Top 7 Teamwork Communication Tools Must-Haves for Effective Working Relationships

Excellent communication is one of the foundations of a healthcare practice’s success. Fortunately, there is a variety of technology that can support effective communication and collaboration in a medical setting. These tools help you build effective business relationships, both within your office setting and with remote team members who work from different locations. We've investigated seven teamwork communication tools must-haves to ensure good communication between your remote team members and those in your medical practice.

7 Teamwork Communication Tools Must-Haves

Today’s working environment sees many roles outsourced. Many medical practices make use of medical virtual assistants to take on some roles, allowing for a more streamlined work environment. The following communication tools must-haves help promote effective communication between your different team members.

Note that most businesses only need one of these teamwork communication tools, although some have different capabilities. Most have video conferencing and screen sharing abilities, while others support different types of communication in the workplace, such as team-member-specific channels, video editing, encryption, or easy meetings.

Zoom

Zoom is probably the most popular of the communication tools must-haves around. It is excellent for when team video conferencing is a must. But you can also use it for one-on-ones with various team members, to hold company meetings, or even conduct an interview with a podcast guest. This application has amazing abilities.

The communication tool is most often used for:

• Conducting interviews
• Webinar hosting
• Presentations and report sharing
• Weekly individual meetings
• Team activities

Beneficial Features

• This is one of the communication tools must-haves that allows screen sharing via a share tab. It allows you to share a tab with your various team members.
• Zoom records and transcribes so that all team members can concentrate on the meeting.
• The virtual background filters allow you to use filters to add to, or conceal, backgrounds.
• The noise suppression feature blocks out background noises while ensuring that others can clearly hear you.
• The various interactive features allow the different participants to chat, make annotations, or even react using emojis.

Slack

Slack is one of the communication tools must-haves that simplifies remote communication between team members. The tool allows you to check on the availability of individual team members, chat with them, or call them. It has become very popular as a team chat tool in many companies.

Beneficial Features

• Slack gives you the ability to create different channels for different teams. You can also keep them private or make them public.
• You can instantly create team meetings with all team members. Called a ‘huddle’, you do not have to wait for your team members to log in.
• Slack allows you to customize by using different themes, changing notification sounds, or adding emojis.
• It is easy to connect with people outside your medical practice if needed. You send them an invite and wait for their acceptance before communicating with them.

Loom

Loom is one of the communication tools must-haves that makes delegation so much easier. And, because you can record short videos and send them to team members, it saves you time having to explain the same concept over and over. This makes it particularly useful to medical practices that have team members living in different time zones.

The most common uses of this communication tool include:

• An easier way to explain or expand on your practice’s standard operating procedures and easier onboarding of new team members.
• You can spend less time in meetings because you can send information directly to various individuals to peruse at a time that suits them.
• Individuals can better share their feedback.
• It increases your team’s productivity.

Beneficial Features

• You can easily use any device for this tool. It features a screen recording and webcam feature that you can use either individually or simultaneously.
• The instant sharing feature allows you to share or embed videos immediately without team members having to have a Loom account.
• Video editing is a breeze. You can also cut out long pauses in videos or stitch different Loom videos together into one longer yet comprehensive video.
• Interaction between team members is promoted by the ability to leave comments or add emojis at different parts of your video.

Google Meet

One of the communication tools must-haves that is steadily gaining traction is Google Meet. Its use of the Google ecosystem allows it to integrate with all things Google-related. This makes Google Workspace a firm favorite with people across the globe.

Google Meet is a very convenient video communication platform. The only prerequisite for using it is that you have a Gmail account.

Beneficial Features

• The share screen option allows you to share spreadsheets, slides, and videos with your team members.
• If you select the ‘record captions’ option on Google Meet, your videos will show subtitles.
• Only those who you approve can join the meeting.
• The full Google integration of Google Meet allows you to add features like adding an event to your calendar while you can also include a Meet link option.

Gather

Gather is probably one of the most unique communication tools must-haves around. It provides your team with a virtual office space. In other words, it is like everyone working in one office by making use of avatars in place of real people.

This application can help build a strong rapport among your different team members.

Beneficial Features

• Much like in a video game, team members can have their virtual selves walk around the virtual office and engage with each other.
• You can add it to Google Calendar or Slack to easily schedule meetings.
• Multiple people can screen share at the same time. It also makes for easy note-taking using a whiteboard.
• Each member of your team has their own, personalized avatar.

Discord

Although this one of the communication tools must-haves was popularized by gamers, Discord can provide an equally effective avenue of communication between different team members. The tool allows you to share files, add channels covering different topics, and even customize emojis. It also allows you to add a few people to a call.

While best for one-on-one communication, you can use this tool together with other communication tools like Slack.

Beneficial Features

• You can join different Discord servers and even build your own one. Sharing links for team members to join or adding them individually are also options.
• You can easily customize Discord text or voice channels. You can also allow certain team members to edit the settings in different text channels. Limiting only specific people to participate vocally is another option.
• A great streaming device, you can share your screen and present slides using this tool.
• Discord has bots you can use to automate, moderate, and share memes, amongst numerous other helpful features.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is one of the few communication tools must-haves that combines group messaging, voice, and video calls. It provides teams with a single solution to communicate effectively.

It does not have customization options, but it does integrate with all Microsoft 365 applications. You need to have a Microsoft 365 subscription to use this tool.

Beneficial Features

• You can instantly message people within and outside of your medical practice. You can also voice call them and even turn on cameras during meetings.
• This tool gives you the option to set up different channels. This means that team members who work together have their own channels for effective communication.
• You can use any Microsoft 365 application when having a meeting in real-time.
• Your privacy is secured due to all files, chats, or calls being encrypted.

Working With Medical Virtual Assistants From Cool Blue VA And Other Team Members Using Communication Tools Must-Haves

Remote teams need to work much harder at ensuring effective communication. Picking a few of these teamwork communication tools must-haves allows you to streamline this process and ensure that people communicate more easily. In so doing, you can help ensure that people meet their targets and that your medical practice runs smoothly.

Medical virtual assistants from Cool Blue VA are well-versed in the use of these communications tools and can easily use them to communicate with your other team members, no matter where they are in the world.

If you would like to know more about how the various communication tools must-haves can better communication within your team or the various virtual assistant services we offer, please give us a call. You can contact us at 714-695-8000.

Let us help you take your medical practice to the next level!