisdom that you have gained through experience.
Based on the knowledge shared within the company, each employee acquires know-how, and by further sharing it, it leads to overall skill improvement.
As information is accumulated in this way, the tool will play a role similar to Wikipedia in the company.
One of the benefits of information sharing tools is that you can share individual skills that tend to be individualized.
Communicate with multiple employees
Using information sharing tools can also facilitate internal communication.
For example, in the case of e-mail, it is necessary to enter greetings such as “Thank you for your hard work” and “Thank you for your help” and think about the subject line.
On the other hand, if you use an information sharing tool, you can send a reply in one sentence.
In addition, you can also use it to notify you that you have read it just by pressing “Like”, or to express your emotions using emoticons.
By using the tool, you can easily communicate with many employees, so it will help improve the atmosphere in the company.
It is also recommended for companies that find it difficult to communicate with remote workers and telecommuters.
How to choose a service to use in-house
There are various types of information sharing tools, but it is not a good idea to introduce them blindly.
It is important to compare and consider tools from several perspectives, such as what functions are necessary and whether they are easy to use.
Finally, let’s take a closer look at the points to consider when choosing an information sharing tool.
purpose of use
First of all, you need to clarify the problems your company faces and the functions that will help solve them.
Even if you introduce a multi-functional tool, it is meaningless if it does not have the functions you actually need.
For example, if you want to facilitate communication, functions such as chat tools, in-house SNS, and bulletin boards are convenient.
Tools such as groupware are suitable for sharing knowledge and know-how, and tools such as web conferencing are suitable for screen sharing during meetings.
In this way, if you determine the purpose and scope of use in advance, you will be able to smoothly compare the functions required of your company.
ease of use
Information sharing tools are very useful, but complicated to use can cause confusion.
A simple and easy-to-use screen is important for smooth infiltration into the company.
Choose a UI that even employees with low IT literacy can use immediately.
Search function
It is also important to be able to immediately display information such as knowledge and know-how accumulated in the tool.
If the accuracy of search is low and you cannot find the information you want, the valuable information will be wasted.
The richness of the search function is an important point, especially if you are aiming to use it like an internal Wikipedia.
It is a good idea to choose a tool that allows you to search from multiple items such as keywords, groups, and categories.
summary
- Information sharing is essential to reduce mistakes and troubles and increase productivity within the company
- Know-how and knowledge are accumulated by introducing the tool, and it can be used like a manual
- It is important to compare the balance between functionality, ease of use, and cost according to internal issues
There are various types of information sharing tools, such as those suitable for individual communication and those for groups.
Determine the scope of use and choose a tool that can be introduced at the lowest cost