Steljes Collaboration Survey Report Final

Collaborative Technologies Survey Report

© Steljes Limited, 2011 all rights reserved

collaboration

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CollaborativeTechnologies

The benefits of collaborative technologies to deliver increased productivity and cost savings for leading companies

Survey Report



Executive Summary In January 2011, Steljes Limited conducted research into the benefits of collaboration technologies to deliver increased productivity and cost savings for leading companies.

The Steljes Collaboration Survey report is based on the findings of a ten question survey completed by over 200 business decision makers at leading companies.

This report seeks to reveal the current levels of knowledge, understanding and usage of collaborative technologies in the workplace.

The full findings look at key areas of collaboration; from the starting point of strategy, and whether organisations surveyed have in place strategies for unified communications, through to the uptake of the already available technologies, as well as the perceived advantages and barriers to use in this fast-emerging area of business.

The survey results give a valuable insight to organisations that are seeking new ways to implement efficiency gains within the day-to-day of doing business, as well as those that want to keep up with the latest trends and adoption strategies for collaboration within their workforce and in the wider marketplace.

In more detail, the survey results also identify the most popular methods for collaborative working in current use, the most prominent collaborative software and the penetration of the related technologies in the market.

On the key subject of Return on Investment, this survey reveals the levels that organisations are realising with the use of collaborative technology, as well as the impact that can be made on business costs, such as travel expenses, by integrating a collaborative approach to conduct both internal and external company meetings.

IntroductionThis is the first time that the survey has been conducted, to gauge the current use of collaborative technologies in leading companies to develop and enhance staff productivity and company cost efficiency.

The results suggest that there appears to be an opening that the collaborative technology industry could penetrate and, in doing so, bring improvements to the way that companies communicate and strategise in the future – a key area that many companies seem keen to address.

Steljes is an authorised distributor for SMART Technologies, the leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way you work. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, SMART Technologies brings more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating with digital resources is more natural.

Lastly, thank you to everyone that has participated and we hope that by using this survey you can now benchmark your own collaborative communication strategies.

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MethodologyThis survey is published by Steljes Limited.

There were more than 200 respondents to the survey, which took the form of an online questionnaire. Information about the questionnaire, including the link, was emailed to a list of pre-targeted senior business decision makers. The incentive for taking part was access to a complimentary copy of this report and the opportunity to be entered into a prize draw.

Business sector The survey was sent to senior decision makers, who were all identified as working within businesses employing more than 250 employees, within specific site locations across multiple industry verticals. Examples of specific business sectors include Financial Services, Construction, Publishing, Real Estate and Computing. The majority of company respondents are UK based.

“This survey reveals the levels that organisations are realising with the use of collaborative technology, as well as the impact that can be made on business costs, such as travel expenses, by integrating a collaborative approach to conduct both internal and external company meetings.”

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Analysis

With 60.4% of those surveyed stating that their organisation has a strategy for unified communications, there still remains 32.1% who don’t, as well as 7.5% not even knowing. For almost a third of organisations surveyed to lack a strategy for unified communications shows a gap in organisational time and space efficiency that could be closed.

Half of those surveyed (50.4%) said their organisation either doesn’t have a technology strategy for their meeting spaces or they don’t know. This is a striking statistic indicating that there is much room for improvement. Developing a strategy for the use of collaboration tools within meeting spaces offers the opportunity to increase an organisation’s efficiency and productivity levels, alongside cutting costs. Overall, the statistic indicates that the incentive is there to alter how companies go about organising their meeting spaces.

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Does your organisation have a strategy for unified communications?

Does your organisation have a collaboration technology strategy for your meeting spaces?

YesNoDon’t Know

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Yes No Don'tKnow

49.5

42.4

8

%

%

Fig 2.0

60.4

32.1

7.5

Yes

No

Don'tKnow

Fig 1.0



The reduction of travel and hotel costs came top as the biggest driver for adopting SMART collaboration technologies – unsurprising in the current economic climate. Increasing communication and collaboration across an organisation was also high up there, as well as increasing productivity to improve sales. Interestingly ‘supporting remote working and new flexible work styles’ with 28.8% of respondents was the most chosen third choice from the survey.

