The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the adoption of a remote workforce for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Globalization has also made it necessary for organizations to use collaborative platforms, in order to streamline workflow with partners all around the world. 

Research indicates that implementing a collaborative platform improves efficiency and partnership within an organization, leading to improved performance.Choosing the right collaborative platform can also help teams meet deadlines, manage tasks, and offer support across departments.

Although Slack has risen in popularity since the start of the pandemic, it isn't the right fit for every organization, and they aren't faring as well as some of their competitors. Some organizations simply need a more robust offering.

Here are four collaborative options for organizations who are looking outside of Slack. 

1.  Podio

Podio is a web conferencing platform, powered by Citrix, that allows employees to easily collaborate on projects. The software enables users and collaborative partners to share information amongst their teams easily and effectively.

Podio is flexible & customizable and can help organizations organize large volumes of work and delegate it between employees.  It is a web and mobile-friendly platform and has very helpful tools such as a calendar, an integrated chat, and a task management tool.  Podio also offers automated workflows, meeting scheduling, and granular access.

The platform has incorporated some quality mobile apps for users who are out of the office and using a smartphone. It easily integrates with other third-party services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and Zendesk to give users a helpful, collaborative work experience.

2.  Asana

Asana is a collaborative platform mainly used to monitor and track how a project is progressing. It eliminates the use of emails and messages, as it helps team members communicate directly.

Asana enables employees to create milestones for completion in an ongoing project and check them off once done. Using this tool, users can create to-do lists for the projects, set reminders for upcoming deadlines, and send colleagues requests. This makes monitoring the project more visual and easy to understand.

Users can also organize work in a list or board format and use the search option to quickly find past work. With Asana, the project manager can easily keep track of all projects among remote working employees and keep the project work organized.

3.  Ryver

Ryver is a competitor to Slack that gives companies a highly effective mode of team communication, an easy way to communicate during tasks, and the tools to ensure that deadlines are met. The platform provides an option to open as many teams on the platform as possible and efficiently organize them. Users can also set up chats with individuals or with groups.

Filters on the platform enable users  to control who can see and post in the chats. All company posts are in an understandable Facebook-like feed, and users can mark a post to get back to later.

4.  Simpplr

Simpplr is a modern employee intranet that helps companies engage their workforce by streamlining internal communication. This platform is web-based but also has android and iPhone app functionality.

It is easy to use, has a modern layout, and is fast and reliable. Simpplr also enables image and video uploads and is pre-integrated with Workday, Okta, Box, OneLogin, and Vidyard to ensure security and reliability.

It offers an intuitive interface that could easily be used by non-technical users, the ability to customize content, and gives relevant information to those with employee-only-access.

Enhance Internal Collaboration 

Internal collaboration platforms have become an integral part of today's working world. With people increasingly working from home, there is a growing need for teams to communicate, in order to efficiently and effectively complete projects. Choosing the right collaboration platform will boost productivity among employees, and keep teams engaged when they're out of the office.