Make This Year's Office Party One to Remember with the Right Tech

People make the biggest difference for most businesses, especially in this era where the Internet and globalization have made technology and business processes increasingly standardized. What sets a business apart from others is its employees, their creativity, and the culture that the firm nurtures.

A part of cultivating a good team is building company morale and cohesion. Employees need to feel valued, connected with each other, and enjoy where they work.

A part of that, in this holiday season, is having good office parties. And while people make the difference for a firm, what technology can do is help make these parties better.

A recent Nextiva blog post highlights some of the ways that technology can make business holiday party planning easier.

App culture now enables easier party planning that can get employees working together to make meaningful office parties. This includes polling apps that let employees weigh in on what they want in their holiday party, as the Nextiva blog post noted, and apps such as Jooner and SignUpGenius can help with pot-luck-style office party planning.

There are apps that can systematize party planning, too, enabling organize the layout of the banquet room, send automated reminders to team members, and keep planning on track.

With websites such as OpenTable and online ordering through many grocery store web sites, getting the right supplies also can be easier in the past and more able to be voted on by staff and good buys chosen.

Nextiva knows a thing or two about what it takes to make a good company culture, too. The company, which offers cloud-based phone systems, including business VoIP and virtual PBX, prides itself on having a culture of “Amazing Service,” recently was named by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of the best places to work in the area.

This is the fourth year in a row that Nextiva has taken home this honor by the business journal.

Nextiva's culture ensures employees are satisfied with their work, recognized for their achievements and are provided with solid career paths.

More businesses need this kind of focus. And that starts with having a good office holiday party.

Edited by Alisen Downey