Telework tools: 9 resources to optimize remote work

Telecommuting tools have become increasingly indispensable in a world where remote work is not only possible but, in many cases, the first choice of many professionals and companies. Since traditional work environments have changed, the need for digital resources to help remote collaborators fulfill their job functions has become apparent.

Both to communicate and to organize teamwork and even to store passwords for different web portals. There are a number of digital tools with which remote workers can have a much simpler and more effective professional life, which will help them to optimize their performance and improve their productivity levels.

As mentioned by the Forbes portal, “64% of organizations have provided technological tools to their employees for remote work”. In this post made with help of paperhelp experts, we will show you some of the main telecommuting platforms used by employees to fulfill their assignments and by organizations to achieve the expected goals.

Slack

In almost all cases, you’re going to need a tool that allows for synchronous written communication. And this is where Slack appears, an ideal teleworking tool for teamwork, which seeks to replace the functions of email in companies. 

It is clear that email should be a priority for important issues that require registration, but all those chats that were held in the office to resolve, much less “official” doubts, now need a program that offers adequate support. To create a workspace in which formal and informal conversations can take place, there is this type of digital tool.

It is ideal to use this tool in all that is remote work, mainly when you want to make a short update or ask a quick question, as it gives all members of a group a shared view of progress and a clear purpose for working in channels.

Now, what are the particularities of Slack? Some of the features it offers to its customers cover the following aspects:

• Instead of having a single inbox, as in the case of email, it organizes conversations into multiple channels.
• It generates independent conversations according to project, department, or work topic.
• Create organized spaces for everything related to a project, topic, or team.
• Allows collaborators to respond when they are available.
• Simplifies tracking conversations and searching for information in an archive.
• Facilitates the ability to choose which conversations you think are a priority and most important and which can wait.

A teleworking tool that is gaining weight within the business world, as it has proven to be effective in ensuring the interconnection of collaborators in work environments. Not only does it allow people to keep up with assignments, but it helps the leader maintain closer supervision with his or her team.

And working remotely requires a different kind of group management. Therefore, we offer you our strategies to strengthen a culture of teleworking in remote teams, where you can find guidelines to motivate your team.

Google Hangouts

Associated with Google resources (mainly Gmail), this teleworking app is a fast, intuitive, and browser-based chat. Even so, it also allows the possibility of interacting with the work team in the following ways:

• Text messages.
• Voice calls.
• Video calls, in which you can talk to up to 10 people at the same time.

The main advantage of this teleworking tool is that it is integrated with Google’s Office suite and email, which makes it very accessible and facilitates the collaborative use of the rest of the tools. Having a digital giant like Google as a backing is support since there are many companies and users that use these tools.

Also, among the benefits of Hangouts as a collaborative tool, you will find the following:

• It archives conversations in the cloud, having the possibility of synchronizing it on the various devices you use.
• It allows you to send calls and SMS to other cell phones that do not have this app.
• You can see when a contact is online if an avatar appears just below. Otherwise, the avatar disappears.

Despite not being one of the most used Google services, Hangouts has proven to be a valid resource for teleworking, offering the possibility of interconnecting with other users in an agile and efficient way without consuming too many resources.

Skype

Although it is the most well-known and veteran teleworking tool, it is still the first choice today, given its simplicity, practicality, and the fact that it is free. In addition, Skype adapts to all devices and can be used on a mobile, tablet, computer, or even via Alexa or Xbox. 

This remote work tool has the following facilities:

• It allows sending files.
• Conduct interviews.
• Make calls to phone numbers.
• It offers many possibilities to combine online and offline media.
• It has a high penetration in corporate environments, as it is the software that has been on the market for the longest time.

It is no coincidence that Skype is still in use, as it still has an intuitive interface and simple but useful functions. It gives the remote collaborator the possibility to send files, make calls and connect with the team from anywhere in the world.

Zoom

Zoom is an ideal teleworking tool for finishing processes, solving problems, or even learning how to brainstorm via video chat or real-time video. This is because face-to-face conversations (even on video) help to better capture people’s tone, their reactions to more complex ideas and to better understand explanations.

This teleworking application has achieved great visibility, and its user base has grown exponentially in recent years, especially after the health crisis generated by COVID-19. This is due in part to its ease of use, as well as the possibility of creating and managing video calls with large groups of people.

