Many hands make light work, so they say, whoever 'they' are. A wise they, certainly, in this respect at least. Many hands do make light work. A problem solved is indeed a problem halved. There's no 'I' in team. The last of these is, perhaps, a little trite and cliched, but the abiding principle here is clear: working together makes for a more successful result. So, by extension, 'they' might say that it's important to have the means to facilitate team working, to make cooperation easier. But enough of them. What about you? What about your business?

Rod, Chas and Lucy need teamwork in their business. They work for HomeLocating Magazine, keeping the public up-to-date on housing news and advice and providing estate agents with advertising for their properties. The three between them cover a large area, all contributing to range of reports and articles that make up the finished publication. It's important that they can have confidence in each other and in their capacity to work successfully together and to that end, they're using Microsoft Word 2010.

With Word 2010, it's easy to cooperate and to co-author a piece of work. As Rod, Chas and Lucy are working on a property publication, they know that all content is dependent on location; fortunately, devising that content with Word means that they can all work on the piece wherever they are. It doesn't matter how far apart Rod may be from Chas, and how much further Lucy; information can be updated and contributions added on the go, allowing them to work effectively within tight deadlines and an ever-changing environment.

Word offers a number of ways to do this, depending on your business's circumstances. For our three intrepid property experts, the solution lies with Microsoft SharePoint. SharePoint allows all Office software to be accessed by any number of colleagues, wherever they may be, and to share and contribute to work simultaneously. With Microsoft Communicator being used alongside Word, Chas, Lucy and Rod can also talk to each other directly whilst working on a document, ensuring that the finished piece is as coordinated as can be.

However, investing in SharePoint isn't feasible for every business. If the HomeLocating publishers hadn't access to a SharePoint server, the three would still be able to communicate with each other, see who is online and currently working on a document, and share their progress. By simply signing up to a free Windows Live account, Lucy can see instantly whether, for instance, Rod has a certain shared document open, send him instant messages, and edit the document with him or make her own separate contribution.

Being aware of who has a document open and being able to communicate directly with them whilst they're working on it can be hugely important. After all, as beneficial as it can be for all three of our writers to have access to the same document, the advantages could entirely be lost if one started adding content that contradicted or clashed with another's submissions. Whether it's through Windows Live or Communicator, the ability to work as closely together as if they were sat around the same table can make all the difference in helping the three to produce high-quality articles in time for the regular deadline.

And these advantages can be just as useful for your company. Working together on Word documents often produces both greater efficiency and speed in finishing work, and an end result that benefits from the sharing of individual skills and experiences. What's more, a short training course could make it even easier for you and your staff to get the most from using Word collectively. Whatever your business situation, there's always a call for the many hands employed to make work lighter, and better.