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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

1.Reduc.ono1tra5el7hotelcosts

2.:ncreasingproduc.5itytoimpro5esales

3.:ncreasingproduc.5ity1orpro@ectmanagement

4.:ncreasingcommunica.onandcollabora.onacross

yourorganisa.on

5.Reducingcarbonemissions

6.Suppor.ngremoteDorEingandneDFeGibleDorE

styles

39.6

15.1

6.6

28.8

3.3

6.6

17.5

16.5

18.4

27.4

5.7

14.2

13.7

10.4

18

15.6

13.2

28.8

ThirdChoice

SecondChoice

TopChoice

What are/would be the biggest drivers for adopting SMART Meeting collaboration technologies?

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

1.Reduc.ono1tra5el7hotelcosts

2.:ncreasingproduc.5itytoimpro5esales

3.:ncreasingproduc.5ity1orpro@ect

management

4.:ncreasingcommunica.onand

collabora.onacrossyourorganisa.on

5.Reducingcarbonemissions

6.Cuppor.ngremoteworkingandnew

flexibleworkstyles

39.6

15.1

6.6

28.8

3.3

6.6

TopChoicein%

6. Supporting remote working and new

flexible work styles

5. Reducing carbon emissions

4. Increasing communication and collaboration across your organisation

3. Increasing productivity for project

management

2. Increasing productivity to improve sales

1. Reduction of travel & hotel costs

6. Supporting remote working and new

flexible work styles

5. Reducing carbon emissions

4. Increasing communication and collaboration across your organisation

3. Increasing productivity for project management

2. Increasing productivity to improve sales

1. Reduction of travel & hotel costs

Top Choice in %

Third Choice

Second Choice

Top Choice

Fig 3.0

Fig 3.1



What software do you use for collaboration today?

As our respondents have echoed in other responses, the travel and cost implications of meetings can be incredibly high, with the reduction of these as a strong factor to adopt collaborative technologies such as SMART. If they could remove one in three meetings with the associated travel and time cost implications, 34.9% of those surveyed said that they believed they could save 0-19% of their company expenses bill. Furthermore, 34.4% believed they could save their company 20-39% (as a percentage of their expenses bill). Over a fifth surveyed (22.2%) felt they didn’t know how much could be saved, indicating a potential absence of cost efficiency planning or thorough strategy scrutiny within their company.

With 42% of those surveyed voting Microsoft Solutions as the most used software for collaboration today, this is not too far ahead of software competitors Webex, used by 36.8% of respondents. 12.7% of respondents said that they didn’t use software for collaboration – a significant number that could be making more from engaging in tools to enhance their company’s communication.

5

Webex

Skype

Microsoft Solutions

IBM Lotus Notes

None

Other

%

If you could remove one in three meetings with associated travel and time cost implications how much do you think you can save for your company as a percentage of your expense bill?

Fig 5.0

36.8

21.7

42

14.2

12.7

23.1 Webex

Skype

M34roso8So9u;ons

IBMLotusNotes

None

Other

Fig 4.0



Currently, 89.6% of respondents write up minutes at the end of meetings as their method to collaborate, present and distribute ideas/meeting notes. Flip charts and dry whiteboards are also popular choices, being used by 54.2% and 49.6% of those surveyed respectively. At present, almost a third (31.1%), of survey respondents use interactive whiteboards – yet, 86.39% of those surveyed requested a meeting to learn more about SMART Meeting collaborative technologies (i.e. interactive whiteboards and data conferencing), therefore suggesting that a lack of current use by more respondents is most likely due to lack of awareness/knowledge of the tool and the benefits it can bring to their organisation.

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How do you currently collaborate, present and distribute ideas/meeting notes as an organisation?

Writing up minutes after meeting

Flip charts

Post its

Dry Whiteboards

Interactive Whiteboards

Fig 6.0



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“With cuts to public services, fuel and food prices soaring and companies forced to reduce budgets to keep afloat, many more are turning to the advances of online interactive and organisational technologies to get business done; meanwhile cutting the costs traditionally associated with meetings such as travel, hotels, and food allowance.”


© Steljes Limited, 2011 all rights reserved8

A variety of collaboration tools are in use, with voice conferencing ranked as the top form of current collaboration. The second most popular current collaborative tool was video conferencing, with 58.5% of those surveyed utilising this. 55.7% said that they share and edit documents collaboratively online, meanwhile, least popular, was online staff training.