Zoom is one of the best remote work tools for a collaborator because it creates a space where team members can discuss their weekend, collaborate on large projects, and feel that connection with others, even if they are thousands of miles away. 

However, ongoing security issues and some of the limitations of the free version have caused this teleworking tool to lose much of the attraction it had generated during the health crisis.

Trello

Organizing a team is never easy, especially for large teams, and even less so when it is done remotely. However, there are a number of online work tools on the market that can greatly facilitate the responsibilities of remote collaborators.

In this sense, Trello is one of the most widely used teleworking tools for task organization and team management. This teleworking tool has collaborative environments for large teams and a card system (similar to a notepad), which provides a unique and intuitive visual order to assign tasks and monitor their development. 

Through the Trello tool, users will be able to prioritize and organize their projects according to the importance of each one. In addition, this collaborative tool has great advantages, such as the following:

• Add comments
• Adding due dates
• Attach documents and files

These benefits can be taken advantage of for free, although it also has payment packages of 10 euros per month with which you can expand its functionalities.

Google Drive

The most well-known teleworking application when it comes to office automation and cloud storage. Google Drive is a teleworking tool that allows users to save, share and access their files from any device and can occupy up to 15 GB of free storage space.

With the enterprise plan, Google Drive becomes a remote work tool that offers organizations to pay only for the storage space used by employees. Included are items such as the following:

• Documents
• Spreadsheets
• Google Presentations

Among its advantages, we highlight that it has the best environment for collaborative editing of Word, Excel, or Powerpoint files, which can be accessed from anywhere in the world through Gmail. It is also a teleworking tool with which you can share files and folders by inviting other users without the need to download and attach them in an email.

Active Collab

One of the great tools for teleworking is Active Collab, which is not only an excellent resource for this remote modality but is also functional for any other format, mainly because it allows users to maintain full control over their work projects.

What are the advantages of Active Collab? Some of the strong points of this type of teleworking tool are the following: 

• Better manage your tasks and activities.
• Promotes collaboration and teamwork.
• Facilitates the option to review the project time and budget available.

The idea of this type of teleworking tool is to keep the bases of the project as clear as possible. Everyone involved should know who fulfills a certain function, who is responsible for the respective assignments, or how they must comply with the planned tasks.

In this sense, this teleworking tool seeks to be a much more direct and precise resource than traditional email. 

LastPass

The password manager par excellence. For the remote collaborator, it is common to open accounts in multiple portals and manage hundreds of passwords, but LastPass came to make this aspect easier.

What benefits does Lastpass offer to teleworkers? Its main virtue lies in the fact that the countless password recovery procedures are left aside, having the option of having them stored in a single place at the time of logging into a particular portal.

Besides keeping the different passwords safe, and having the option of storing them all in a Vault, this teleworking tool has the following benefits:

• Store multiple digital records.
• Secure password sharing.
• Being intuitive and practical.

Keeping all passwords in one place is what makes Lastpass one of the best telework tools.

WeTransfer

One of the most popular telecommuting platforms in the workplace. Through this tool, users of the tool will be able to send their files more quickly and easily.

Like other teleworking tools, WeTransfer is also cloud-based, so it is often used to transfer large files via email. In this way, remote collaborators have the opportunity to be able to send and receive any type of information that is useful for the fulfillment of their functions.

Now, one of its main attractions is that this platform does not require you to create an account or log in anywhere, which applies to both the person who sent the file and the person who received it. However, if you wish to subscribe and create your personal account, you will have the option of 2 plans:

• The free plan: with sending of up to 2 GB of multimedia files. 
• The paid plan: with sending of 20 GB of information.

Teleworking tools have become effective instruments to enhance remote work. According to Harvard Business Review, for many employees, “remote work is a way to increase work-life balance, productivity, and retention.”

With the emergence of new types of work, remote work tools support the work of these remote employees and enable teams to achieve their goals and business objectives. However, applying teleworking tools alone is not enough.

For a remote collaborator to be successful in fulfilling his or her assignments, he or she must comply with some of the following guidelines:

• Maintain a good internet connection, no matter where they are in the world.
• Improve and promote communication, both internally and externally.
• Look for the applications that are easiest to use and with which you can feel comfortable.

Did you know about these teleworking tools? By using these platforms, you will see that the work of remote work becomes a little simpler, improving working conditions and helping you to achieve the established objectives.

Remember that organization and successful communication with your collaborators are the keys to making remote work an enjoyable exercise full of self-knowledge.