With the pandemic making social distancing paramount, many businesses are switching to remote work for the health of employees and clients. It can be difficult to adjust to working from home, but fortunately, there are many tools specifically designed to help teams work as a cohesive unit even when they can’t meet in the office. Here are the top 10 remote working software options for 2020.
1. Trello
Trello is a great way to track projects — so much so, in fact, that many companies used Trello even when their employees were still commuting. So how does it work? This program is basically a dashboard with cards, lists, and boards that users can arrange to their preference. It puts all the necessary resources in one place so workers can access them at will.
2. Asana
Like Trello, Asana is designed for project management. As a result, it can connect all project members on one platform via shared documents and communication tools. Members can even submit finished documents directly to the platform, ensuring all project pieces are in one place. Admins can also set deadlines and track progress to determine if said deadlines will be met.
3. Mural
Mural has been called a “digital whiteboard,” serving the function most physical whiteboards fill during in-person meetings. You can use it with video chats to enhance communication and provide the best learning opportunities for visual learners. Everyone with access to the software can contribute to illustrate their ideas and offer suggestions.
4. Zoom
During this crisis, Zoom has risen as one of the kings of remote working tools. This video chat software allows large groups to meet virtually and is fairly user-friendly. In addition to the basic chat and video features, Zoom offers fun options such as filters and backgrounds to add a little cheer in these serious times.
5. Fellow
If you’re a supervisor looking for a solution to team management at a distance, Fellow has you covered. This application gives you the power to communicate priorities to your subordinates, set reminders, and acknowledge work done by team members. It also offers features such as agendas and to-do lists to help you track your own responsibilities.
6. CloudApp
Unlike the other programs on this list, CloudApp isn’t for project management or video conferencing. Instead, its main function is screen sharing.
With CloudApp, you can allow others to view your computer screen, which can be helpful in delivering a presentation, training others in programs, or just sharing something interesting that might brighten up your coworkers’ day.
7. Google Drive
An oldie but goodie, Google Drive is easy to access and has a lot to offer. There are a variety of share options to let employees collaborate on documents or lock certain forms out of modification. The suggestions feature is great for critiques while the cloud store means that you can access it from anywhere with an internet connection.
8. Loom
Not to be confused with the video chat app Zoom, Loom is a video and screen recording app. The software allows you to record several things at once: voice, face, and screen. You can then neatly package this footage for distribution among your team. It’s a great way to make announcements or create training videos that don’t require immediate input from your peers.
9. Slack
Does your organization deal with an avalanche of emails every day? Has the need for timely communication risen as everyone moves to remote working? Slack was created to streamline online communication by acting as a hub for messages. Its strength lies in the many organizational features it offers, which allow users to store communications under various categories. With Slack on your device, you can quickly locate past messages.
10. Instagantt
Instagantt has a little bit of everything: video conferencing, project management and task assignment are all features it offers. It’s a great tool for managers, as it allows you to track progress, set milestones, and keep connected with all of your team members, all in one place. It can also be used in conjunction with Asana for greater coordination.
Author’s Bio: Jeremy Sutter is a tech and business writer from Simi Valley, CA. He lives for success stories and hopes to be one someday.