Managing and working in a remote team is a thrilling experience until it takes a toll on your productvity and work-life balance.
To avoid this, we've collected a number of different tools ranging from collaboration software, to messaging, to conferencing applications and time management software to help increase your productivity and overall throughput of the remote team you're a part of.
While it is important to stay motivated while working remotely and setup the perfect work from home environment, the following tools will help you get from being distracted into Getting Things Done mode.
Internal communication tools
When working remotely, it is crucial to have a way to chat with your team asynchronously instead of setting up a call or sending up an email every time you want to talk.
Slack:
Slack is a chat platform for teams and individuals. It’s a top-rated team communication tool and comprises video calling, file sharing, and integrations with other remote working tools like Google Calendar and Jira.
Slack provides a simple way to talk in groups or one-on-one in real-time. It offers channels and direct messages, file sharing, numerous integrations and bots, Do Not Disturb mode, and options for every type of communicator.
Microsoft Teams:
A good alternative of slack is Microsoft teams; it is used for a larger group or organization. Gaining popularity, Microsoft Teams is used by millions of workers and integrates with Microsoft’s Office 365 suite. Other competitive alternatives are Google Hangouts Chat and Discord.
Video conferencing tools
When working remotely, there is no in-person contact and meetings; it is essential to have a reliable way to feel like you're in the same room with your virtual teammate. Video calls are the closest thing to an in-person conversation to have meaningful discussions with the team.
Zoom:
Zoom is a video conferencing app that provides real-time collaboration experience and improves the quality and effectiveness of communications forever. It has an easy interface that includes cool features like screen sharing, recording functionality, background covers, etc.
Zoom is the go-to-meeting app for major remote teams because video and audio quality is just better with it. It is used for company all-hands meetings, informal catchups, 1:1s, team meetings, etc.
Google Meet:
Many companies also rely on Google Meet(also known as, hangouts), apart from Zoom, to have their day to day remote catchups and discussions. Google Meet is a video-communication service developed by Google that constitutes the replacement for Google Hangouts. Other competitive alternatives are GoToMeetings and Skype.
Task and Project Management tools
Remote companies need proper order and structure to function and manage employees and tasks appropriately. Thus, a full-fledged project management tool comes in handy for maintaining various projects and specific workflows with deadlines, especially in a remote team.
Jira:
Jira is a project management platform designed for agile development in particular. Many remote teams use Jira as our way of planning, tracking, and reviewing our work on a daily, weekly, and project basis. It is a powerful work management tool for all kinds of use cases, from requirements and test case management to agile software development.
Trello:
Trello is a web-based Kanban-style list-making application which is a subsidiary of Atlassian. As it is challenging to keep track of tasks and deadlines across remote teams, Trello provides a project management solution and helps increase their productivity. It allows teams to view progress, assign tasks to individuals, send email alerts, and create boards.
Basecamp:
Basecamp is a project management app that can be accessed in the browser and on the phone. It provides the tools you need to set up to-dos, a schedule, create and upload documents and files, message and chat with colleagues, and check in regularly with teams, all in one place!
There are also plenty of alternatives worth checking out in the project management space, including Asana and Monday.
Design and Development tools
Designers and developers work on different things, but they must work together to produce quality digital products. Thus they require tools for maintaining code and wireframing design.
Github:
Github provides hosting for software development and version control using Git. It offers the distributed version control and source code management functionality of Git.
It’s also the highest-rated platform for developers and facilities hosting projects, code reviews; basically, GitHub is ideal for remote team collaboration and code management for projects.
Figma:
Figma is a vector graphics editor and prototyping tool. It is primarily web-based, with additional offline features enabled by desktop applications for macOS and Windows. It is a design collaboration tool and helps teams create tests and ship better designs from start to finish.
Other alternatives are GitLab, InVision, which is a prototyping tool.
