Harsha SatyakamMuch like the weapon of choice for any warrior, the right tools enable your workforce to perform to the best of their abilities. Having access to the right tool becomes all the more important in a distributed work setting, as team members now need to collaborate across multiple platforms and on numerous projects.
With over a hundred offerings for every single aspect of remote work choosing a tool that works best for your team can be quite a challenge.
We’ve curated the best tools for 5 essential aspects of remote work:
Communication
All successful remote teams leverage a combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication, which requires an entire arsenal of tools. We recommend finding tools that enable you to sync multiple time zones, and can easily be integrated with other applications. Our list of top communication tools includes
Slack
Did you know that ‘Slack’ is an acronym for “Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge”? One of the most widely used communication tools throughout the world, Slack is said to reduce the number of emails by 32% and meetings by 23%. We love slack for its easy to use interface and seamless integration with numerous applications that we use daily.
Zoom
Thanks to the pandemic, Zoom’s popularity has skyrocketed due to the sheer number of video calls that every organisation now requires. Zoom’s USP lies in its versatility. From automated recording of meetings, to integrated breakout rooms, Zoom is a complete video conferencing solution.
MS Teams
A stiff competitor to Slack, Microsoft’s MS Teams is used by over 500,000+ organisations worldwide. Its inbuilt integration with all Office 365 tools like Word and Excel make it the world’s most widely used office collaboration tools.
Project Management
There are over a hundred project management tools in the market today. However, how a software development team functions differs greatly from how an advertising team functions. The trick is to find a project management tool that addresses the specific requirements of your team. Here’s our list
Jira
Jira is considered one of the best tools for agile project management used by software development teams. It is preferred by technical teams as it makes managing workflows, tracking bugs, and getting the next release together effortless.
Trello
An integrated solution for all your project management needs, Trello helps teams break complex deliverables into individual tasks. It offers a wide range of boards, from the simplest “to do/doing/done” workflow to a much more complex board offering options like “backlog/in progress/ blocked/paused/ready for launch/ live”.
Asana
While almost all project management tools offer functionalities like Gantt charts and Kanban boards, we love Asana because of its process management automation.
Knowledge sharing and storage
From GitLab to Airbnb, one thing all successful remote companies have in common is their policy of documentation and knowledge sharing. Having a single source of data which is universally accessible reduces the time spent on location and duplication, and also helps new participants understand the chronological chain of events. Our recommendations include:
DropBox
One of the oldest file sharing tools, DropBox is still used widely by individuals and organisations alike due to its interoperability. It’s easy integration with an exhaustive list of softwares, cloud security, and storage and search capabilities make it a favourite with teams globally.
Confluence
Atlassian’s knowledge management tool makes it to our list due to its structured storage and smart search functions. It allows automatic versioning, instant previews, full-text search, and pinned comments, making knowledge sharing a breeze.
Box
Much like DropBox, Box is another data and file storage solution aimed majorly at enterprise usage. If data security is high up on your priority list, we recommend using Box due to its advanced security controls, intelligent threat detection, and complete information governance.
Collaboration to stay in line with the flow
In the absence of a physical whiteboard and conference room, distributed teams need the right tools for effective collaboration. Today, there exist different tools to help with the various aspects of brainstorming and ideation, from digital whiteboards to video and screen recording applications. Our list includes:
Miro
An online collaborative whiteboard, Miro offers a wide set of functionalities including Agile workflows, ideation & brainstorming and mapping & diagramming. The one thing we love about Miro is its infinite canvas, enabling easy asynchronous collaboration.
Invision
Invision is a digital whiteboard that allows you to wireframe, plan, design presentations, and give and receive feedback smoothly. With over a hundred pre-set templates, planning and collaboration becomes smoother and faster.
Worldtimebuddy
Designed keeping in mind the needs of a distributed team, worldtimebuddy is a world clock, time zone converter, and online meeting scheduler. Simply add the locations of your teammates and then drag and drop the slider to find a good time to meet.
Rewards and recognition
Rewards and recognition form an integral part of any company’s culture. Still sending that old email to show your appreciation? It’s time to get a little more creative. Thankfully, there exist multiple tools that integrate with reward points or coupons to give your workforce tangible rewards.
Bonusly
Designed to help remote teams connect and increase employee engagement, Bonusly enables team members to recognise each other’s contributions and award points. The best part? The points can be redeemed in exchange for gift cards from numerous brands like Amazon, Uber, Starbucks and many more.
HeyTaco
A simple application that can be integrated with both Slack and MS Teams, HeyTaco uses “Tacos” as reward points. Team members can only give out 5 Tacos per day, ensuring that the rewards are used judiciously.
Kazoo
Created to help companies keep their employees motivated and engaged, Kazoo is used by over 600 companies throughout the world. Instead of simply offering a reward-framework, Kazoo also integrates functionalities to track progress, like goals and OKRs.
In the words of Peter Drucker, the founder of modern management, “Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.” Choosing the right tool for your distributed team is a function of two factors – knowing your areas of operation, and understanding your team’s requirements.
Take the first step towards building your distributed workforce with Talent500. Our team of experts and network of highly skilled professionals help you build your global team in over 50 countries. Ready to take the first step? Set up a consultation with our team here.
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