Although recent surveys suggest that business travel has increased by 18%, 85.4% of survey respondents said that their company is looking to reduce its business travel in the next year. This result is indicative of the current economic, environmental and political climate. With cuts to public services, fuel and food prices soaring and companies forced to reduce budgets to keep afloat, many more are turning to the advances of online interactive and organisational technologies to get business done; meanwhile cutting the costs traditionally associated with meetings such as travel, hotels, and food allowance.

Is your company looking to reduce or increase its business travel in the next year? (nb recent surveys suggest that business travel has increased by 18%)?

Increase Travel

Reduce Travel

How do you currently collaborate?

Online staff training

Share and editdocuments

collobaritivelyonline

Voiceconferencing

Videoconferencing

Fig 7.0

Fig 8.0

14.6

85.4

IncreaseTravel

ReduceTravel



With 86.8% of respondents requesting an online or face-to-face meeting to find out more about the benefits of collaborative technologies such as SMART Meetings, this high statistic indicates the desire to increase company productivity and cost savings through implementing such advanced interactive technologies.

Would you be interested in having either an online or face-to-face meeting to discover more about the benefits of SMART Meetings?

Yes - online meeting

Yes - face to face

Not Interested

Return on Investment (ROI) is a key benefit associated with implementing collaborative tools and strategies. 80.2% of respondents said that they have not undertaken a business review (Return on Investment model) of how using collaborative solutions such as SMART, in the last 12 months, could benefit their business. Without undertaking such reviews it is difficult for companies to see the areas where massive savings could be made.

Have you undertaken a business review (ROI model) of how using collaborative solutions in the last 12 months, such as SMART, could benefit your business?

Yes

No

Fig 9.0

Fig 10.0

9

77.4

9.4

13.2

Yes‐on/0ne1ee2n3

Yes‐facetoface

NotInterested



Conclusion The survey findings indicate a certain amount of awareness or understanding lacking of not only the benefits – increased productivity, cost savings, ROI – that collaborative technologies such as SMART Meetings can offer, but also an evident lack of knowledge regarding what tools are currently being used at an organisational level within some companies.

Companies are keen to discover more about the benefits that collaborative solutions such as SMART technologies can offer them, with 86.8% of respondents requesting a meeting to find out more. With 85.4% of respondents also planning to reduce their business travel, this indicates that many organisations would be drawn towards the key benefits of SMART tools and software for conducting meetings without having to board a train, plane or fork out for fuel at soaring prices.

The opportunity to move with the advances of technology and radically alter the way they interact within meetings is available for companies to embrace, and the results of this survey serve in highlighting the need to build awareness of this.

The room for improvement is clear, and the high response of those wanting to discover more about SMART Meetings shows that many companies are aware of this and are keen to evolve with the development of these technologies.

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About Steljes LimitedSteljes Limited is an innovative technology distributor that sources products from around the world, working with manufacturers to customise and bring their solutions to the UK market through its specialised channel network. The company’s innovative solutions enable people to interact and communicate more effectively while working and learning.

The company has been sourcing products from around the world for over 20 years, introducing LCD panels, projectors, plasma displays and interactive whiteboards to the UK market. The company has consistently been the UK’s number one supplier of interactive whiteboards and recently increased its UK market segment share to 58.85% in first half of 2010 (source: Futuresouce Consulting).

Steljes Group is a privately owned company and has helped companies, such as SMART Technologies, to become market leaders in the UK.

About SMART Meetings Every meeting should be a chance for your business to improve productivity and results. SMART Meetings give you those opportunities by making meetings visual and interactive, so you can work with information in more meaningful, effective ways. You can quickly and easily share information, concepts and plans or conduct discussions and brainstorming sessions. You can also effortlessly capture notes and distribute them for future reference, ensuring that all participants have a record of the meeting’s results.

Interactive technologies enable stronger communication of ideas, goals and strategies, allowing collaboration to solve problems, whether with others in the same meeting room or across distance. Create more effective face-to-face meetings, reduce the need for business travel and enable collaborative, multi-location working within your business for stronger and more efficient teams.

Phone: 08450 724 800Email: [email protected]: www.smartmeetings.co.uk

Steljes Collaboration Survey Report Final

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