COVID changed the way we live and work. After experiencing the benefits of working from home during the pandemic, most employees now prefer to work remotely. Several organizations are aware of this and are preparing to transition from traditional offices to hybrid or remote workspaces.
Working from home can be a rewarding experience for some employees. However, to be productive, remote workers require a certain set of tools. Below are some of the best software for remote workers.
Top-Rated and Multi-featured Remote Work Management Software
Microsoft Teams- Video Conferencing and Meeting
Teams are more than just video conferencing tools. It is a remote workstation. Microsoft made several improvements to Skype to offer organizations powerful collaboration tools. Teams provide video and audio conferencing services, messaging capabilities, and other applications that make collaboration a breeze.
It can be easily integrated with other Microsoft products. Although it is designed for large enterprises, small organizations can use it to facilitate remote collaboration. Teams are free for basic usage. The premium version starts at $5 per month.
Zoom Meetings
Whenever you hear people talking about video conferencing, the first thing that comes to your mind is Zoom. It is one of the most popular video conferencing tools today. Compared to similar service providers, Zoom stands out. It provides large conferencing spaces, HD video, and other features that enhance communication.
You can easily integrate it with services like Google Drive, YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, etc. Both free and paid subscribers can record meetings. However, you require a premium upgrade to store meeting recordings on the cloud. Zoom is free for starters. This plan is okay if you are planning to use it for personal calls. The business package starts at $14.99 per month.
Todoist
It is important to keep track of your productivity while working remotely. Todoist serves this purpose perfectly. It is available for all devices.
Individuals and teams looking to organize and streamline workflows will find To application valuable. You can turn emails into tasks when integrated with your Gmail account. The downside is this feature is not available for other email hosting platforms.
One unique feature of this is the voice command. This allows you to add tasks verbally. Applications like Dropbox, Toggi, track, Pleexy, Spark, etc. can be integrated without any hindrance.
1Password
We are constantly required to create new passwords to secure information online. It is difficult to memorize many passwords, so most people decide to use the same password for everything. When a hacker or random person discovers that person, you are at risk of losing everything.
1Password will help manage and keep all your passwords securely. You can create vaults within the platform to store sensitive information. And if your password is weak, it gives you recommendations for stronger ones.
1Password encrypts your data using the same technology best national banks use to secure customer data. And if you worry that 1 Password may master or store your password and sell it to the highest bidder, you’ll find comfort in the fact that they don’t master or store customer data.
1Password has packages for families and single users. The family package is further divided into shared vaults and private vaults. You can try it for free for the first 14 days. After that, it is $2.99 per month.
ClickUp
This is a collaboration and project management tool for small and large organizations. It enables you to add and assign tasks. Team members can easily share documents and files related to different tasks. It is highly customizable. You have the option to select the most applicable features. And if you don’t like the theme color, change it to something more appealing.
ClickUp also makes it possible for you to create reminders for pending work/assignments. ClickUp wasn’t designed to only serve teams. Individual remote workers can use it to manage projects. For basic usage, the free version will suffice. For unlimited access, they charge $9 per month.
Hubstaff
If you employ freelancers or contractors who work remotely, Hubstaff is one of the best tools to track their productivity. You can monitor the activity levels of employees using their keyboard and mouse movements.
The time tracking feature enables you to see how much time an employee has spent working on a project. It also lets you keep track of the different websites and apps employees are looking at during work hours.
Hubstaff can be integrated with other project management soft wares like basecamp. You can test drive it freely for 14 days. And if it is right for you, the starter plan is $7 per month.
Miro
This is a cloud-based collaboration tool for teams who want to brainstorm together. Miro provides a digital whiteboard for writing down ideas, research, creating story maps, etc. All ideas can be organized and kept in one place. Some features enable you to upload files from personal drives or cloud storage platforms.
Xero
It is cloud-based accounting software that enables organizations to manage their finances remotely. Xero gives you the ability to send purchase orders, invoices, and quotes. You can connect it to your bank and reconcile bank transactions. Businesses also use it to track inventory. The basic plan costs $12 per month.
Krisp
Remote employees are constantly dealing with noise interruptions during working hours. Krisp is a noise suppression application. It uses artificial intelligence to cancel background noise for both incoming and outgoing calls. The basic version is free. The Pro package starts at $5 per month.
Remote HQ
It is often necessary for different members of the team to share screenshots while working on a project. Remote HQ lets you share your screen with the team and also gives them the ability to remotely edit projects on your screen. I have heard some people refer to it as the “digital notepad.” Remote HQ can be integrated with Zoom, Webex, Slack, and Embedded co-browsing
One Drive
The need for cloud data storage is not a preserve for large enterprises. Small businesses and individuals alike need secure spaces to keep important data. One drive is catching up fast with popular storage service providers like Dropbox and Google drive. Since it is owned by Microsoft, it is easy to integrate with other Microsoft apps Basic access is free. You can pay $5 per month for richer features.
Conclusion
There are a host of soft wares remote workers can use to collaborate and also increase productivity. Quality tools help remote workers to be organized and productive.