A reminder you may have left as a sticky note on your coworker’s desk might now require a scheduled Slack message. Monday.com sits at the peak of the best project management tools and productivity apps pyramid. That’s because it has a range of features that allow multiple users to develop a visual timeline of a project (or multiple projects) and create a range of tasks to support that goal. The tools outlined here support your remote teams to work cohesively through seamless communication, robust task management, and secure technology access. When assembling a comprehensive tech stack for your remote workforce, don’t overlook the importance of an integrated HRIS solution like Remote.
Constant back-to-back virtual meetings can overwhelm team members and impede their ability to focus on deep work. Consider adopting alternative collaboration methods such as asynchronous communication tools, project management platforms and shared documentation to address this issue. Assessing collaboration software can feel daunting because of its numerous features. Important communication tools include instant messaging, video conferencing, and asynchronous video options. Task management should enable task assignments, track progress, and offer automation. For file sharing, secure cloud storage, version control, and real-time co-editing are necessary.
- This saves the time that you would normally spend emailing your contacts, back and forth, to find a time and day that’s suitable for anyone.
- If you’re looking for a collaboration tool for remote teams that work with spreadsheets and need a wide range of functionalities, then Office 365 is the place.
- Don’t miss out on tons of amazing software tools specifically designed to make work faster and easier.
- With the huddles and clips features, you can connect with your remote team through audio and video calls to collaborate and resolve issues in real time.
Tool 10: HubSpot Meetings
HubSpot’s meeting scheduling tool provides you with a personalized booking link you can use to invite people to view your availability and book meetings with you. This saves the time that you would normally spend emailing your contacts, back and forth, to find a time and day that’s suitable for anyone. You can start a presentation and review a product or slideshow while other team members watch and chime in.
Trello: Best for visual project workflows
This practice ensures that, despite their flexible schedules, team members have designated times to connect, discuss, and work together. For remote teams to thrive, it’s essential to have a roadmap that guides their journey towards success. Goals act as the north star for remote workers, providing direction and purpose in an environment where physical supervision is minimal. On-site collaboration was the traditional way to move projects forward and make better decisions.
One of the most significant advantages of remote work is the ability to work flexible hours. Embracing this flexibility leads to more productive and balanced work-life for remote employees. Effective communication of goals also involves establishing an open dialogue where remote team members are able to express their thoughts, and provide feedback in order to feel heard.
Team chat apps
And like Asana, Trello integrates with other popular platforms like Outlook and Google Drive. It might not have in-depth project management features like some other tools, but it’s a simple way to track tasks collaboratively. Digital collaboration tools are software that help remote teams connect. Anything from an instant messaging service like Slack to a calendar app like Google Calendar falls into this category. Each one gives geographically diverse teams the chance to collaborate online without hiccups. ClickUp is one of the premier online project management tools, but it’s not as intuitive as users would like.
- However, you can take steps to combat all of these challenges and create a productive remote team.
- These tools include chat apps, video conferencing platforms, and voice call software.
- Drag-and-drop cards move tasks from “To Do” to “Done” across easy-to-read boards, making project progress obvious at a glance.
- Managing workloads and conversations across oceans, borders, and time zones can be tricky.
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Each recommendation includes feature breakdowns, pricing, AI capabilities, and use case suggestions, so that you can find the right tools for your team. Zoom is one of the leading video conferencing tools designed for seamless video conferencing, online meetings, and team communication. Since the remote work era began, Zoom has exploded in popularity to the point where their brand name has become shorthand for connecting for a virtual meeting. It even offers features like breakout rooms, real-time whiteboards, and handy integrations for your calendar or project boards – making virtual collaboration a lot smoother. Implementing effective project management strategies in a remote team involves a combination of the right tools, realistic planning, and adaptability.
Additionally, numerous built-in tools like sticky notes, shapes, and connectors offer visual richness. Loom combines screen recording with video — so team members can use it to walk colleagues through complex topics visually. It offers free plans for individuals and small teams up to ten people, and comes with 100+ integrations. Fragmented communication channels (like email) can silo information and hamper collaboration. Beyond managing the team and how they work together, investing time with each team member and asking them the right one-on-one questions will pay off handsomely. Lead by example, with leadership and management setting the tone for the company culture.
remote collaboration tools for better remote work results
Yet, expect most colleagues to say yes since 40% of remote employees miss spontaneous, in-person meetings with their co-workers, according to Hubspot’s 2022 Hybrid Work Report. These ongoing micro collaborations are a great way to build rapport, connection, and ideation opportunities. Trello is a visual team collaboration software that organizes projects into easy-to-use boards, making task management simple and transparent. It’s all about keeping things visual and straightforward – perfect if you like seeing your work mapped out in columns.
Like Figma and other virtual whiteboard tools, Miro users can find boards a bit overwhelming to navigate. As ideas begin to sprawl in an array of different directions, it becomes far too easy to lose track of certain ideas. Certain functions and interface elements are relocated and are all but intuitive to find.
Even if it’s only 15 minutes a day, regular video calls can do a lot to strengthen connections and create empathy between members of your team. Chat is the simplest and fastest way to get your message across, but it’s important to remember that it’s also important to be able to see the person you’re speaking to. According to the Harvard Business Review, the best way to increase team performance is by focusing on improving values, trust, and interdependency between your team members.
Consider implementing regular check-ins at the individual and team levels to ensure everyone is aligned and informed. Without a well-defined communication plan, miscommunication and misunderstandings can quickly derail projects and strain relationships within the team. Now, let’s review some signs that your remote team isn’t collaborating as effectively as possible. Look for these signs in your team and immediately take action to solve them. Coordinating tasks, sharing files and maintaining visibility into individual contributions can become complex, requiring digital tools and platforms to facilitate collaboration. Here are the top three challenges of remote collaboration that every organization faces while working remotely.
Trello is a Kanban-style project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help teams organize tasks and projects. Each task can be assigned to a team member, and cards can include checklists, attachments, due dates, images, and comments. Trello’s simplicity and flexibility make it one of the best collaboration tools for remote teams that need a simple and straightforward way to manage their workload. Navigating the complexities of remote work requires smart project management to keep everything on track. There are many digital collaboration tools designed to support remote and hybrid teams.
33% of hybrid and remote managers say poor technology is their main challenge in effective remote teamwork. While one team does their best work on Microsoft Teams, other teams would excel with Google Meet or even a virtual meeting platform like Butter. Invest in collaboration software that enables real-time updates and integrates seamlessly with your existing systems. The ability to work remotely, even occasionally, leads to increased job satisfaction and happier employees. When your team is happy, they’re more likely to stay loyal to your organization, reducing turnover rates and fostering a positive work culture.
Maintaining team morale and engagement remotely requires intentional efforts when managing a remote workforce, such as virtual team-building events or check-ins to motivate employees. Coordinating meetings and deadlines across different time zones can be challenging. Use a shared calendar and be flexible with scheduling to accommodate everyone and master managing remote employees.
So, to guide you, we’ve selected a list of collaboration tools for virtual teams. These tools will help enhance your remote work productivity, simplify communication and collaboration with your team, and, most importantly, save precious time. Virtual whiteboards are digital spaces for brainstorming and visual thinking. They support sticky remote team collaboration notes, diagrams, templates, and freeform drawing, allowing remote teams to collaborate on ideas in real time. Miro and FigJam are standout examples used for design sprints, mind mapping, and planning sessions.
