Time management
Project Management
People Management
25 foolproof tools for teleworking
They make it easier to work remotely both individually and in teams There are tools for communication, meetings, storage, file sending, task management, creativity, productivity and integration.
In order to facilitate the integration of the digital environment into work processes, we present 25 infallible tools to maintain productivity, flows and rhythms.
- Communication
- Meetings
- Store and share files
- Send files
- Task and project management
- Email management
- Creativity
- Productivity
- Special Needs
- Complete Solutions
- Integration
Communication
Slack
Slack is a tool that allows members of a company to collaborate and maintain communication by creating group conversations (channels). These can be used to organise projects, discuss topics such as meetings or events, and maintain communication between members of a specialised team. It can be accessed from a computer or a mobile application. Some of its most important features are:
Creation of channels between different companies to communicate with customers, suppliers or partners. These channels can be open or closed so that anyone can join them or an invitation is required.
Allows integration with other tools to make use of them directly from the application and share all kinds of documents, images and resources: Google Drive, Calendar, Salesforce, Outlook, Gmail, Zoom or Trello. Use of statuses to indicate the status of any member so that they are not interrupted. This is especially useful for breaks, meetings, holidays, absences, calls or events, and makes it easy to contact them when the time is right.
Hangouts
The G Suite application is divided into a chat section and a video call section called Meet. It allows screen sharing and integration with almost all of Google's other products. The interface is simple and requires no plug-ins. Meetings can be accessed directly from a calendar event or an email invitation.
An important feature is that calls can be kept private or streamed on YouTube, which allows for many more participants and for anyone to ask questions to the interlocutor. Google says that the Enterprise edition "creates a dial-in number for each meeting, so everyone invited has a great experience even if they're travelling and don't have Wi-Fi or data".
Microsoft Teams
This is Microsoft's remote work centre. Its functions include chatting in groups or individually, creating videoconference meetings of up to 10,000 people, calling with its own telephone system and working collaboratively within the Office 365 Suite. In this way, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets can be consulted, shared and edited in real time between team members.
Meetings
Zoom
It is a remote conferencing tool hosted in the cloud, which allows video and audio calls for up to 1,000 participants, being able to view up to 49 videos on screen. In addition, it makes it possible to record conversations locally or in the cloud and transcripts can be added automatically generated by Artificial Intelligence.
One of the most interesting features is the ability to make collaborative annotations by sharing screens simultaneously, and options such as voting, questions and answers, calling for attention by raising hands virtually or attention indicators of the attendees; guaranteeing interactive meetings. Among the peculiarities of this application are the functions of retouching appearance and using virtual backgrounds, so that even if the environment is not the most appropriate, it can be made to look professional.
Whereby
This is a video meeting tool that can be used from any browser (including mobile phones) without the need to download an application. You don't need to log in to attend meetings, but you do need to organise them, so it's a quick and easy option. Whereby allows up to 50 participants and includes features such as screen sharing, screen recording and customisable links to access meetings.
Adobe Connect
This is Adobe's videoconferencing tool. Its main feature is that it allows total customisation of the interface, to adapt to every need at all times, making meetings inverse and interactive. In its design, different elements can be enabled on the screen: chat, video, surveys, simulations and annotations. In addition, the interlocutors can design the layout of the screen in a collaborative way.
File storage and sharing
Google Drive
Cloud storage manager that allows you to save any file such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations or other elements, not only from Google but also from other developers such as Microsoft Office. It allows you to share them with other users so that they can view them, download them and work on them without the need to send attachments by email. It can be accessed through web browsers, mobile devices or computers.
The most important functionality is that it enables collaborative work simultaneously for selected members in real time. They can comment on each other's activity to give feedback and make modifications on the spot. Another useful element for teams is Google Forms to carry out internal surveys and find out opinions on any issue or problem that arises in the company.
Dropbox
It is a multiplatform file hosting service in the cloud, which allows users to store and synchronise files online, between devices and share them with other users. It integrates with software such as Trello, Zapier and Salesforce.
Dropbox also includes Paper, a collaborative teamwork tool. It makes it possible to create lists with deadlines, track agendas, add files and leave ratings in real time. It allows you to share all kinds of content from checklists, tables, animated gifs, emoticons, files, links or even SoundCloud clips and YouTube links. Another interesting feature is its templates, created specifically for processes such as brainstorming, meeting minutes or project management plans.
iWork
Apple's office suite lets you sync Pages, Numbers and Keynote with iCloud, so a whole team can view and edit documents from the web browser of any of your iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC devices.
