The global pandemic has shaken our world like a powerful earthquake, and it will never be the same. We have to deal with changes in how we live and work. Businesses are beginning to realize that the future of work is different. Technology has always offered us remote work tools, but the pandemic has forced us to work from home. It is a reality that many businesses embraced and employees loved.
Now, we know that there is more than one amazing project management software for businesses to use. Your team can get full productivity and focus through essential remote work tools. These tools will help your business thrive while you build a strong team culture, and at the same time, your remote team members will be working from the comfort of their homes.
In this article, we will discuss some of the best remote work tools your team members will love.
What are Remote Working Tools?
These tools help businesses achieve their goals while allowing their workers to work from anywhere worldwide and set their own schedules. There are numerous tools that offer task management with cloud storage, so you don’t have to store work documents locally on an office computer or run a sophisticated operating system.
There are tools that allow your employees to connect overseas through video calls or enable the screen share option to consult with or seek feedback from their colleagues as if they were together. Workers can organize meetings to discuss their progress and improve their engagement as teammates. This way, your employees can chat, hold video conferences, assign tasks, check progress, and stay organized.
There are a number of different tools that will definitely address your business needs, and they fall under the following categories:
Video Conferencing Tools
These are the tools that help employees hold virtual meetings and frequently collaborate as if they were in the office together.
Meeting Scheduling, Calendar, and Time Management Software
These tools are designed to enable employees to manage their time most efficiently by tracking their time or enabling them to schedule meetings in an organized manner.
Remote Support Software
They offer remote support and control of devices for businesses that want to manage their devices online.
Cloud Storage
This is perfect for businesses that need to store their documents on the cloud and access them anywhere from any device without needing local storage.
Productivity or Project Management Tools
Productivity or project management software offers boards, to-do lists, and ways to stay organized and collaborate effectively with your team.
Best Remote Working Tools and Software
- ClickUp
- Monday.com
- Trello
- Hubstaff
- Hive
- Zoom
- TeamViewer
- Loom
- Google Drive
- Asana
- Okta
- Microsoft Teams
- Shift
- Jira
- Podio
- Time Doctor
- Dropbox
- Basecamp
- Evernote
- Canva
- 10to8 Meeting Scheduling Software
- Google Calendar
- ProofHub
- Slack
- Kickidler
- LiveAgent
ClickUp
In the current digital world, more and more people are working remotely. While this has many benefits, staying organized and on top of tasks can also be challenging. ClickUp is software that helps remote workers to stay productive and organized.
ClickUp provides a central place for team members to communicate and collaborate and tools for personal task management. The software is user-friendly and customizable, making it easy to tailor to each team’s needs. With its features and affordable pricing, ClickUp is an essential tool for any remote worker.
Monday.com
Monday.com is the go-to remote work tool for Hulu, L’Oréal Paris, and BBC Studios. It is without question the number one remote team management software on any list. Monday.com offers easy-to-use templates to customize according to your business needs in addition to Zoom collaboration so you can hold virtual meetings with your team.
It is where you can plan and track your company’s goals and progress. Monday.com is that software you need for better team collaboration, communication, and amazing work results.
This software integrates with your favorite project management tool so you can get the most out of task management and automation of repetitive work. If you want a better way to see your work, they offer a “view tool” so you can view data as a map or a timeline. You can definitely increase productivity with Monday.com.
URL: https://monday.com
Trello
Trello is “the ultimate project management tool” that makes working remotely enjoyable and fun. Trello helps you manage projects and track progress. Through Trello, you can organize your projects into boards. And from each board, you can create cards and lists to manage tasks. It’s like having a more organized to-do list where your remote teams can track their tasks long-term.
Trello is a great tool because it integrates smoothly with apps you already use, like Google Drive, Evernote, and Slack. Your remote teams will thank you for Trello as it helps with time management and improves their productivity.
URL: http://trello.com
Hubstaff
Hubstaff is software that helps with remote working. It has time tracking, screenshot, video recording, invoicing, payment processing, and more. It’s a great way to keep track of your work when you’re not in the office, and it’s beneficial for freelancers or those who work from home.
Hubstaff is easy to use and has various plans so that you can find the perfect one for your needs. Give it a try today and see how it can help you be more productive and efficient in your work.
