Top 10 Collaboration Software Questions I Get Asked

If you're sending documents to clients for feedback or need to access a file remotely, web collaboration software will help you do this securely and efficiently. The right software makes working across teams, departments, and even with outside clients or partners seamless. Everything you need is within one protected and easy-to-use system.

Web collaboration software is one of my areas of expertise. As the Chief Solutions Architect of my business Mr. SharePoint, I help clients migrate to Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.

Many of my clients don’t realize the full capabilities of web collaboration software and use only 1/10th of what it can do. The top questions I get asked relate to three general areas:

Collaboration advantages

• May I co-author with multiple people?
• How easy is it to collaborate with others in my organization?
• Can you assign tasks and tag teammates within documents?

Data storage and security

• What are the data storage options?
• Do I need data backup?
• Can I set permissions?
• How secure is it to share files with those outside of my organization?
• Can I access my documents on any device?

Additional features to know about

• What automation options are available?
• What are the search capabilities?

Collaboration advantages

1. May I co-author with multiple people?

One of the first questions clients ask is whether the software will allow them and others to co-author within the tool. The simple answer is yes.

Co-authoring means you can collaborate with multiple people in a document. In Microsoft 365, all Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents support co-authoring. You can see who is in the document and collaborate in real time.

When co-authoring, tracking changes and reverting to previous versions is an important feature. If one of your teammates or clients makes an accidental change, you can easily undo it by going back to a previously saved version. When co-authoring in Microsoft 365, documents automatically track and save each co-author's edits as a new version to SharePoint every few minutes.

If you're the author of a file, you should be able to assign other co-authors. You can give some collaborators full editing access, while others are limited to suggestions or view only, in which they cannot make changes.

2. How easy is it to collaborate with others in my organization?

Clients often ask me about collaboration capability in general. This is an important one, because the effectiveness of an organization’s collaboration tools impacts an organization’s remote working culture.

My answer to this question is—collaboration software is designed to make it easy to partner with all of your stakeholders. When considering which software to use, look for processes that are easy and user-friendly to support organizational productivity. Primary collaboration needs include:

• Sending files back and forth
• Co-authoring
• Giving feedback

Consider whether your teams will need formal training and if the software offers helpful videos and step-by-step instructions for common tasks and problems. Microsoft has public training videos and articles for 365 and SharePoint. If you need help, you can likely find a support article or video to troubleshoot and get more information.

I also help clients with customized training for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint. Starting with initial onboarding to help set up the new software and then moving to more advanced and specific use cases.

3. Can you assign tasks and tag teammates within documents?

Let's say you're working on a project and need to collaborate with others in your team—what does remote communication look like with collaboration software? Look for these capabilities, which are especially useful for remote teams:

• Can you send meeting invites?
• Can you instant message?
• Can you see teammates' calendars and availability?
• Can you video chat with features like recording and screen sharing?

Some software options have built-in messaging platforms or integrate with existing tools like Slack. When you're in a document or file working, having a pop-up chat can make it easier to collaborate—so you can stay on one page and not have to toggle back and forth. Another important feature to consider is being able to tag team members or guests in comments within the document, which is helpful for managing remote teams.

The ability to coauthor (see the first section above) makes it convenient to tag people, make comments and assign tasks to different team members in the document itself. Another option is to make changes and send the new version to someone from within the messaging platform that is integrated with the document.

Data storage and security

4. What are the data storage options?

I advise clients to think about their long-term plans when it comes to data storage, with an eye on avoiding space creep. Make sure that you have enough space for now and in the future. Consider whether the collaboration software can grow with your organization—and how much that costs.

Check and see how much space per user the software includes, and think about if that will be enough for ten years down the road. If not, how much cost is additional data storage? Even cloud data storage is expensive. Sharepoint, Google Drive, and Dropbox all charge for additional storage, and that can quickly add up over time.

Make the most of the storage that you have before you start upgrading your plan. Regularly audit your documents and delete any documents that are outdated and not needed—you can typically sort by "date created." You can also get rid of duplicate files and archive files you don't use often.

5. Do I need data backup?

Clients often ask if they need data backup when using SharePoint and Microsoft 365, or other cloud-based web collaboration software. Most of today’s collaboration tools have cloud-based storage because it's cost-effective. With this method:

• You don't have to pay for physical hardware, installation, or have storage space
• Back-ups and data that are stored on the cloud can be accessed from anywhere

Some companies prefer local storage because of the security. If you want to access the data backup, you will need to physically be at the office or storage facility where the servers are. If the internet were to go down and you needed to access your backup quickly, that’s possible with local storage. But your data is at risk if something were to happen to the office, like a fire or natural disaster.

