4 Must-Have Tools/Software for Remote Teams

Remote work has gone rapidly from being a rare endeavor to a new norm in the past decade. Technology, essentially tools and software, has played a massive role in this transition. However, I believe that the sheer number of available tools/software has become a problem itself over time.

It’s because remote teams have so many options now that choosing the best tool/software may be a difficult decision for some of them. That being said, I have shortlisted four tools/software that solve some most common problems every remote team faces. I have also gathered their features so you know exactly what these tools/software offer. Now, let’s start:

1.   Gather – Best for Team Interaction

Essentially, Gather provides a virtual office space where you can do almost everything you do in an office – sit with your colleagues, share knowledge, gossip, and more. Besides this, Gather has the following features:

• Remote team members can engage in spontaneous conversations in the virtual office.
• Remote users can design their workstations, have virtual pets, and have a personalized workplace experience.
• Remote users can roam around the virtual office space and engage with other colleagues as they roam around – just like in a traditional office.
• To improve collaboration among remote users, Gather provides virtual meeting rooms, and spaces for brainstorming, one-on-one discussions, and other activities.
• Gather provides real-time audio and video communication which makes virtual interaction more interactive.

Pricing

The free version of Gather is limited to only 10 users. The paid version comes with a free 30-day trial period. After this, it will only cost $7 a month to use all the perks and benefits of this platform.

On a side note, these software/tools require a stable internet connection to work. For recommendations, I’ve found Xfinity’s internet service quite reliable as it provides ample bandwidth to run online tools seamlessly. Here is Xfinity customer service phone number in case you want to know more about their plans and packages.

2.   Google Drive – Best for Cloud Storage

Google Drive can help you with data storage, sharing, and collaboration. Remote workers can upload, download, edit, share, and do more with files saved on Google Drive. Besides, that, the following features of Google Drive can also help:

• Multiple users can access and edit a file simultaneously. This way, without needing to send a file to anyone for changes, anyone can access it and make changes that will be visible to others.
• Google Drive can be integrated with other Google services, for instance, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more. Hence, it creates an ecosystem that may improve a team’s workflow.
• You can store data on Google Drive by making different folders, tabs, or sub-folders. This keeps the data uncluttered and you can easily find files by searching for their names.
• Google Drive also has a mobile app that you can access anytime and from anywhere.
• You can check the editing history of files so that even if some errors were made, you can restore them and ensure that no data is lost.

Pricing

For personal use, the Google Drive is free. However, for businesses and remote teams, Google Drive offers different plans with a 14-day free trial period. Their most popular plan costs $12 a month while you can see the rest of the plans by clicking here.

3.   Asana – Best for Project Management:

Remote teams can get help from Asana for task management and completion. The interactive interface makes the communication, deliverables, and deadlines clear among different teams. In addition, team members can also do the following on Asana:

• Before assigning tasks to your remote workers, you can look into each member’s workload. This provides a clear understanding of everyone’s workload and maintains a balanced distribution of tasks among the remote team.
• Users can track and monitor tasks at every phase and communicate with others on Asana to make the tasks transparent and manageable.
• Asana provides a Gantt chart that is quite helpful for knowing the intensity of every task. You can spot potential dependencies and roadblocks, and complete your tasks after keeping this in mind.
• Asana can be integrated with Slack, Google Drive, and other software and tools to streamline the workflows.
• Reports and Dashboards provide real-time monitoring of your team’s performance and are particularly helpful in making data-driven decisions.

Pricing

For a small team, Asana is free. However, if you’re a growing team and want to meet the deadlines, Asana has a subscription of $13.49 a month. Plus, you can discover more plans by clicking here.

4.   1Password – Best for Online Security:

Especially for remote workers who use different paid tools, ensuring their passwords remain safe should be a top priority. Besides enabling users to store passwords in a secured database, 1Password has the following features:

• 1Password can keep business’s credit card details and other sensitive information secured and only allows specific users to access them.
• Users can generate, save, and use passkeys on browsers which allows them to access tools, software, or websites without a password.
• 1Password allows cross-device synchronization which helps the users access passwords and other vital information on all devices.
• Watchtower Dashboard allows users to monitor the team’s digital security and provide measures to improve them.
• The Two-factor authorization (2FA) enhances safety by adding a security layer.

Pricing

Besides a free 14-day free trial, remote businesses can subscribe to 1Password for $7.99 a month. However, they offer more plans for small businesses and large enterprises which you can see by clicking here.

Bonus Section: Things to Consider Before Choosing Any Tool/Software

• You must look into ease of use before you choose any software or tool. The tool you choose should be user-friendly and easy to learn. Otherwise, remote workers may need some time to get acquainted with the tool and may waste time.
• Most tools and software have AI that may automate tasks for your business, such as data entry work. You must keep this in mind before choosing a remote tool or software.
• Tools or software can show errors sometimes. And here, only solid customer support can resolve the problem quickly. So, make sure whatever tool/software you choose is backed by reliable customer support.
• Before you choose any tool/software, make sure the devices or platforms you use are compatible.
• It’s ideal if you choose tools/software that can be integrated with other tools/software. This way, your work will be streamlined for better efficiency and productivity.