The ongoing global health crisis continues its rampage well into 2021. While many people hoped this year would be better than 2020, it seems like things are getting far worse. Businesses have to adapt to newer strategies to try and survive this pandemic while keeping their business afloat. That’s why companies are now embracing remote work as an effective and sustainable strategy while the world combats COVID-19.
Also called telecommuting, many business experts believe that remote work can help in a lot of areas. It can maintain good team morale, maintain good customer engagement, and keep productivity going. Many employees also find remote work convenient since they can get their jobs done in the comfort of their homes.
A 2020 poll found that 43 percent of Americans do remote work occasionally. However, the same survey also found that the percentage has grown to 50 percent in the first quarter of 2021 alone. Looking at the situation globally, around 70 percent of people are working remotely at least once a week.
But while there are many benefits to get from widespread remote work, it also has its share of issues for both leaders and managers. For one, every company that wants to function as one cohesive unit needs to supply its employees with the tools and support they need to perform their jobs.
The same goes for remote companies, which rely completely on technology to keep their entire organization connected and in sync. A fully remote team of workers needs a combination of healthy trust and the ideal software solutions to make sure they remain focused and on course to accomplish their objectives.
To help remote business owners such as yourself, we’ve created a list of the eight best business software and tools that can help you and your team make the most out of your remote operations:
Video Conferencing Application
Conducting meetings online can either be helpful or frustrating. It will depend on how you run them. It’s a bad idea to hold frequent meetings, especially when you hold strict and uninteresting agendas. If you do, you’ll potentially end up spending thousands of hours on unnecessary meetings.
With that said, team meetings are still a necessity, especially for remote teams. Not only will it keep you updated with what your team is doing, but it will also ensure that everyone is communicating and are on the same page with what your business is trying to achieve.
For the best online meeting experience, your company should use video conferencing software. These applications will allow your employees to engage with one another and familiarize themselves with each other without having to meet in person.
Meetings via video conferencing software will create a more unified atmosphere within your system. It will also promote better team collaboration, chemistry, engagement, and better performance.
Video conferencing software has been on the rise since last year’s lockdown. Some notable names that you should try would include Zoom, Skype, Zoho, and GoToMeeting. There are also other options like Google Hangouts Meet, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex Meetings, Jabber, and more.
Each of these applications has its distinct advantages and special feature. As you can see, there is a tone of options to choose from. So, make sure you take your time in doing research and assessing each software. That way, you can find the one that’s right for your company’s needs.
Performance Management Tool
Performance management tools are applications that help business managers stay ahead of regular performance discussions and employee collaborations. At the same time, it also provides real-time feedback. This software can also produce detailed data about employee performance and progression. By using this type of application, you’ll make better and more informed business decisions moving forward.
Again, there are a ton of options to choose from when it comes to performance management software. However, the best option will always be the one that’s simple and easy to use. You’ve already got an entire company to run, so any additional burden like learning how to use complicated software isn’t ideal.
If you’re in need of extensive training to use your performance management tool, it may not be the right one. Consider finding something else that’s user-friendlier and will help you get the information you need instantly.
Team Communication Software
The raging pandemic has also hindered a lot of areas in a business’ daily operations. For example, employees can no longer visit their co-worker’s desk or go to the manager’s office due to telecommuting. In that case, you need a tool that will grant access to instant communication.
Team communication tools provide remote employees the ability to communicate with other members of the team quickly. Most team communication software also supports one-on-one meetings, group meetings, and creating chat channels for particular campaigns or departments within a company.
Slack is one of the most popular team communication tools available. However, there are other options, like Troop Messenger, Chanty, Rocket, Brosix, ProofHub, and more.
Password Manager
Your entire remote team will need access to all the necessary platforms that will be necessary for business. That means they’ll need to remember many login credentials, which is impractical and next to impossible. Placing all the log-in detail on an unsecured spreadsheet will also put a risk to your company’s security and safety.
Fortunately, there’s a more practical option that helps mitigate the risk and ensures that all your login details are in a safe and secure system. Password managers will help keep employee passwords safe and secure. For example, a password manager like LastPass generates complex and hard-to-crack passwords automatically. An administrator from the company can then send these passwords to other employees whenever they need them.
Time-Tracking Software
Remote companies also need a way to keep track of how much time employees spend on each task. That’s why many companies use time-tracking software like Worksnaps and Hubstaff. These time-tracking solutions will give you peace of mind since you will know that your employees are working.
Time-tracking software like the ones mentioned also goes further by taking regular screenshots of your employee’s computers. That way, you will actually know what they are doing during work hours. While it may seem a bit intrusive, it’s also quite reasonable to say that employees should focus more on their work whenever their trackers are active.
In addition, time-tracking software also has a psychological effect. A recent study found that employees are more productive when they know that their work is being tracked. So make sure you take advantage of that.
Project Management Software
Even when doing remote work, you will still need to assign tasks to your team members. If you’re having a hard time disseminating tasks to your employees, you might need project management software. You can use this application to track the progress and completion rate of important tasks. At the same time, you can also provide feedback to your remote team while keeping everything fluid and organized.
Cloud Storage
Finally, a remote business needs a place to store all of its information and important client details. That’s where cloud storage comes in handy. An absolute must for any remote team, cloud storage allows people within a company to access, create, edit, and share important resources, documents, and files from anywhere.
Google Drive is one of the most used cloud storage tools since it’s easily accessible to anyone. However, other cloud storage tools deserve some recognition. Dropbox,
Cloud storage is a must for remote businesses, as it allows distributed employees to access, edit, create and share important resources and documents from anywhere. One of the most used tools is Google Drive, but Dropbox is also quite popular. Dropbox, One Drive, iDrive are some notable alternatives.
Invoicing Software
Remote businesses will still need to bill their clients for the work that they do. The traditional way of invoicing is no longer practical or effective in today’s standards. Nowadays, you need to power and reliability of invoicing software.
ReliaBills is an example of great invoicing software that does everything and more. From creating your invoice to sending it to your clients, you can do everything on the ReliaBills platform. All you need is to create a free account, and you’re all set to go.
Other invoicing solutions include QuickBooks, Freshbooks, Wave, Xero, Zoho Books, and more.
Conclusion
Whether your team is already remote at the beginning or just making the transition now, it’s your responsibility as the owner to make sure your employees are equipped with all the necessary software and other resources to succeed. By investing in these eight software solutions, your remote organization will thrive.