The best method for your organization depends heavily on your type of business and compliance needs. In health care, for instance, client files often need to be securely stored for a certain number of years for compliance. But, in most cases, it comes down to the software's retention policies.

Some software has set retention policies and protocols. Others let you set retention policies for specific files, folders, or libraries—making sure that no one can delete them within the specified timeframe. You typically don't need a local data backup with these types of retention policies. When a document is deleted, it's not gone immediately. This gives you time to retrieve it and restore the backup.

6. Can I set permissions?

I often get asked about permissions and limiting people’s access. When implementing company-wide software, being able to set permissions and assign levels of access for individual employees and employee groups is fundamental for security. Permissions let you control who sees what documents, folders, libraries, and files.

Another factor that clients may not think about right away is permissions inheritance, which helps with efficiency. Let's say you set specific permissions to a folder or library. If you add documents to that folder, do they automatically have the same permissions, or do you need to re-add them every time? SharePoint, for example, has automatic permissions inheritance, which you can undo if needed.

7. How secure is it to share files with those outside of my organization?

I often get asked how the software handles licensed users compared to guests or non-licensed users. This is important when you're sending sensitive information to clients and others outside of your organization.

Think through the types of documents and files you want to share and how secure they need to be. Some you may want to send without a log-in, while others need a higher level of security like 2-factor authentication.

The most common types of security for file and document sharing include:

• Registered devices. Clients can only access the file if they've signed into the site or software before and registered their device.
• Multi-factor authentication. Clients sign in using their password but then need to also put in a code that was sent to their mobile number, email, or generated from an authenticator app.
• Expiring link. Clients can access a file or document without logging in or using a passcode, but the link is only active during the timeframe you set.

8. Can I access my documents on any device?

Being able to access your documents and files on any device is important when you have a hybrid or distributed workforce. You may need to pull up a document on your phone when you're traveling. Contractors may not have company computers and work from home. Access makes collaboration easier.

Let's say you're on your computer at home, and you want to find a file. Can you go to Finder (Apple) or File Explorer (PC), type in the name of the file, and search for it?

Some software, like Microsoft 365 or the Sharepoint App lets you do this. The files sync from the cloud to your local computer as long as you're signed into the app or site.

Additional features to know about

9. What automation options are available?

Automating systems and processes is a big aspect of improving organizational productivity. When shopping for web collaboration software, clients want to know its automation and integration capabilities. Automation can help you set up workflows to make day-to-day tasks quicker and more efficient.

It’s possible to build automation apps in Sharepoint and Microsoft Power Platform for clients that need more complex tools. I do that under my brand, Mr. Sharepoint. Microsoft Power Platform, for instance, isn't included with 365 but is a SharePoint communication site. I help clients use templates to create low or even no-code automation processes and applications that work across 365.

Software like Sharepoint offer user-friendly workflows that are similar to automated flow charts that let you determine what happens at each step or trigger. In Microsoft Lists, you can create a text-based list and then set rules like notifying a specific person when specific changes are made. These are great for when you need to set up simple workflows—like adding an approval process for when an employee adds to a file repository.

If you already have specific tools that you like to use, I recommend Zapier for integrations. Zapier lets you create workflows across applications. You can choose a trigger in one app that prompts action in another.

10. What are the search capabilities?

Many of my clients want to know, when you have a large library of content in your storage system, how easy is it to find what you need. Being able to search is helpful when you don't know the specific location or path of a document or file. This is where user-friendliness and intuitive design come into play. Some software is easier to navigate and has better search capabilities.

Depending on the search tool, it may be able to scan the entire file to find the search term or only look at the title. Being able to search multiple file types, including PDFs, is an asset too.

Another feature to consider is how long it takes before a file is indexed (searchable) in the software's search engine. SharePoint's default continuous crawl is every 15 minutes–-indexing new content that users add. This helps to keep the results accurate and up-to-date.

Run a better business with collaboration software

Today, companies run on collaboration software. Teams and clients are often distributed around the globe, especially as more businesses work with independent professionals and adopt work-from-home policies. Even when working in-house, this type of software helps with project management, communication, and overall organization efficiency.

As your company grows and starts adding more team members and clients, having the right web collaboration software makes it easier to lead remote teams and create a productive workforce. Whether you need to send a client a file for notes and edits or work simultaneously in a document with other colleagues, collaboration software lets you do this while keeping security and ease of use in mind.

I specialize in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint to help clients with collaboration and automation. I am available every step of the way, from consulting to see if Microsoft is the best fit, to implementation to ongoing support and mentoring to make sure you're getting the most out of the software. You can book my services through Upwork and send me a message to learn more about how I can help.