Hive
Hive is an incredible collaboration tool for remote workers where you can view, organize, and manage projects. Your employees can enjoy live chat with their colleagues to discuss work with options to personalize how each one of them views projects (Gantt, Kanban, Table, or Calendar).
You can time track and view timesheets of remote employees. With Zoom, there are collaborative notes during virtual meetings and tracking of tasks to ensure your remote employees are on the same page. Hive also offers over 1000 integrations so you can have all your amazing tools in the same place. Hive is one of the best project management tools out there to increase productivity.
URL: https://hive.com
Zoom
Zoom is a cloud phone, webinar, video chat, virtual events, and video conferencing tool in one place. Most remote work tools are about file sharing and organizing your to-do lists for task management. Still, Zoom realizes the importance of face-to-face communication. It is where you can use video call functionality to meet your team members, with the ability to use screen sharing and file sharing for an ideal work from home experience.
Zoom is one of the amazing remote work tools. Zoom offers a Zoom phone feature, which is a great addition to the video conferencing software. This feature replaces the traditional desk phone with a flexible phone cloud system with call transfer and call forwarding.
URL: https://zoom.us
TeamViewer
TeamViewer is remote access, support, and control tool. It helps businesses access computers or mobile devices and use them as if they were in the same room with options to connect to servers or Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
This happens through a secure remote access network. This way, you can provide IT support to your team wherever they are. TeamViewer offers a number of amazing features like remote device control, iOS screen sharing, and flexible file-sharing options. It’s the ultimate remote working tool for businesses that want their operations to run smoothly without any glitches. It is the best remote desktop software.
URL: https://www.teamviewer.com/en/
Loom
Loom is a software application that helps people who work remotely to stay connected and productive. It provides video and audio conferencing, file sharing, and real-time collaboration features.
Loom also offers a variety of integrations with other software applications, making it a valuable tool for remote workers. The software is available for desktop and mobile devices, making it convenient for people working from different locations.
Loom is a subscription-based service, but it offers a free trial, so users can try it out before committing to a paid plan. Overall, Loom is an excellent option for anyone who needs to stay connected with colleagues while working remotely.
Google Drive
With Google Drive, your remote teams can have all their work files uploaded, viewed, and accessed remotely. Working from home can be tough, and business owners may sometimes worry that their team members are not on the same page.
With a tool like Google Drive that offers cloud storage, remote workers can share files and collaborate, with specific access to each and every file, so only the people you want to edit your google docs, or other google files can edit them.
Google docs and sheets provide editing history to enable employees from different teams to work efficiently. This amazing collaboration tool comes with a mobile app. In short, it is a cloud storage platform with collaboration options for an amazing remote working experience.
URL: https://www.google.com/drive/
Asana
If you want a great remote team project management tool, Asana is your go-to tool for completing creative projects. It is remote work software that will help you create tasks and organize projects.
Asana offers a dedicated space for remote workers to stay on top of their workload. Remote collaboration works best when your employees can create projects and view tasks, and you can get detailed reporting on your team’s progress. This way, you can be better at managing projects.
Asana also integrates with other remote work tools like Gmail, Google Drive, and Salesforce. This way, you can easily follow up on different projects while using some of your favorite tools.
URL: https://asana.com
Okta
Nowadays, there is a pressing need to secure data, especially with the growing trend in remote working and the usage of remote cloud storage. No business wants their data to fall in the wrong hands. Okta is your go-to platform if you’re looking for software that ensures safe and secures remote work access while protecting your data.
Many businesses depend on Okta “to secure their digital interactions.” Okta offers a number of services to businesses to ensure smooth and safe work operations like advanced server access, user authentication, user management, and protection against account takeover.
URL: https://www.okta.com
Microsoft Teams
If you prefer remote working, Microsoft Teams is one of the best tools as it offers a number of amazing solutions for businesses to organize work and establish effective team communication while transforming the process of remote working. This team collaboration software offers video conferencing solutions, online meetings, webinars, VOIP, video calls, online Teams Rooms, cloud storage, file sharing, and instant messaging, all in the same place.
