Remote working is becoming increasingly popular, with the number of remote workers in the UK reaching 5.6 million in 2020. In fact, the percentage of UK adults completing any work from home increased from 27% in 2019 to 37% in 2020, with 24% of businesses intending to increase hybrid working moving forward.
Whilst this brings a wave of positives, such as improved work-life balance and autonomy, remote working isn’t without its challenges. The thought of maintaining team motivation, creativity and productivity without face-to-face interaction can be daunting, but you’re not on your own!
From managing complex projects to encouraging energetic team collaboration, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite remote working tools designed to help you and your colleagues thrive.
Project management tools
Trello
Now, you’ve probably heard of Trello and for good reason – it’s super easy to set up and use.
Trello is a popular board-style project management tool which enables users to organise, manage and share tasks. The board works on a drag-and-drop basis, with the ability to add priorities, deadlines, files and images to tasks.
The management system is also compatible with hundreds of additional ‘Power-Ups’ like EverNote, MailChimp and Slack. Your remote workers will be seamlessly kept on track, even if a project requires multiple platforms and tools.
Best of all, the software offers a brilliant free package, making this option ideal for startups and small businesses getting off the ground.
Perfect for: beginners, start-ups, SMEs and larger companies (upgrade to the ‘business class’ package).
Asana
Are you a fan of automation? Then you’ll love Asana!
Asana is a multi-purpose task management system which enables users to create ‘Rules’ and automate the task flow process, saving precious time for members of your team.
Like Trello, Asana also offers a board-style interface, however the tool is highly customisable and has greater flexibility for your unique project management style and business requirements.
While there is a free version, many of the most useful features are only available through their paid plans, making the software more suited towards SMEs.
Perfect for: SMEs, larger companies.
Team collaboration tools
Slack
When it comes to remote working, communication is key.
That’s why Slack is specifically designed to ensure everyone in your team can easily stay up to date and remain in sync with each other. All information is kept in one, extremely organised platform, allowing users to revisit important discussions or documents whenever it’s needed.
The great thing about Slack is that it will integrate with the majority of project management and productivity tools, making sure consistent communication is encouraged across your team and important information is never lost.
Perfect for: startups and small teams using the free version, SMEs upgrading to the paid version.
Miro
If you’re a team who thrives on getting creative, brainstorming and collaborating, then you’ll want to know about Miro.
Miro is a collaborative whiteboard platform that enables remote teams to run engaging and energetic meetings using a zoomable canvas. Whether you’re brainstorming a marketing strategy or mapping out a complex process, Miro will help to ensure everyone can get their creative juices flowing.
The tool is a brilliant addition to the toolset of any team who is motivated by visual prompts and a more interactive meeting style.
Perfect for: startups all the way up to enterprise businesses, depending on your chosen package.
Productivity tools
Evernote
Evernote is a powerful productivity tool that enables users to make notes, create to-do lists and stay organised, no matter where they are working.
Whether you’re a startup or more established small business, Evernote can help increase productivity by allowing users to keep important information in an easily accessible place – with the added ability to scan documents and save pages across the web.
For professional users, Evernote even integrates with certain project management tools which allow you to transform checklists within your notes into actionable to-do lists within your task management system.
Perfect for: startups and SMEs.
Toggl
When you’re working remotely, it’s easy to get distracted and you may often finish the day asking yourself where the time has gone.
Toggl is an easy to use time-tracking tool which helps you manage your time and stay accountable. You’ll be able to create reports to increase productivity and, most importantly, make sure you’re not overworking yourself.
There’s even a built-in Pomodoro timer to test out different productivity techniques which work for your team.
Perfect for: freelancers, startups, SMEs and larger businesses.
Business management tools
Telephone answering
When your team isn’t in an office and employees have to manage calls coming through remotely, calls can be missed – whether that’s a new lead, an existing customer or important information you have been waiting on.
While it’s more of a service than a tool, Virtual HQ offers professional telephone answering services using a local phone number tailored to your business. All phone calls will be received by a professional team member using your company name, giving you time to focus on running your business!
Contact us to find out how we can help your remote business stay organised and save time with our professional telephone answering services.
