Associations, non-profits and community groups often depend on the activation of their membership and volunteers to make progress on fulfilling their purpose and achieving their goals. But recruiting, deploying, educating, monitoring and tracking the activities of even a small number of members or volunteers is incredibly time-consuming and inefficient. When the association is global, it turns into a real nightmare. The Internet, and specifically enterprise 2.0 collaboration software, has changed all that.  

Here's what a community group, association or non-profit can do with enterprise 2.0 software.

• Enable people to work from home. Gone are the days of showing up at 'headquarters' and getting lists of people to contact or tasks to be completed. With enterprise software - all the information you need is right on each person's computer, updated in real time.

• Keep track of each person's progress. Using the task management feature in enterprise 2.0 collaboration software, everyone can check off what they've done and what goals they've reached. They can also immediately report any difficulties so administrators quickly find out there's a problem, and can do something about it.

• Board members can meet more frequently, keep abreast of changes and make quick decisions - all without leaving their home or office location, and even when they're all in different countries and time zones.

• You no longer have to depend on IT to get people up and running. Anyone capable of opening a browser and creating an email account can be operational within minutes. IT doesn't have to set them up, and no one has to be at their side or spend hours teaching them how to use it. This means the association can create and utilize an ever-expanding membership and volunteer base without the need to take on additional administrative staff.

• Contact lists are constantly updated. You know when and where to get in touch with each person whenever you need them.

• Because members, volunteers, and administrators don't have so much traveling to do, they have far more time to simply get the work done. And if a volunteer only has a short time available on any given day, they can use it to accomplish something. Taking travel out of the equation adds up to a big increase in productivity.

• Administrators can brief the whole group simultaneously, and quickly. The briefing is stored on the enterprise 2.0 software, each person is alerted to the fact that it's there, and they can access it quickly and easily.

• Enterprise software provides a constantly-updated database of documents, procedures, processes and changes that keep people informed in real time.

To top it all off, some of the best enterprise 2.0 solutions don't even cost a lot of money. And it routinely saves money through increased productivity and efficiency.

Technology makes it possible for community groups, associations and non-profits to forward their purpose and reach their goals in an entirely new order of magnitude than we've ever seen before. Taking advantage of everything it has to offer can change the face of your organization. 

Whether you voted for him or not, you have to be impressed with the Obama campaign's mobilization of volunteers over the Internet. They did it with enterprise software and, although the budget wasn't exactly tight, that is the case with a lot of non-profits, associations and community groups. If that includes you, here's what to look for in enterprise 2.0 software.

• Easy to deploy: Non-profits, associations and academic institutions are often short of resources. Funding always seems to fall just short of what's needed, and sometimes their workers are volunteers. You might often find yourself in a position of needing a techie - but you just don't have one. You need something that's ready to go, out of the box.

• Intuitive and easy to use: You never know what level of technical skill members are going to have. Nevertheless, you need them up and running as fast as possible - without extensive training and without tech support. Enterprise software with a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface is imperative.

• Inexpensive: Although some non-profits have plenty of money, they generally want to, and are expected to invest it in their cause, not administration. They need all the same features, functionality and security of private corporations, but the lower the cost, the better. Check out SaaS, software as a service, solutions - a good one can solve the financial problems (and the need for technically-savvy staff.)

• Accessible from any location: Members of community groups are obviously located in the same general area, but other associations and non-profit groups are often global. They need to communicate and connect from anywhere, anytime.

• Accessible through any type of Internet connection: Enterprise solutions that only easily accommodate high-speed broadband are not going to work. Many members will be using dial-up or even their phone.

All of the other collaboration software features and functionality are, of course, needed - task management, project management, workflow solutions, virtual assistant capabilities, intranets, extranets, wikis, and so on. But without the above, your enterprise solution just won't get used, and you won't get your money out of it.

To be really effective, associations, community groups, non-profits and academic institutions have to use the latest technology wherever possible - and that includes enterprise solutions. You might not be running for president, but that doesn't mean you don't need that kind of efficiency.

Task management software, project management software - all the workflow solutions you need are available. But if you don't use them correctly, you can defeat their purpose.

Workflow solutions are supposed to help you get things done more efficiently. Correct utilization can be depended upon to bump up production, probably by at least 30%, while lowering costs. But used incorrectly, workflow solutions can increase frustration and confusion and, in the end, might not save you a dime. Here are four ways to defeat your workflow solution software.

