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Collaboration Tools in Work Environment

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Submitted By abriggs29
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What collaboration tools have you used in your work environment or personal life? How have these information systems benefited you?
At work I rely on email through Microsoft Outlook. I prefer email above all other communication at work because I am able to go back and review and reference an email at any given time. I know that there are instances where miscommunication can occur because the receiver is not able to "hear" the tone of the message nor can they "see" any body language that goes along with the message. That being said, when at work, I keep my emails extremely professional, straight to the point. I also will re-read my emails prior to sending that way I can ensure that my message will be received in the manner that I intended it to be understood. After the phone conversation, I will then send the recipient an email just to briefly go over what had been discussed and agreed upon during the phone conversation. A few times a month our company will also use Skype to talk to our factory management team overseas. This helps on several different levels. This helps when we feel that email will not be able to convey the message as appropriately as a verbal contact would. Having employees overseas that speak and write English as their second language, it is very easy to have miscommunication. Speaking over Skype not only cuts the miscommunication down, but it also is a free service and neither party will have to pay in order to use.

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