Today, remote work and work-from-home options are more common than ever before. Advances in technology make it possible for both businesses and individuals to benefit from remote working.
Remote work allows employees to balance their personal life and professional life effectively. They have higher morale and feel greater loyalty to a business that gives them the flexibility to work from anywhere.
Businesses benefit since they can save on expenses related to office space, electricity, and more by having remote teams. You can hire talent from anywhere in the world which means that there’s always have someone online to manage projects and customers.
This becomes especially helpful when you run seasonal marketing campaigns and need employees to work during the holiday season. Teams from other countries will be able to provide support and carry out important work.
Although remote work has clear benefits to businesses and individuals, it can be challenging to carry out. Businesses need to have the right tools and processes in place to make remote work effective.
Let’s explore some of the key types of tools a business needs to successfully manage their remote teams.
Communication Tools
Emailing is not an efficient way to communicate with remote workers, especially when you need real-time responses. Using email makes it hard to track conversations, generate ideas, or allow employees to submit feedback.
A business with remote teams needs to have a good communication platform to support its employees. You can set up an internal membership site or use applications that enable communication within the organization. Today, there are platforms available that resemble social media in terms of engagement and ease-of-use.
Try a tool like Slack which allows you to create team-level and company-wide channels. It also enables individual peer-to-peer messaging. People can share files, make lists, and use features that support work-related communication.
Slack allows remote workers to communicate
Setting up a communication platform helps your remote employees to be aware of important information. They can catch up on company news, share ideas, and develop a relationship with their peers.
Project Management
When you have remote workers doing tasks in different timezones, it becomes necessary to have a good project management tool.
You need to create projects and tasks, assign them to the right people, issue guidelines and requirements, and then track progress. Performing these activities is challenging without the right software.
Platforms like Asana and Trello make it possible to create projects and share information. They also allow you to sync information on computers and mobile phones.
The board feature on Asana will help employees track work progress
With the right tool in place, you can keep track of tasks and ensure that your employees are working towards accomplishing your business’s goals.
File Storage and Management
Having a secure location for people in different locations to create and share files is essential for your business to run smoothly.
Cloud-based technology today makes it possible to create, store, and share files across the organization.
You can use tools like Dropbox to upload and share your files. Another great option is Google Drive for Business which allows you to create documents, sheets and other tools.
When choosing a platform for creating and storing files there are a few important features to look for:
- Security: The platform you work on needs to protect your assets from external attacks
- File and content synchronization: It’s helpful to have a platform where content and files get automatically updated to reflect the latest changes
- Accessibility Control: You should be able to control who has access to different files and whether they can make changes to them
Having a reliable platform for storing and creating your files is the key to successful remote work. A solution like Google Drive can help managing content and enable collaboration between teams.
Conferencing Tools
Using the right conferencing tool can make a difference in how well your teams communicate. Whether you want to hold a company meeting or a one-on-one session, having a great conferencing tool is important.
One of the best tools available is Zoom, which can help you connect with people quickly and with the least disruption. It’s also available for free which makes it especially helpful when you are starting a new business or wish to keep expenses down.
Time-Tracking Software
To manage your remote teams’ productivity and payroll, it’s helpful to have a good time tracking software.
A time tracker should be able to record the hours your employees spend working from home. It should also enable your workforce to track time spent on each task. You’ll be able to remunerate your employees fairly, ensure that everyone is pulling their weight, and get productivity data.
One helpful tool is Time Doctor; it gives your employees the ability to manage their privacy and edit tasks to some degree. It also sends you screenshots of the work being done.
Password Manager
One of the major concerns involved in remote work is protecting your assets and ensuring security. Use a reliable password management software to give your employees access to company tools and resources.
A password manager will encrypt passwords and even allow people to access tools without revealing the password to the user. Try a tool like LastPass to provide your business with an added layer of security from within.
Enable Successful Remote Work with the Right Tools
Today, both businesses and workers are embracing remote work as it supports flexibility and productivity.
To make remote work effective in your business, it’s important to use the right tools and platforms. You’ll enable your employees to coordinate their tasks and carry them out successfully.
As you improve your remote work operations and processes, you won’t just grow your business, you’ll also build a more loyal workforce.