Brainstorming and collaboration tools
Brainstorming and collaboration tools provide teams with the next-best experience by collaborating virtually instead of in-person whiteboarding sessions that are not possible for a remote team. They also facilitate various features such as flowcharts, wireframes, sticky notes, and mind maps.
Mural:
Mural is a digital workspace for visual collaboration. It's a platform, and professional services enable remote teams to think and collaborate visually to solve significant problems. It replicates an easy whiteboard environment for teams facilitating brainstorming ideas and collects content and design.
Miro:
Miro is the online collaborative whiteboarding platform that enables distributed teams to work effectively together, from brainstorming with digital sticky notes to planning and managing agile workflows. They also provide templates and interactive frameworks to start to collaborate quickly with remote teams.
Note taking tools
Remote teams work on asynchronous communication. Meetings and phone calls are always an option while working remotely, but remote teams for communication favor email and chats. Thus writing and taking notes is an integral part of your life, especially if you are content or blogging.
Notion:
Notion is a tool that provides an extensive note-taking experience. It also combines the concepts of project management, task management, and spreadsheets, along with components such as databases, kanban boards, wikis, calendars, and reminders used for knowledge sharing and note-taking.
Evernote:
Evernote is an app designed for note-taking, organizing, task management, and archiving. The app allows users to create notes, which can be text, drawings, photographs, or saved web content. It helps remote teams capture and prioritize ideas, projects, and to-do lists, so nothing falls through the cracks. Other good alternatives are Microsoft's OneNote, and Todoist.
File sharing and collaboration
A way to find and share information you need is a crucial remote collaboration tool. And you also need to be able to do that safely and simply whether you’re working from home or an office.
Google Drive:
Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service developed by Google. It allows users to store files on their servers, synchronize files across devices, and share files. It is an online service for storing and sharing digital files and also be used to save and work with files from other systems like Microsoft and Apple. Other good alternatives are Box and Dropbox.
Productivity tools
There is a reason why there are so many productivity apps in the market, especially remote teams. When working remotely, one faces many distractions, including kids, pets, or sometimes even family. Apart from a separation between family time and work, and a proper schedule, these tools will help increase productivity and complete your tasks on time.
Loom:
Loom basically combines the expressiveness of video with the convenience of messaging into an effective way of communicating. It has already helped millions of people get their message across through instantly shareable videos. It is a robust screen recording platform made for businesses equipped with features like secure sharing, fast recording, special permissions, etc.
1Password:
1Password is a password manager, can be used both personally and professionally. It provides a place for users to store different passwords, software licenses, and other sensitive information in a virtual vault that is locked with a PBKDF2-guarded master password. Some great alternatives for password managers include LastPass.
Krisp:
Krisp is a super useful tool that removes background noise from your calls. It recognizes and eliminates background noise in calls in real-time, leaving only a clear human voice. Its AI-powered noise-canceling technology adapts to your voice and improves over time.
It is especially useful for remote workers who attend meetings when they are traveling or don't have a quiet background. It works on reducing the noise and is compatible with any microphone, headset, or speaker.
Toggl:
Toggl is a leading online time tracking tool that allows to track the time spent on various projects and analyze productivity. Toggl has real-time sync with web trackers, desktop widgets, and mobile apps and takes pride in being a simple time tracking device that can improve the productivity of remote teams.
Other great remote working tools we love include Zapier - workflow automation for business, Hubstaff - a time tracking software, World Time Buddy - a powerful time converter, TimeCamp - simple and robust time tracking app, Yac - voice messaging for remote teams, etc.
Conclusion
To improve your work from home experience and increase productivity, you should follow a proper schedule, stick to a healthier routine, and include the above tools in your remote workday.
If you are a remote company looking to hire great remote candidates, post a job to reach talented and qualified candidates. If you are searching for a remote job and need help finding where to look? We are a remote job board with the latest jobs in various categories to help you. Also, follow our advice amd join like-minded people in our LinkedIn and Facebook community.
Exclusive insights from remote companies