Old habits die hard, and with nearly 73 percent of teams anticipating remote workers by 2028, odds are your team collaboration strategies will need to evolve to support that. Remote collaboration tools will help your employees facilitate teamwork and collaboration, regardless of physical location, ultimately increasing productivity, ROI and workplace satisfaction. We’ll share our top recommendations on how to build out a complete digital workspace designed with success and growth in mind.
Tools You Need to Collaborate Remotely with Ease
Just like you wouldn’t have an office without desks, computers or phones, you want to ensure your team’s digital workspace is fully equipped to handle remote work collaboration. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so be sure to explore your options, discover what features fit your team’s needs, and build your custom solution for team collaboration. Here’s a glance at what you need to drive your business forward with minimal roadblocks:
– Customizable Tools
– Video Conferencing
– Instant Messaging
– Project Management Software
– Word Processing
– File Sharing
1) Customizable, Multi-Purpose Tools
The key to any successful group collaboration involves easy communication, streamlined processes and greater accessibility. When brought together, these elements create the perfect storm of form and function to catalyze growth. Examples of customizable digital tools include:
– Microsoft Teams
– Google Workspaces
– Miro
With these platforms, you can tweak the employee and manager interfaces to provide varying tools that make sense for your company’s particular needs. This also allows for flexibility in terms of the number of users, the size of the plan and the breadth of available features.
2) Video Conferencing Software
While there are many brands geared towards video conferencing, having a designated interface that allows for scalable user plans, call recording, and screen sharing are options that will help your team dramatically improve work from home collaboration. A lot of software can be integrated within multi-purpose tools, including:
– Zoom
– WebEx
– Microsoft Teams
– Google Hangouts
3) Instant Messaging Applications
Nothing will slow down productivity more than having to scroll through endless threads of communication to find the one piece of information you need. That’s why setting aside a designated space for your team to exchange less pertinent information and questions can clean up group collaboration threads. These apps also provide a look and feel similar to social media, which allows employees to express themselves creatively and improve connectivity all while minimizing crosstalk on important documents and threads. Examples include:
– Slack
– Microsoft Teams
– Facebook Workplace
4) Project Management Software
If you don’t utilize a centralized hub for remote collaboration, many projects can find themselves delayed or even worse — falling through the cracks. Even the most organized of employees could face productivity challenges if not given the right level of visibility on tasks and deliverables. Remote collaboration tools for project management include:
– Wrike
– JIRA
– Asana
– Trello
– Monday
These tools range from highly lightweight to robust options, so assess the number of users you’ll be adding into the platform and the metrics that can be tracked to stay on target. Additionally, note the options available for application integration to help streamline your internal software one step further.
5) Word Processing
Cloud-based word processors allow for all activity to easily remain on hand from any location. Not only do they allow for greater accessibility for your company, but they also provide an extra layer of real-time protection through the cloud’s storage and autosaving options. Some options for cloud-based word processors include:
– Google Docs
– Quip
– SharePoint
– OneDrive
6) File Sharing for Teamwork and Collaboration
Cloud storage can also come in handy with file sharing. Have you ever waited for your file to upload into an email for what feels like ages, only to be let down by an error message stating, “file exceeds maximum capacity”? Cloud-based file sharing eliminates the pesky file size limitations, while also enhancing data and collateral accessibility. If you’re interested in capitalizing on the cloud as a remote collaboration tool, check out:
– Dropbox
– Google Drive
– WeTransfer
– SharePoint
Explore Your Potential with Expert Support
Now that the physical limitations of your workplace are no longer in play, it’s time to expand your digital footprint along with it. However, you don’t have to fear this technological shift. We are here to provide expert IT support when you need it, how you need it. Let us remove the burden of the ever-changing technology updates, troubleshooting and support so you can focus on what matters most – scaling your business! If you want to learn more about the benefits of remote work collaboration tools, download the Ultimate Guide to Empowering Your Remote Workforce today.