1.    Don't set things up so the right people are informed when a file or document has been added, revised or deleted. Good workflow solutions software gives you the opportunity to notify all concerned, with one click of the mouse, when vital changes occur. Start using this feature as soon as you get your software - don't wait until a salesperson blows a sale or a deadline is missed because someone didn't have what they needed.

2.    Fail to prioritize. Workflow solutions generally give you the opportunity to mark any task as high, medium or low priority. If you don't do it, everything will be as important as everything else - which we all know is just not the case. You may understand the priorities, but don't expect the same from those who may not have the whole picture.

3.    Don't date changes. People having to spend their time trying to figure out what was changed when wastes untold hours. If things are dated, they can tell at a glance that they're looking at the latest version.

4.    When you assign a task, don't let the assignee know when it's due. As with failure to prioritize, tasks that don't have a due date appear to all be due now. Since everything obviously can't get done now, employees will be pressured and frustrated, feel like they don't have time to do anything, and will not experience job satisfaction or a sense of accomplishment. That's a sure-fire way to drive your best employees into apathy and, pretty soon, they'll be looking for another job. Bad employees won't care.

Workflow solutions are used to integrate people with technology to create an automated workspace that enables people to do what they do best, and leave the grunt work to machines. Task management software, project management software - they're all part of it. The tools are there for a reason - ignore them at your peril.

The right project and task management tools and workflow solutions can help bring about miracles.

We've all heard success stories about enterprise software - 30% increase in profits, products to market five times faster, project management overhead cut in half - but how, exactly, do those companies accomplish that? Here are three of the most important elements.

Sorting out flaws in organizational structure and processes:

In some companies it's not always clear sometimes who is who's boss. Some (usually stressed to the max) employees are getting orders from everyone and their brother. Approval hierarchies also tend to be unclear. Instead of having one person approve what you do and then send it on the next person up the line, everyone's jumping in with their two cents worth all at the same time.

You may not realize how much confusion this sort of thing generates, and how much work doesn't get done because of it, but it will be more than clear when you implement the task management and workflow solutions features of your enterprise software. You will see, for example, that some people have more to do than one person could possibly handle. They are trying to comply with so many viewpoints and orders at the same time, it's almost impossible to complete something. Implementing an enterprise software solution can help bring that to light, and sort it out.

Giving executives the chance to see what's really going on:

Have you ever felt powerless as an executive? You know there's something wrong, but you just can't get to the bottom of it. Largely, you're depending on middle management for information. But acting on their information just isn't resolving the problems.

Enterprise software can help you find out what's really going on. You can look at what each person is doing on a daily basis, you can see what orders are being given and whether or not those orders align with company policy and strategy, and you can find bottlenecks and unresolved problems that are keeping people from getting their job done efficiently and effectively.

Middle management is necessary, no doubt about it. But every company has an assembly line, no matter how white collar the activity, and the people on the floor generally know their job better and have a better handle on the problems and solutions related to their job than the guys above them. Enterprise software offers executives the opportunity to easily monitor what's going on right down to the bottom of the organization - and they can use that information to make things more efficient, get things done faster, and create a smooth-running, frictionless organization.

Finding a deadline is at risk before it's too late to do something about it:

Billions of dollars are lost every year because deadlines aren't met. Executives don't usually have all the gory details on every single thing that has to be done in order to complete a project. By the time they find out a project is behind, it's often too late to do something about it.

Enterprise software changes all that. The project and task management tools and workflow solutions feature show an executive exactly what's going on in the minutest detail. The possibility of not meeting a deadline can be seen so far in advance that a resolution can actually be implemented in time to turn it around. You can see exactly what's going on, and do something about it.

Ever wondered how people using enterprise software increase their profit margin so dramatically? Meeting deadlines is a big factor.

Enterprise software with features and functionality like project management tools, task management and workflow solutions can help bring about what you may think of now as miracles. Time to check it out. 

Which collaboration software is the best SharePoint alternative for your company?

Okay, you've already decided you're not going to use SharePoint - it's too expensive, deployment is too complex, using it requires technical know-how that a lot of your employees, customers and vendors just don't have, and you might even have to buy (and integrate - please, no, not again) additional applications to have the full features and functionality you're looking for. Exhausting. But choosing a SharePoint alternative can also be a daunting task. Here's a brief synopsis of the some of the most important questions you should be asking.

Cost

• Is the initial investment something you're comfortable with?

• What additional costs will be involved in the short and long term?

• Will you have to pay for training or tech support?

• Will you need to purchase other software applications to enjoy efficient and effective functionality?

• Do you pay for updates or full upgrades to the newest version? How much?