It is one of the right tools that businesses need for best remote project management to ensure teams working remotely meet and do their best work through different devices, including video conferencing apps, for example, so your team can receive video calls across various devices.
URL: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
Shift
Shift is the ultimate remote work software. It can be extremely annoying to team members to have more than one tool or software to do their job. It can be distracting and confusing. You need to check emails, but then you have a different email account, and then you will need to check a different mobile app.
Shift is for you if you’re feeling overwhelmed due to the number of tools you use to get work done. In short, Shift is a great tool that “brings all of your work together.” Shift offers a centralized workstation where you can access all your mail accounts and apps from one place.
URL: https://tryshift.com
Jira
Software development is a hard, nasty process that takes a lot of effort from your team to complete smoothly. It’s even harder when members of your team are working remotely. Jira is the project management software you need for developing software tools.
You can manage and plan your projects from anywhere through Jira mobile app while also integrating your favorite tools. Agile teams need Jira as one of the best remote working tools. With Jira, you can see the full picture through Scrum Boards, Kanban Boards, or Roadmaps.
URL: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
Podio
Podio offers a number of great features for remote workers, such as unlimited storage, automated workflows, personal dashboards, meeting scheduling, data visualization, and, more importantly, connected CRM. This way, you can plan work and check progress while giving your employees the flexibility to customize their dashboards and work on their own time.
If problems ever arise, Podio offers remote support agents who guide you and answer your questions. With Podio, you can also integrate your favorite software like GoToMeeting, ShareFile, and Microsoft Exchange. Podio also has several iOS and Android apps, making it a great remote work tool.
URL: https://podio.com
Time Doctor
Time is the most valuable asset for businesses. Time Doctor is a time tracking software and a remote working tool. This tool for remote work helps your team make the most of their time by offering “time use alerts” to help them stay away from websites or platforms that waste their time. It also gives employees control features to help them separate work and personal life.
It is a great tool to help employers recognize employee engagement, encourage outstanding performance, and provide coaching when needed. It also provides detailed reports, payroll, and other business data to help employers make informed decisions.
URL: https://www.timedoctor.com
Dropbox
Dropbox is a cloud-based storage and file-sharing service that allows users to synchronize files and folders between devices and backup data. You can use Dropbox to store documents, photos, videos, and more. Its features include collaboration tools, real-time activity monitoring, and version control.
You can access the service online or through its mobile app. To collaborate on a project, send a link to your team members to give them access to your Dropbox folder. This way, you can see who’s working on what and leave comments on files.
Basecamp
Basecamp is another remote work tool that caters to the needs of businesses and employees simultaneously. Basecamp creates a smooth and organized work experience because it offers most of the needed tools for remote work in one place, like message boards, to-do lists, group chats, and schedules.
Employees can see their assigned tasks so they know what they need to work on, even if their tasks are scattered across different projects. And why should you trust Basecamp? As a company, they are quite experts on the matter. They’ve written a book called Remote: Office Not Required.
URL: https://basecamp.com
Evernote
Evernote is a cloud-based note-taking and organizing application. It allows you to take notes, create to-do lists, capture ideas, and more. The tool can be accessed on any device, making it a perfect option for entrepreneurs who are always on the go.
Evernote has many features that make it an ideal tool for an online business, including the ability to store your thoughts in one place, share any type of media, and work on mobile in offline mode. You can also use it to create a virtual workspace for collaboration with team members.
Canva
Canva is one of the best tools for remote work when it comes to creating lovely designs. For teams of designers who want to take their design work experience to the next level, Canva is a fantastic tool where you get to use huge amounts of stock photos and collaborate with your team to create Logos, Social Media graphics, Business documents, flyers, infographics, video editor tool, and many more.
Canva offers an approval workflow, so when your teams design on Canva, you can view and give approval through the platform without needing other software tools. Canva also offers brand controls to ensure you have brand consistency, and your teams and clients can use only your fonts, colors, etc. You can download Canva for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
10to8 Meeting Scheduling Software
Most tools for remote work don’t solve the problem of time that arises because your teams are all over the globe with different time zones, so holding team meetings can be a nightmare. You’re trying to accommodate everyone’s time zone and address the time difference, and still some members are confused.
