Post pandemic, many organisations have continued to embrace remote or hybrid ways of working, so having the right remote working tools has become increasingly important.
Companies must choose the most suitable and useful tools for their workflows to ensure they make working life simpler and more efficient.
By having the right tools to support employees and a reliable internet connection to use them, businesses can anticipate improved collaboration, teamwork and productivity.
What are the benefits of remote working?
Embracing a remote or hybrid approach to work is a greener option for many businesses and their employees. It saves fuel and reduces commute costs while also supporting a better overall work-life balance for employees by reducing the stress and frustration that long commutes may cause.
Additionally, remote working has contributed to a more productive workforce with 77% of employees saying they are more productive when working from home.
It cuts down office running costs and opens doors to new talent pools. If implemented effectively, remote working can contribute to healthier work culture and introduce new levels of success.
What are remote working tools?
With virtual teams on the rise, remote working tools are central to supporting better communication and organisation. They are cloud-based tools which can be accessed by using the Internet.
Remote teams may be scattered around the world, but with the right tools, they can enjoy increased collaboration on shared projects.
Due to high demand, the number of online working tools available has been rising rapidly and it can be difficult to identify the best options for your team.
Let’s have a look at some of the best remote working tools to improve teamwork.
The top remote working tools for better teamwork
Trello
Trello is a general-purpose visual project management tool used for individual task management, workflows and team project management.
It allows the user to create boards and add cards with tasks. The cards are easy to rearrange and users can add lists, assign tasks to team members, set deadlines and attach documents.
Trello also has a mobile app which is perfect for using on the go. It is a simple collaboration tool and ideal for remote teams.
Dropbox
Dropbox is where team content comes together. It is a powerful cloud storage tool that allows users to organise files and sync them to any device.
It can also be used to share files and folders with others through links, rather than large email attachments. Dropbox keeps a history of files, which means they can be recovered within 30 days on the free plan or up to 180 days on paid plans.
It also allows the user to choose permission levels for viewing files and it even includes collaboration tools where teams can share comments and work on documents together.
Asana
Asana is a powerful, multi-feature tool that is great for team management, task management, communication and reporting.
With its intuitive and easy-to-use design, it allows remote teams to organise projects, prioritise tasks, track and manage their workload and collaborate with team members.
The user can create to-do lists and connect them to larger projects while sharing live updates of their progress. Teams can use Asana’s Kanban boards to visualise team progress as they tick off all assigned tasks and they can also manage and organise workflows.
Asana allows users to import Excel spreadsheets to avoid manual data entry, making it extremely efficient for those working frequently with spreadsheets.
Google Drive
Google Drive is another popular and easy-to-use file storage and sharing tool that allows users to edit files and access them from any device.
Team members can be invited to view and edit files, making collaboration easier. It is a great tool to back-up files and stores them safely with the free version allowing for 15GB of storage.
This remote working tool has an integrated suite of apps – Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms and many more. These apps are used to create, edit and share a range of documents while allowing real-time team collaboration.
Google Drive is an intuitive tool, great for improving remote teamwork and securely storing important files.
Timezone.io
Timezone.io enables companies to keep track of the location and time zone of each employee, making scheduling meetings or calls an easier task.
It’s a free and easy-to-use remote working tool, designed to make teamwork simpler. This tool is a must-have for teams spread across the world!
Google Meet
Google Meet is a video conference tool that allows any user with a Google account to host meetings online with up to 100 participants. Anyone can join virtual meetings via audio, video, chat or screen sharing.
HR Locker
HR Locker is an Irish company. They have designed HR management software to automate and simplify the management of employees and their activities.
It allows employees to record their working hours and send them to managers, employees can also apply for annual leave and upload medical certificates, eliminating the need for extended e-mail exchanges.
This remote working tool makes it easier to manage employee schedules, recruitment processes, employee-related issues and performance reviews.
MS Teams
MS Teams is another great business communication tool developed by Microsoft. It is a workspace for messaging, hosting video meetings, and file sharing and facilitates real-time collaboration.
There are options for individual or group live chats. Users can create Teams for collaborative work and it has a calendar that syncs to Outlook. Microsoft has a vast array of apps and tools to cater for teams of any size.
Zoom
Similar to Google Meet and MS Teams, Zoom is a video conference tool. The free version allows for 40-minute-long meetings, whereas paid versions have no time limit.
Participants can join using video, audio or both. It has additional tools that are useful for team meetings including waiting rooms, whiteboards and breakout rooms.
Slack
Slack is a messaging platform that allows work teams to communicate easily and more efficiently. It is much faster and more organised than email, with one-to-one and group messaging available to connect employees in any workplace with ease.
Support your remote team with Business Broadband
One Contact offers the solution to enable all of these tools to support your team.
Our Business Broadband is stable, stable, and secure, offering incredible speeds for teams of all sizes.
Whether it’s Zooming with your entire team, sharing huge files across Dropbox, or organising tasks in Asana – your remote team is covered and supported with our Business Broadband.
