Over the last decade, video content collaboration has undergone massive changes, thanks in large part to shifts in how, when, and where we work. Previously, most video production team members saw each other daily. They enjoyed impromptu project reviews and remained relatively on the same creative page. Though miscommunications still happened, issues could be identified and resolved rather quickly because everyone was in one room.
Today, remote working has changed the geographic parameters for colleagues, so video production teams are just as likely to be physically scattered as they are to be unified under one roof. At the same time, the demand for video has risen exponentially, and there are more channels than ever to present it on. The 2018 Video in Business Benchmark Report shows that businesses post 33 videos every month. Eighty-six percent use video on their websites, while 77 percent use it on social media.
That means creative video teams are under pressure to turn out higher volumes of work — often with the same amount of resources. In this new reality, disparate teams are pushed to their creative limits. In order to create more content on the same budget and with the same amount of teammates, they need to update their methods of communication.
Make the Right Decision When Choosing Collaboration Tools
Thankfully, remote and in-person video production groups don’t have to see poor collaboration as an unavoidable side effect of modern post-production. Emerging software can recreate a tight, effective collaborative environment so everyone contributes, feels valued, and remains aligned. However, it’s absolutely critical to choose the right software for your team to ensure strong compliance and exceptional results.
Ultimately, complicated software is unusable software — and the costs of untouched software add up. After tracking data on 129 U.S. organizations for four years, one study calculated that the organizations had wasted a combined $30 billion on unused software over that time period.
The sign of a good video collaboration tool is simple: People can use it. So when evaluating software options, run demos among stakeholders — both internal and external — to see if everyone adopts it.
For example, ask five to 10 individuals of varying skill sets and management levels to review a sample project within the workflow tool. Then, see how many responses you get. If you hear crickets, it’s probably not a good app. If individuals do respond but do so outside the app, that’s another signal indicating the system isn’t easy enough to use.
Beyond usability, you want your software option to shorten the most time-consuming parts of the post-production process, and often, that’s the review stage. To check that box, have primary users demo the software from a team workflow perspective.
Editors, producers, creators, etc. love getting in the zone when they’re editing, and because teams might be spread across the country or world, it’s not uncommon for them to relay feedback via familiar communication channels such as email. However, it can be difficult to keep track of past versions and make sense of disparate feedback when it’s floating around in long, complicated email threads.
Your video collaboration software should eliminate the need for back-and-forth email communication and help you accelerate workflow, lower costs, and, ultimately, create more high-quality content in less time. During the demo, ensure the tool can house all questions, feedback, and iterations in one easily accessible spot. The best collaboration occurs when everyone is open and transparent, so specifically, evaluate the review processes that are built into the system.
Finally, ensure your video collaboration software has customizable notification settings. This way, people don’t have to log in to the software or sit in on a meeting every time they want to know the status of a specific project.
The only way to devise, test and launch innovative, creative ideas is for video team members to act in concert — whether they share a desk or live on opposite ends of the world. The right collaboration software solution will help foster dialogue in real time, so make sure you take the time to evaluate new technology so you can make the right decision for your team.
Rollo Wenlock is CEO and co-founder of Wipster, a video feedback and collaboration platform that enables companies to create and deliver better video, faster.
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