Communication and Collaboration: Why They're One and the Same

It is said that business is the art of working together for mutual benefit. And when it comes to the enterprise world, it’s the IT team’s purpose to use technology to make “working together” easier and more cost-effective.

Let’s look at the basic concept of business – “working together for mutual benefit.”

You have a product, a buyer needs the product, buyer purchases product, the seller gets money for a product, the buyer gets the product. Win-win. The buyer and seller worked together and both got what they wanted. How did that happen? With communication and collaboration.

At every level, business is about relationships, and relationships are built through communication. Product development, production, and go-to-market are all done with collaboration.

What are Communication and Collaboration?

Let us first look at the difference between the two:

Communication is the exchange of information to achieve a better understanding.

Collaboration is the exchange of information, and things, to advance the state of a collaborative product.

What each one shares, at the core of each, is the exchange of information. Collaboration just adds the goal of moving a collaborative product forward, but without communication, collaboration cannot happen.

So, why is it important to recognize that communication and collaboration are one and the same? Communication allows relationships to function, and the functioning of those relationships allows collaboration to not only occur but to be productive.

Video, Voice & Text in one Easy App Simple and secure virtual communication for providers and patients LEARN MORE

It is this realization that allows enterprise IT departments to begin to understand that it is through technology – particularly unified communications technologies – that they can increase productivity and further the success of the business.

Unified communications are not some futuristic gadgets from a 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it is also not necessarily one product, but more of a set of products that provide a consistent and unified user-experience across multiple devices, platforms, and media types. It is an integration of communication services such as instant messaging, texting, chat, voice, web & video conferencing, desktop sharing, data sharing, call control, fixed-mobile convergence and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, texting, and fax).

Instantly Unified

As an enterprise brings in these technologies, it provides a unified communications platform that enables collaboration to happen and become more productive.

More collaboration equals more business success…it’s that simple.

One of the easiest and safest ways to increase communication and collaboration is to utilize secure messaging. This technology not only increases the security of an enterprise network but with unique features that are orientated toward collaboration and team communication, it will also improve clinical workflow and productivity.

TigerConnect Clinical Collaboration Platform – Standard is a great example of a unified communications technology, as it works on all types of devices – mobile and desktop, and handles instant communication as well as secure image and file transfers. This flexibility alone adds to increased communication and collaboration within the workplace. Additionally, these features facilitate the building and strengthening of relationships, and that in turn, increases collaboration and productivity.

As more enterprises realize the relationship between communication and collaboration, they’ll quickly realize the two are one in the same – especially with the right communication tools. Learn the “6 Insider Tips To Successfully Launching a Clinical Communications Solution” and start improving your clinical communication and collaboration today.