Tools to maximize the effectiveness of remote teams
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, the COVID-19 threat has caused many businesses to rapidly develop remote teams. So what tools and packages should you use to maximize the productivity and engagement of your remote workforce? There are many free and premium options to choose from. Below, we outline some of the more popular options:
Slack : (https://slack.com/intl/en-ca/) Allows for real-time communication with teams and individuals. It also has options for file exchange, topic threads, and multiple channels. One of the best free collaborative communication packages out there.
Zoom (https://zoom.us/) & GoToMeeting (https://www.gotomeeting.com/en-ca): Both are comparable as far as video conferencing goes. They’re both simple to use with intuitive UIs, and both allow for screen sharing from multiple attendees. GoToMeeting has the option to join meetings from any device, but Zoom has more advanced screen sharing features. We’d recommend either for your video conferencing, so pick one according to your needs.
Google Docs: (https://www.google.ca/docs/about/)Easy and intuitive online document creation and sharing. Supports a range of typical MS Office formats that you can readily exchange between; exporting and sharing is easy and nearly limitless.
Confluence: (https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence) A collaborative wiki tool that helps teams share knowledge, document processes, manage projects, assign tasks, and maintain calendars. It’s a premium offering, but certainly pulls its weight, especially if you’re running an enterprise-level business.
Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/) & Google Drive (https://www.google.ca/drive/): Both are similar cloud storage solutions that allow you to collaborate on projects, while keeping up-to-date files on your local computer at the same time.
Trello: (https://trello.com) Stay on top of your projects with a tool like Trello. Create job cards, organize them according to category or workflow, add checklists and keep notes. There are both free and premium options for this highly useful tool.
Hubstaff: (https://hubstaff.com/) Tools like Hubstaff help you to monitor time usage, track working hours, and monitor employee activities. As well as time tracking features, it has detailed reporting, team scheduling, payroll and invoicing too.
Most of these tools have free options to get you started, but there are many more premium tools out there as well.
TechPoint Can Help
For more help and advice and remote team management, call us today: 1-888-801-1777, email us at sales@tech-point.ca, or use the form on this page.