• Do you have to pay for licenses you're not using? How much does it cost for more? What exactly happens when you re-scale - up or down?

Integration and Configuration

• Do you already have technicians in place with both the time and expertise to integrate, configure and do the admin setups required to get your SharePoint alternative operational? Are those technicians going to have to abandon other important projects to get this done? How long is it going to take to really get things up and running?

When you consider the increase in productivity, reduced expenses and higher profit margins possible with collaboration software, you have to look at how much you're losing through slow deployment and utilization of your SharePoint alternative, not just how much you're spending.

• How time-consuming or complex will it be to do the same with upgrades?

Training

• How much training is needed for the average - not highly skilled technologically - user? How long will it take them to actually be able to use it? Is that training available free of charge from the provider?

• What happens when you bring a new employee on board? How do they get trained? Does your company have the resources to provide that training?

Support

• It is fast? Efficient? Does the provider's company have a good reputation in the area of tech support?

Security

• Does your SharePoint alternative enable you to work with customers, vendors, consultants, and so on without firewall problems - and still maintain state of the art data security for all concerned?

Ease of Use

• How fast can you put up a workspace for a customer, vendor, consultant or employee? How much customization is possible? Is the time spent on customization prohibitive?

• Can your contacts learn how to use it easily and quickly?

• Is it compatible with Mac and Linux? There are more and more companies (and departments) using Mac or Linux operating systems, and the market share for these operating systems is expected to increase - will your SharePoint alternative choice prepare you for that?

It goes without saying that any SharePoint alternative you consider also has to have the features and functionality you require. But once that's sorted out, make sure you check into the questions above. The right collaboration software can save time and money and transform your company into an efficient, effective production machine. But choosing the wrong application could turn into one big, long-lasting and expensive headache. Do your research well. 

Intranet software is the ultimate in coordination, collaboration, information sharing, project and task management, training and support. It covers a lot of ground. So much, in fact, that if you're not familiar with the general features and functionality, it can be hard to imagine everything it can do for your company.

To make sure you get the information you need, Central Desktop has produced an intranet webinar that graphically demonstrates the basics, introduces you to the Central Desktop features and functionality, and answers your questions.

The webinar breaks down the use of company wide intranet software as well as set ups for specific workgroups or departments. It also shows you how it can be used by executives, directors, and employees to communicate to staff, customers, and each other.

Customer profiles on the use of intranet software are also featured - with company wide deployment and with departments and workgroups. They also present an overview of a mock corporate intranet environment.

The pros and cons of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform are also reviewed.

Companies using Central Desktop's collaboration software as their intranet application routinely report impressive ROI statistics: 30% savings on time, 30% cost savings, profit margins increased by 20%, project management overhead costs cut in half, 75-100% less confusion and rework - and so on.

If you're considering deploying intranet software, or you're not deriving the benefits from your existing application, watch the intranet software webinar to find out more.  

What is social technology for business? Simply put, it is an integration of technology and social interaction in a business environment. Similar to but, thanks to technology, less time consuming, less expensive, more efficient, more effective and more all embracive than (you guessed it) meetings.

Instead of gathering all your papers to go to a meeting room, which may even be in another building, city, or country, you hook up with team members online to report, inform, share, teach, discuss, update, collaborate and plan, from your computer at your desk (or anywhere else in the world.)

Instead of forming focus groups to spec out your new products, social technology for business gets you the info you need in a fraction of the time from a less biased public. It's the ultimate focus group - you get to 'meet' with hundreds or thousands of people, each of whom is afforded the opportunity to give feedback, ask questions, provide answers and make suggestions.

What are the tools used in social technology for business? To name just a few features and functions:

• Blogs to keep people regularly updated on news and views
• Wikis that provide an always-current knowledge base
• Discussion boards where questions are asked and answered and problems solved
• Instant messaging for immediate help and coordination
• RSS to keep everyone abreast of the latest news, activities and changes
• Podcasts that enable team members, customers and prospects to listen to important information, live or recorded, even if they're in their car
• Social bookmarking so you can search, store, organize and manage relevant reference materials and other information from the Internet
• Social networks that keep you in touch with what your peers and competitors are up to, what the public is saying about your company and product, and affording you the opportunity to act and react in record time
• Calendars and task lists that let you see who's doing what when and coordinate schedules - all at a glance
• Email for personal communications

Best of all, it's mediated, permission-based, and as transparent as you want to make it. Everyone who needs to know can do so easily with social technology for business, and without endless meetings.

To gain or maintain the competitive edge in this tough economy, speed is of the essence in every respect. Social technology for business builds real teams that get things done in record time and with record-breaking cost savings. And it marks the end of endless meetings. 

