Collaboration and communication are the two most significant aspects of remote working. Remote working has become an indispensable part of daily life for a significant majority. Since it has become that common only recently, it is safe to say that people are still in an adaptation phase. This adaptation phase mainly involves finding ways and tools of overcoming the downsides of remote working and helping them become the most productive they can ever be.

Well, being more productive is a well-known benefit of remote working. And if you know some tricks and helpful tools that can eliminate the disadvantages of remote working, everything would be perfect, right? What if we told you, indeed, some outstanding applications and tools would be clearly efficient in your remote work performance?

Today, we are here to share with you the six best online collaboration tools for remote workers. Those tools are designed to smoothen the communication between remote teammates and increase productivity.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

How Can Online Tools Increase Your Productivity?

Before getting into the tools, it is better to understand why remote workers need them in the first place. You might think that you are doing okay without the help of any online tools, and that might be true. But, as you start to use applications and tools designed to increase productivity and enhance communication, you will understand how beneficial they can be.

To understand how tools can increase your productivity, it is better to discuss the downsides of remote work and how those tools can help you. One of the main concerns about remote work is the abundance of distractions since you are away from the office. Using tools can help you to get away from distractions and focus more on your work by providing simple and efficient ways of getting things done. Some of the tools we will mention are focused on creating to-do lists, organizing your schedule and improving focus. It might be challenging to try to create your schedule and see what you need to do during the day without the presence of a supervisor or a tool that can help you through it.

Another concern about remote working is communication. Yes, it is possible to communicate with people even when you are away from them. But, would it be as efficient as how it is in the office? With the correct tools, yes, it can be. There are some great tools that eliminate all the struggles of communicating in a virtual environment. Moreover, those tools can help you to simplify some complicated technologies to be as efficient as possible.

Lastly, using tools will provide a significant decrease in the paper you use. This is both beneficial for you and the environment. Especially if you are working on plenty of tasks, the productivity tools can help you to organize them without the need for paper. Moreover, decreased use of paper will also decrease the costs for you!

Best Online Tools for Those Working From Home

We are finally in the part where we talk about the online tools for those working from home. Most remote workers are looking for productivity tools that would be helpful, and in fact, a great percentage of remote workers are constantly using some kind of productivity or communication tool.

Before starting, you should keep in mind that not all occupations are the same and might have different requirements. A tool we mentioned might not be optimal for you, but the other ones can. So, the point is, take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. The following are the top 6 online tools for remote workers.

Slack

Slack is one of the most commonly used applications by remote workers, especially those working with a team. Slack’s interface, features, and general use make it a perfect communication tool and a lifesaver. The following are the features of Slack that makes it an application worth using:

  • Easy communication and task management.
  • Create channels for each different area of your work, with the main concept to focus on.
  • Create threads for each task, and see what others are doing or thinking about the process.
  • Collaborate with your team or other companies.
  • Create voice or video calls anytime you want.
  • Private or group messages with your team.
  • Integrate with other applications.
  • Automate some actions that you routinely do in the application.

Google Drive

collaboration tool

Another application known for increasing productivity for remote workers is Google Drive. In essence, Google Drive is a cloud storage platform with plenty of other cool features. In fact, what Google Drive offers to its users is perfect for teamwork, especially if multiple people are working on a single project. The following are Google Drive features:

  • Store and share documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.
  • Enable others to edit the document and see the changes simultaneously.
  • Search whatever you need to find an old file with the advanced search features.
  • View any kind of file you need to view.
  • Organize and store your files with importance levels.
  • Automatic uploads make saving important files easier.

Evernote

Evernote is an application focused on increasing productivity. We will explain the Evernote Personal in this section. Personal productivity and time management are equally important to communicate with your team and keep in touch. The following are the features of Evernote that makes it a great application for remote workers who want to increase their productivity:

  • Create a to-do list in the tasks section.
  • Integrate your calendar to the app to get notifications for your incoming events and tasks to accomplish.
  • Create offline notes in the mobile app of Evernote.
  • Create large notes with up to 200 MB.
  • Advanced search on Microsoft Office documents and PDFs.
  • Note history.
  • Optical character recognition.
  • Excellent organization across your notes, documents, tasks, and calendar.

Krisp

Here is a pretty innovative and creative application, which can be a lifesaver for remote workers. One of the downhills of remote working is that there can be some unwanted distractions in your surroundings. You might be at home, and your roommate might be noisy. You might be working outside in a co-working space, and there might be construction next to it. The following are features of Krisp, which explains to you why all those will not be a struggle anymore:

  • Remove any background noise you have during video calls and voice calls.
  • Experience HD voice.
  • Disable noise that comes from others while you are on a call.
  • Acoustic echo removal feature.
  • Room echo removal feature.

Todoist

Another great application to focus more, manage your time as a team is Todoist. Indeed, it is essential to keep track of your tasks and accomplishments, but wouldn’t it be great if you also have a platform to follow up with your team as a whole and see what is ahead of you? The following are features of Todoist that makes it an excellent application for remote workers and teams in specific:

  • See the summaries of each task.
  • Add subtasks.
  • Automate some deadlines if you and your team have repeating tasks.
  • Create importance levels.
  • Create a “favorites” section.
  • Set reminders.
  • Give tasks to other people in your team.
  • Label anything in the application to easily access what you need.
  • Choose different themes and personalize your experience.
  • Graphs and statistics show productivity.

Zoom

This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Zoom. As you may already know, Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing and calling applications out there, perfect for online meetings. In fact, even though other applications have video conferencing options, typically, Zoom is preferred as an additional application because of how beneficial it is.  The following are Zoom features:

  • HD video and audio calls.
  • Cross-platform messaging.
  • Calendar integrations.
  • Zoom scheduling.
  • Participant camera feed.
  • Instant messaging (to everyone or a specific person).
  • Muting other people (if you are the host).
  • End-to-end encryption.
  • Screen sharing with participants.
  • Waiting rooms.
  • Custom and personal meeting ID.

How do remote working tools shape us?

Remote working tools create an optimal environment to connect with your team and increase your productivity. They shape the way we work by smoothening our working process and eliminating some disadvantages.

What are some online collaboration tools for working together?

Some of the online collaboration tools for working together include Slack, Todoist, Zoom, and Google Drive. There are lots of other online collaboration tools for every remote work requirement, and the number of them seems to be increasing as each day passes.

Why is using tools for remote teams beneficial?

When you are a part of a remote team, there can be some downhills that wouldn’ be present if you were physically together. Tools help remote terms by eliminating the downhills and even extra improving the communication and productivity level of the team.

How do you manage your remote team?

Managing a remote team is possible with the help of technology. There are lots of different applications, websites and tools designed to make remote work more manageable. You can use some of those apps with your team to communicate easily and be more productive.

Originally posted on November 26, 2021 @ 3:30 pm