In a recent global survey conducted in partnership with research firm IntelliCom Analytics (News - Alert), we examined the business job functions that are seen as receiving the biggest benefits from collaboration applications. In addition to helping improve productivity at the individual employee level, collaboration solutions also have the potential to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the key processes associated with ongoing business operations.

 

In our continuing look at decision maker views and expectations of collaboration, our most recent survey asked TMCnet readers and subscribers to rank order the top business processes in their companies that are seeing the biggest performance gains following the deployment of collaboration applications. With choices covering the main areas of operation that can be found in nearly every business, the diversity of responses from the more than 1,700 participants showed just how broadly collaboration is impacting the performance of core business processes. 

 

In the top two slots, the processes associated with providing customer support are viewed globally as receiving the biggest gains from collaboration, with order entry/statusing coming in a close second. These responses should sit well with the vendor community, given the heavy emphasis that marketing and sales messages have placed on the value of collaboration in speeding the flow of information to customers as well as between employees.

 

Although it was somewhat surprising that the use of collaboration applications in research and development didn’t score higher, the choice of business governance in the number three spot further reinforces the value of collaboration in helping to speed up information sharing as well as decision making. As would be expected, this choice received particularly strong endorsement from those participants that are in Line of Business Management or situated in large and organizationally complex enterprises.