10to8 Meeting Scheduling Software is one of the software tools that take care of time zone management. It allows you to convert and check the time zone of each and every remote team member.
Plus, you can integrate and sync team meetings from other records. This way you know the correct time zone for your remote teams and when they are free for a meeting, so you avoid double booking. This amazing tool integrates with Zoom, a popular video conferencing tool so you can enjoy video calls to your heart’s content without worrying about multiple time zones.
URL: https://10to8.com
Google Calendar
Remote workers need to be organized to be on top of their workload. There is no way around it. They need a calendar to organize their scheduled meetings, where they can create events and invitations, enable “recurring” for repeated events, and add the most important items that they need to check off their to-do lists.
If you don’t need sophisticated tools to stay organized, Google Calendar is your time management tool. It is simple, efficient, and helps you to stay organized. You can check daily or add reminders, so no one forgets their most important tasks.
URL: https://calendar.google.com
ProofHub
Managers face a challenge. They want to check on their remote teams, their progress, assign tasks, or remind them of important items. It’s easier to do that face-to-face, but now as a manager, you don’t get to meet your team every day. And you don’t want to seem like a micromanager who keeps calling to ask about tasks.
ProofHub is where you can assign tasks, due dates, check on the progress of your team without asking them. This way you know what they are working on without distracting or annoying them.
ProofHub also has online proofing to speed up design and documents review. It’s an amazing tool so you can approve the content of your employees fast.
ProofHub also offers chat software for employees and managers to communicate and collaborate without using different apps. This way, you can communicate securely between your distributed teams and get group tasks done without hassle. It’s one of the best remote work tools.
Slack
You don’t have to be in the office to have real conversations with your colleagues. Slack helps remote members collaborate and share their best ideas. Working from home shouldn’t stop you from discussing what is best for the business. With Slack, workers can easily do that as it this software offers a great chat real-time feature.
Slack is available on Android and iOS devices so your team can check it from any device and can come up with great ideas together from anywhere in the world.
URL: https://slack.com
Kickidler
Kickidler is an employee monitoring software that helps you track your employees’ work when they are not in the office without frequently asking about their progress. This way you can encourage them or coach them whenever needed.
This advanced software is better than following up in the office as it offers time tracking with analysis of the time needed to complete each and every task based on data. It also offers insights on productivity along with employee productivity analysis and dynamics. This software tracks computers in real-time offering you insights into the time your employees spend working.
Kickidler introduced a new feature in 2020. It’s called Autokik. It offers productivity and progress statistics for employees in addition to the software monitoring of how employees use the time to notify employers of how productive or unproductive workers are. It offers insight for employees to stay away from websites that waste their time and notifies employers when coaching is needed.
URL: https://www.kickidler.com
LiveAgent
LiveAgent is the “simple customer support software” with 180 special customer help desk features like a “built-in call center.” It’s also the no. 1 live chat software of 2020.
It is a great addition to your customer support team as it distributes incoming messages and calls so that you don’t keep your customers waiting and you can answer more tickets. You can integrate LiveAgent with Shopify, Mailchimp, etc and you can also connect with your customers from different channels through LiveAgent.
URL: https://www.liveagent.com
Advantages of Remote Working
Let’s see the advantages for employers and employees alike.
Advantage for Employees
Employees can enjoy flexibility, save money spend on commuting and save time as well. They can spend more time with their families and have a better work-life balance. They can live anywhere, work anywhere, organize their work around the day, and not have to work during fixed hours.
They can wake up at 4:00 AM to work or work at 9:00 PM. The flexible schedule will lead employees to do a better job seeing that they are judged by their productivity with less importance to when and where they get their work done.
Advantages for Employers
As for employers, they will get happier employees who will be more productive because they are working in ways that promote better work and life balance. Also, employers don’t have to worry about rental fees, utility bills, or any expenses from having an office.
And most importantly, you can hire employees from anywhere in the world without limiting yourself to a business’s physical location. This way the world is your oyster and your business can achieve so much more with cost-effective solutions while hiring amazing people you never imagined you would meet.
Final Words
Our modern world is different and as a business owner you have to adapt to change and give your employees the remote team tools they need to work on their own hours and in the process, you can achieve your business goals and provide an amazing work-life balance to employees.
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