Question: Why should I use a collaborative tool? Why can't we just meet and speak like we have been doing since ages? What is wrong with e-mails, conference calls and faxes?

Answer: Well first generation online technologies such as email, listserv and electronic team rooms are not really optimized for creating effective distributed teams. Email is optimized for one-to-one communications and conference calls cannot really sustain conversations in an extended environment. None of these tools are fundamentally designed for enhancing the work of teams.

Phone and fax are the earliest examples of collaborative technologies. Although limited in their applications they are the most pervasive forms of collaboration. But in terms of project collaboration, they fail to maintain information context and relevance.

In scenarios where business projects get more and more complex and people work in virtual enterprises remotely, it becomes imperative to meet often and discuss issues and unforeseen developments. Also, apart from geographical distances, we are also looking at the global workplace of different time zones. Getting all the people concerned into the right meeting together is becoming more and more difficult.

A Collaboration tool fills in all the gaps. Gaps of all kinds existing between people, applications and organizations.

Question: What is collaboration, tell me in simple words?

Answer: The most difficult thing about information is collecting it. Then comes the responsibility of sharing it among the right people and applications. Transforming this information into knowledge and utilizing it efficiently is collaboration.

In the current scenario the dispersed work forces of today have increased competition and decreased shorter product cycles. At this critical juncture, collaboration between employees and business partners is a must. Collaboration tools are an important means for cutting down travel times and expenses and turning them into profits. Integrated collaboration tools that combine collaboration and enterprise applications aspire to streamline the workflow process in an organization.

Question: What ECS can do for me?

Answer: ECS is a dynamic collaborative digital workplace that ties into cross enterprise business processes and provides a rich collaborative environment for project work. ECS allows team members to store files, check calendars, assign and track project tasks and conduct discussions. It is a web-based collaborative environment that enables companies to innovate and drive projects to completion.

Mindbuilt ECS extends beyond the organization and the traditional methods of collaboration. Asynchronous collaboration enables participants at different locales to work together in a synchronous manner, while synchronous collaboration supports ongoing project work and takes into account ad hoc ideas and suggestions.