Corporate IT has changed. Finally, products targeted at businesses are learning from consumer apps that easier is better and simple gets the job done faster. Unfortunately, not everyone got the memo (it was sent over slack). Here are the best kinds of tools for work in the 21st century and how best to use them.

Sharing files

With modern cloud storage, sending email attachments should be a thing of the past. Attachments are copies frozen in time. Could storage means everyone can access the latest version of a file and sync changes instantly. Cloud storage is a must. Never email. Most cloud storage can integrate with chat apps. Sending a file link over email should be a last resort for external collaborators. Never attach it to the email. Whenever possible let the person know to expect the file, what they should look for file name, file type etc. Email attachments, especially office docs and PDFs are the most common ways to spread malware. Explicitly banning email attachments ensures any attachment is looked at with suspicion. Tip for opening a shared file link. Sign into your drive account in another tab before clicking the link. If the link is genuine, you will be taken directly to the file and won’t be asked for authentication. If you’re asked for a username and password. Refresh the tab to make sure you’re signed in. Then reach out to the sender over the phone, chat or some communication different from the one with the file and confirm they sent that message at that time.

Communicating head’s up and short questions with teammates

Chat: work chat is the hub of modern work, especially when working remotely. It does so much well that email has struggled with since its inception. It’s important to remember with any written communication the reader will project tone based on their preconceived notions. This is why one must avoid discussing controversial topics or provide criticism in chat.

Discussing plans, debating strategy, sorting disagreements:Video chat or face to face.

Discussion happens more freely and tone and body language conveys intention and meaning more accurately. Ideas flow more naturally and debate maintains a friendly tone. Especially when working remotely, video chat is essential for developing team cohesion. A good rule of thumb is if a text conversation goes back and forth 3 times, it’s time to jump into a meeting.

Company, organization/department wide announcements

This is one of the only areas email excels. Sending company wide announcements over email is a great way to ensure people read them. Email works best as an RSS reader of sorts. Internal emails should never require a reply. These emails should also link to a blog post with the same content. This allows coworkers to discuss the announcement in the comments. Having them in a blog also makes it easy to link to and refer back to long after the email’s been deleted.

Communicating outside the company

Phone call or email
External communication with people outside the company is the only two way communication appropriate over email, mainly because it’s a standard form of communication everyone has. Usually external communication is far less frequent than internal, but for frequent collaborators, most chat apps have ways of adding external users to conversations.

Conclusion

Keeping up with the competition means re-examining the tools you use and how you use them. The more time spent on scaffolding, the longer it takes to produce results. Make sure all the tools in your organization work quickly and stay out of your way. Relying on how you worked in the past will keep you there.