With the rise of the internet has come the opportunity for companies to expand operations to international shores. This means that today, a plethora of businesses operate in countries across the globe. Londoners communicate with Sydney-siders, New Yorkers attend business meetings with Cape Town dwellers, Canadians take part in conference calls with Chinese colleagues and so on.


Of course, collaboration between international employees can be both difficult and expensive. To cut expenses, save time and increase efficiency we’ve come up with five cost effective ways to enhance your international collaboration efforts.

Send regular companywide updates
Creating a sense of company-wide collaboration is an essential part of building a strong team, even if members are in different geographic locations. One inexpensive yet effective way to do this is to compose and send regular companywide updates that keep every employee in the loop. A kind of corporate newsletter to announce new developments, recognise high performers and generally create a stronger international community of workers.

Invest in remote desktop sharing and meeting services
For enterprises manned by an international workforce, investing in remote desktop sharing and meeting services software is a hugely effective way to boost collaboration strategies. Instead of relying on group emails and conference calls, employees will be able to remotely share and access the desktops of their colleagues in an instant. They’ll also be able to use meeting services to attend virtual conferences with employees on the other side of the world.

Ensure contact details are readily available
Another way to create a strong international collaboration strategy is to ensure that all employees have access to the contact details of their colleagues. Direct email and phone lines will make it far easier and faster for them to ask questions, answer questions, and check facts. Company wide intranet services and employee databases already make this simple.

Launch a company intranet
It may require an initial investment of time and money but launching a company intranet can seriously augment international collaboration. It will give every employee access to a wide range of information, at their fingertips.

Armed with these five simple tips, you should be able to create a cost effective international collaboration strategy.