
Scenario One
Employees frequently work together to create and edit documents.
Best bet
Wiki tools such as Socialtext and Confluence, which make it possible for employees to collaborate on documents and keep track of changes
Price
Socialtext costs about $15 a month per user. Confluence's hosted version goes for as little as $49 a month for 10 users.
Scenario Two
The company's work force includes many mobile workers who communicate largely via BlackBerry.
Best bet
Web-based tools such as Basecamp and Present.ly, which allow employees to receive notifications and post status updates using their mobile devices.
Price
Basecamp costs $24 to $149 a month for an unlimited number of users. Present.ly costs $1 per month per user.
Scenario Three
The company develops custom products or services, which require input and feedback from clients.
Best bet
Tools such as ConceptShare and GetSignOff, which let clients comment on mockups while preventing them from looking at other customers' projects
Price
ConceptShare costs from $24 to $99 a month, depending on the number of projects. GetSignOff offers plans for $29 a month and $59 a month.