Send files
We Transfer
This is a service based on transferring large files online. It is very simple to use, as all you have to do is drag the content you want to send and fill in a form similar to an e-mail: recipient, sender, message... It even allows you to protect the files with a password.
In addition to this service, We Transfer has other services that are very focused on the creative industry. Paste is a tool for presenting creative ideas as a team, either to a client or to other employees. Collect allows you to create collaborative boards to which you can add links, images, videos or songs that can be shared and organised for moodboards, brainstorming or production treatments.
Ydray
It allows files to be sent without prior registration using only an email address or by generating a link that will allow it to be shared with anyone. It is a free service up to a capacity of 5Gb, 20 recipients and 50 files. Its payment options allow these features to be extended.
Task and Project Management
Trello
It is a team task organiser that uses different boards to organise and prioritise projects in a flexible way. Each task is organised on a card which in turn allows you to attach lists, links, content and due dates, as well as classifying them with labels and mentioning the members involved in each one.
Monday
A system that operates as a virtual work centre. This allows an overview of all processes to be carried out. It includes the automatic completion of tasks and the merging of templates according to the needs of each employee. By integrating with other tools, it also makes it possible to centralise processes, coordinate objectives, allocate resources and establish priorities easily among team members. It allows the development of add-ons, widgets, workflows and custom applications.
Tick Tick or Todoist
These are organisers that allow you to add tasks to do and receive reminders from the calendar so that you don't miss deadlines. It makes teamwork possible by sharing lists, assigning tasks to other members and adding comments to tasks. Synchronises with a multitude of devices, including smartwatches.
Project and task list organiser that allows you to see what each team member is working on at any given time. Add announcements, to-do lists, schedule actions or events, share documents and files, as well as talk via team chat.
Idonethis
This is a team activity monitoring tool. Team members log in every day via email or a browser. They can then add their tasks, see which ones are in progress and which ones cannot be done and how to resolve this situation. On the other hand it provides data on the progress and organisation of the team to facilitate decision making.
Email manager
Spark
This is an email account manager. It stands out for functions such as the intelligent prioritisation of messages from real people versus newsletters, the creation of teams to comment on mails privately (mails can be delegated to other team members), the possibility of creating shared drafts, the templates for replying to regular messages or the ability to postpone mails and remember them at another time (or even follow up on important mails).
Creativity
Mindnode
It is a tool for the conceptualisation of ideas, mind mapping and brainstorming processes. It is a very visual tool that helps to organise and write down the ideas that arise in a team. It allows the use of labels, notes, stickers, notes and can even be related to other tasks and other ideas that appear.
Stormboard
It is similar to a virtual whiteboard, where ideas can be captured, organised, commented on and prioritised, as well as notes and annotations. In this way you can create plans and projects, assign tasks to team members, give feedback, set deadlines and objectives. In order to collaborate as a team, it also allows you to export the documents generated to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel.
Productivity
Everything you need for the time control of your company and also the monitoring of projects and tasks, control the hours in each task and check the productivity of your company by worker, department or work centre.
Teamleader
The platform unifies CRM, project management, invoicing, support and incident management. It focuses more on customer relations than on teamwork. It allows you to manage the database of contacts and customers, send or automate invoices in a professional way, manage projects (it reports which ones are working well and which ones need more attention so that the time spent on them is recorded to improve profitability).
Focusmate
This is a virtual co-worker that helps to stop "procrastinating" and get work done effectively based on the psychological premise that "working with vigilance, forces human beings to commit to the completion of their tasks regardless of their willpower; discarding distractions and interruptions while working".
Chimp or Champ
It is a tool that allows to know the productivity of workers, as well as their satisfaction with their job and their involvement in it. It anonymously measures the pace of the team and promises to improve the productivity of each member. In this way, employees feel more listened to and motivated in their work activity.
Github
Is a software development and coding application focused on teamwork. It allows users to acquire roles in teams and grant permissions within them. The tool has a chat with moderation tools to maintain concentration on projects. It is open source and among its functions is an option to establish community guidelines or codes of conduct.
Complete Solutions
Zoho Remotely
The company Zoho has recently decided to make its Zoho Remotely suite of applications available to anyone free of charge. It is a suite of 11 cloud-based applications that allows users to stay connected, collaborate, track their work and support customers from anywhere in the world. These include a platform for instant messaging, videoconferencing, online training, project management, collaborative office automation (presentations, spreadsheets and word processing), as well as file management and remote support software.
Integration
Zapier
This is a task automation web service that allows integration with almost all of the above tools and applications. These connect with each other to establish workflows and operations not available on their platforms without the need for human supervision. It is also very useful for developing customised programmes for your company.
