Volumes have been written about effective ways to share ideas, gather input, provide feedback, and collaborate in business. So it should come as no surprise that collaboration and information sharing are among the top benefits of PC technology to most businesses--evidenced in part by the massive growth of the Internet, e-mail, networking, and other technologies.

For a very small business, computer technology may seem like overkill if collaboration merely requires shouting over to the next desk. And yet, research shows that 60 percent of word processing and spreadsheet documents are shared with others. However, more than half of this collaboration takes place using hard copy print outs--not the most efficient way to make changes.

There are easy ways to improve efficiency and reduce cost. Taking advantage of computer networking solutions and using collaborative features built into your everyday software can greatly improve your employees' ability to work together.

Start with the basics. Microsoft® Word, for example, includes extensive editing features that make tracking changes to documents easy. Instead of relying on the old red pencil, you (and multiple other reviewers) can just type on a document and Word automatically changes the color of text you add, or strikes out what you delete--all the while "recording" the changes for later review and approval. Word even enables you to add a virtual "sticky note" to a document. Rather than handwriting a comment and sticking it on where it can get lost, you can use your software to track important feedback. Other programs in the Microsoft Office suite have similar editing features to make collaborating on everything from your spreadsheets to presentations easier.

When you consider the alternative--printing a hard copy, passing around a copy for handwritten feedback, and, assuming handwriting is legible, re-entering everyone's comments--the technology wins as an easier way to work together on documents.

Collaborative features are even more powerful when they are shared across a network. Even businesses with as few as three or four PCs can benefit from a network solution like Microsoft BackOffice® Small Business Server that enables them to share common files, folders, and resources. Storing a collaborative document on a network means you don't have to wait for someone to send you a document you need to review. Or, if you need information, it's not stuck on someone else's PC, out of your reach.