After 2020, workspaces have started experiencing a new concept: remote working. Since everyone had no choice but to work from home, we introduced new ideas daily to make remote work successful and developed new collaboration tools for remote teams.
Although, to some extent, remote working has been perceived as more cost-effective and productive, many businesses are still struggling to adapt to this new concept. Managing employees remotely is not a walk in the park, but it is definitely possible by using smart, latest software. Let’s check it out.
Before we talk about effective collaborative tools for remote teams, let’s discuss how these tools impact our efficiency.
Better Communication
Utilizing tools can be a great help to communicate effectively with remote teams. Whether your teammates work from completely different corners, tools can be a wise way to cut the distances. Even though various tools now offer video recording options, if any teammate can’t attend the meeting, the individual will have the option to watch the recordings.
Improved Productivity
Promoting virtual working in any company ensures productivity never gets compromised, as many tools offer features like whiteboards, file sharing, and more to enhance working speed and maintain productivity.
Improved Accountability
Tools help remote employees stay organized, enabling them to track time and ask for personal days. Such features make it easy for team members to keep tabs on availability and hold each other accountable. Additionally, the integration of software asset inventory management ensures that the necessary digital resources are efficiently used, contributing to a more smooth.
Effective Collaboration Tools for Remote Teams
Here are some famous, user-friendly, and effective collaboration tools that remote teams can utilize. Choose one based on your flexibility and demands.
Zoom
In 2020, with the surge in online meetings, Zoom became exceptionally popular. The application has several easy features, such as video conferencing, messaging, file sharing, and whiteboard tools.
Some of its advanced features include screen sharing, breakout rooms, mail and calendar functionality, and translated captions. However, Zoom is unsuitable for long-term collaboration due to its limitations, including the restriction on the number of participants allowed in meetings, which is applicable to both free and paid plans.
Clickup
ClickUp allows you to boost your team’s efficiency with its integration power, such as by brainstorming concepts and driving progress.
Fifteen unique view options are available to manage the project’s progress and assign tasks to your team, but all views are unavailable in ClickUp’s mobile app. Some other features include 1,000 integrations to gather all relevant information and data on one platform and advanced time estimates for forecasting your workweek.
Trello
Trello, a project management software, helps teams organize projects and tasks with its Kanban-based interface, featuring timelines, calendars, boards, and dashboards. Teams can create and move task cards between columns on the board to indicate different stages of organization or progress. Additionally, Trello incorporates automation into all its boards without requiring coding and offers direct time-tracking functionality.
Zapier
Zapier swiftly connects various web services and automates tasks, including creating customer support tickets, sending automated emails, or generating new records in your CRM. Some significant features of Zapier include a formatter for transforming dates, text, currency, or more into the preferred format.
With webhooks, you can send requests to URLs or receive data from any service. However, setting up Zapier and maintaining daily workflows can be challenging for some individuals. Currently, the free plan has a limit of 100 tasks per month.
WebWork
WebWork, a time tracking and remote work management tool, helps remote teams organize work in one place while improving work time management. You can track time, create and assign tasks, collaborate on them, manage payroll, and more. WebWork can also be integrated with many other tools with seamless data sync. Some other significant collaboration features of WebWork Time Tracker include timesheets, reports, attendance, leave management, chat and video meetings, work-life balance, and more.
GoSkills LMS
GoSkills LMS enhances team productivity through its integration capabilities, streamlining the learning management process and employee development. The platform offers a variety of features to efficiently assign courses and track progress, although not all functionalities are available on its mobile app. Key features include seamless integration with over 1,000 other platforms, centralizing training materials and data on a single platform, and providing detailed analytics to forecast learning outcomes and training needs effectively.
Retable
Retable, known as the best Airtable alternative, is a modern work management tool designed to offer a flexible and user-friendly platform for managing data, projects, and workflows with your team. It combines the simplicity of traditional spreadsheets with the power of databases, enabling users to organize information, track tasks, and analyze data with ease. Retable supports various data types, including text, numbers, dates, and more, making it versatile for different needs, from simple to-do lists to complex project management.
One of the key features of Retable is its collaborative capabilities, allowing teams to work together in real time, share data securely, and communicate effectively within the platform. It also offers customization options, such as custom views, filters, and formulas, which help users tailor their workspaces according to their specific requirements. Furthermore, Retable integrates with other tools and platforms, enhancing its utility in a wide range of business and organizational contexts.
Google Workplace
Google Workspace includes a library of cloud-based applications such as Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets. Work across docs, slideshows, or spreadsheets, and share knowledge without losing essential information. For instance, if you’re wondering how to embed video in Google Slides, this feature allows for dynamic presentations that can engage your audience more effectively.
Some other prominent features include commenting and editing in real-time with your team members or external partners. Google Workplace relies on an internet connection, especially for large files. Limited customization is available for the predefined templates and layouts. Moreover, you can enhance productivity by using GPT for Google Sheets. This feature allows you to automate data entry and analysis, making spreadsheet management much more efficient. With this extension, you can generate summaries and insights directly within your spreadsheets, streamlining workflow and decision-making.
Wrap Up
Thanks to the right tools, collaboration for work becomes more manageable when your team is spread across different cities or countries. The collaboration tools for remote teams discussed above facilitate easy sharing of ideas, fostering a sense of being in the same room.
Whether you need to have a video call or share files, staying connected is simple with the help of these tools. Try out different options to find the one that works best for you and your team, making the experience of working together enjoyable. Boost your project’s success with the assistance of these tools!