How can you make your Intranet into a user experience that will reap all the potential benefits for your company? It is largely dependant on how easy it is to use, and whether or not the information and tools provided make someone's job easier and more productive.

A good example of incorrect use of the Intranet can often been seen in sales. Managers and others who set up the sales Intranet never forget to include calendars, statistics, tracking for number of calls made and other steps in the sales cycle. Nor do they forget leads, prospect lists, and so on. But they don't necessarily ask the sales people exactly what they need, and make sure they get it.

Here's a list to get your sales Intranet off to a good start:

• Product one-sheets
• Full technical specs
• Case studies and testimonials, cross-indexed for industry type and size
• Charts comparing your product's features, functionality and pricing with those of
• competitor products

• ROI charts, including comparatives with competitors
• Interactive spreadsheets that enable quick pricing for different configurations and number of seats
• Any special pricing deals currently available
• Approved discounts
• Up-to-date reference clients who can be contacted by a potential customer - including a schedule of when the reference is available to take calls. Also cross-indexed for industry type and size.
• Charts covering sales objections and their handlings
• FAQs
• Contact information for anyone who can tag on a sale, including IT
• Product demos

There are sales people all over the world who would kill for that kind of data. Use this as a checklist to improve your sales Intranet usability, and survey your sales people personally to find out what else they need. Yes, it will take a little work but there's a big pot of gold at the end of it: A happier, more efficient, more productive sales team that's making more money for themselves and the company - just by using your collaboration software's Intranet.

Enterprise software - software designed to solve enterprise-wide problems rather than those involving only a single department - can be very expensive. Not only is the initial capital outlay costly, it often requires a team of technical personnel and consultants to deploy, customize, and maintain it. Which doesn't exactly jibe with green initiatives on the power end of things: more personnel and equipment to power up, keep cool, keep warm and house in a well-lit location.

However, the SaaS model for enterprise software is a very different story, for several reasons:

Instead of the servers sitting in your data center, they reside with your provider. Based on the Energy Information Association's info on the average cost of power per kilowatt hour (kWH) in 2008, eliminating just one server would reduce your power bill by about $400 per year. And that doesn't include the cost of keeping it cool.

Not having that server also means one less server that will eventually end up in landfill.

In addition to reducing power usage, and the associated costs, SaaS enterprise software has many other environmentally-sound advantages: a good enterprise software system includes collaboration software, for example. This allows staff to work remotely, thereby lowering the consumption of fossil fuels and pumping less exhaust into the air, and reduce the overhead on space and power consumption within the office.

If you're looking at going green, SaaS enterprise software can help you kill two birds with one stone. It will further your green initiatives, while saving money. Check it out! 

Task management, project management, and information sharing is great if it's easy to deploy and use. Otherwise, it's a waste of time and money.

Just the idea of changing an office system can send some people running in paroxysmal fear to find out how many sick days they've accumulated. They just want to get out of the office and not come back until someone else has done the job. This is especially true with something like collaboration software - it isn't just installing updates or rearranging furniture, it's more like a whole new operating system that changes how everyone does just about everything! Is there an exception to the rule? You bet. It's called Central Desktop.

Collaboration software that takes months - you know what I'm talking about - to deploy and is so complex you can't even get people to use it is a waste of time. And it probably also cost a lot of money, so that also goes down the drain.

Central Desktop, on the other hand, is a whole different story. Here's what a few customers have to say about deploying and using Central Desktop's collaboration software:

"I expected some sort of learning curve to get it started but, surprisingly, it's been rather intuitive. It's been rather intuitive for the entire team across the planet."

"The startup time is zero...You can deploy a Central Desktop workspace in a matter of five or ten minutes. You really can't do that with SharePoint...If you want a way to do global collaboration: secured global collaboration, project management, information sharing, document archival...Central Desktop is so much more efficient and the price is close to free...It's one of the best values."

"The reason I chose Central Desktop collaboration software over some Wiki tools was that I could do it myself being a non-technical person."

"I can have a Project Management website up and usable to my customers and team members in under 60 seconds. That is the epitome of the Fanatical Support that we provide to our customers."

"I'm trying to accomplish the same thing with SharePoint that I did with Central Desktop with a client that insists on using SharePoint and I'm pulling out all of my hair! Central Desktop is so much easier to setup. "

Collaboration software is supposed to make project and task management easier, faster and more economical. Why not start off with something that does all those things right out of the virtual box? Check out Central Desktop and see the difference.