The worldwide spread of the Coronavirus has necessitated companies in various sectors of the economy to set up remote working policies for their employees. Fortunately, modern technology has made it possible to maintain a good level of productivity, even as world governments have initiated a lockdown to promote social distancing and help flatten the infection curve.
Employees need to stay motivated and maintain adequate communication with their team members. They can collaborate in real-time as long as they have the necessary tools at their disposal. It doesn’t matter how far apart they may be, geographically.
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Working from home is a welcome development for most companies. Not only does it save costs, but it has also reduced the levels of air pollution across major cities because people no longer have to shuttle to work.
With this in mind, we have put together some of the best collaboration tools that can help while being remote.
How to Communicate with Colleagues during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Thanks to online collaboration tools, it is very easy to communicate with colleagues, manage your remote team, and keep your company profitable during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Video Conferencing
What are the best video meeting apps? You may like to know how to choose video conferencing software for remote teams. First, you have to consider the number of participants. Some services allow only a few people to connect, while others can accommodate a large number of people. There are also other factors to consider, but we will go right ahead and give you the best tools that have been highly rated by users.
1.    Zoom Meetings
You’ve probably had to use a video conferencing tool that made you want to tear your hair out because of call drops. With Zoom Meetings, these sort of technical glitches are now a thing of the past. Up to 500 participants can join in on a video chat and you can view everyone on the screen at the same time. What better way to keep the team motivated regardless of wherever they are in the world. One-on-one calls can also be initiated.
The tool allows you to record a video chat and save them locally or to the cloud. You can also share your device’s screen with other participants, to facilitate discussions.
2.    Google Meet
Google Meet is part of the G Suite platform. It is a good alternative to Zoom and can accommodate a large number of participants. It integrates with other services on G Suite, such as Google Calendar and Gmail, making it easier to schedule meetings and set up event information for team members.
Time Tracking
Remote work requires proper time management. Organize workflow and keep your team productive with some of the best time management tools at your disposal:
1.    Traqq
Traqq is a useful tool, it helps you ensure that everyone is being productive. The online timesheets help you measure and analyze the activity levels of your team members. You can then encourage your best-performing employees and motivate the least productive ones.
You can see the apps and websites that each member uses and the amount of time they spend on them. With Traqq, it is also possible to take automated desktop screenshots without distracting the individual. This feature is meant to help you see what your team members are working on and also to spot unfavorable activities.
2.    Hubstaff
Let your time work for you with Hubstaff. You can track the activities of your team members and ensure they stay productive. It offers a ton of useful features, such as employee scheduling, GPS tracking, screen recording, online invoicing, payroll software, project budgeting, online timesheets, and more.
Team Communication
A few good communication software for remote workers in 2020:
1.    Slack
Slack is a top messaging tool for remote workers. Employees can connect with their colleagues and send and receive instant messages. The tool facilitates one-on-one or group communication. You can share ideas and celebrate each other’s accomplishments, as well as communicate important status updates.
The tool also helps keep the team updated by allowing the installation of apps that provide reports on product reviews, new email subscribers, and other business activities.
2.    Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger is a good alternative to Slack for team collaboration and communication. The tool comes with a variety of features that make it suitable for any organization, big or small. Its interface is easy to navigate, even for the novice end-user. Team members can send instant messages, initiate audio/video calls, share files, and even create unlimited groups.
The tool also allows non-employees, such as vendors, suppliers, and freelancers to join in as Orange Members using their private/public domain email IDs.
Troop Messenger can be integrated with Google Drive and Dropbox. It is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux.
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File Management
File sharing is an unavoidable part of the remote working process. Even so, the efficient management of files is crucial for any firm to operate smoothly. Take a look at these useful tools that can help your remote team access important files during the Covid-19 pandemic:
1.    Google Drive
Google Drive is a leading file management service. This cloud storage platform seamlessly integrates with other apps that are available in G Suite. Google Drive ensures active communication and collaboration between all members of the team. You can create, edit, save, and share files, including spreadsheets, slide presentations, and other documents. It also aids in sending reports on weekly metrics.
2.    Dropbox
With Dropbox, employees can easily sync, share, and collaborate on documents. It is an effective tool for managing remote work.
However, for free accounts, Dropbox does not offer as much storage space as does Google Drive. While you can purchase additional storage space, it only allows a maximum of 3TB (terabytes) while Google Drive provides 30TB.
We hope you’ve found this list of tools for remote work useful. Always go for software that has multiple features, is efficient and easy to use, compatible across various devices, and can integrate with other important software that is already part of your stack.
