Working remotely was not as popular just 5 years ago as it is now. However, facing the challenges of a global pandemic pushed lots of companies to let their employees work in the comfort of their homes. This has raised the demand for more reliable tools that allow us to continue working while keeping our distances.
Working remotely became the solution to keep our economy moving amidst the lockdowns, and as an effort to slow down the spread of coronavirus. Thanks to tech advancements, what seemed impossible years ago now became the new normal.
Any business that fails to adapt to the remote work technologies might not be around for much longer. In order to progress, you have to embrace these changes.
Now you might think that working in a remote setup is easy, but this isn’t always the case. There are worries on how to keep track of your employees’ activities, or whether they are being productive or just slacking off. You have to find new ways to manage projects and keep everything organized.
Thankfully, all these burdens can be lifted through the following technology trends that your remote workers can use to keep the business going:
1) Cloud-based solutions
Before the pandemic, most companies used local networks to store information. Employees had to work with on-premise tools like corporate software, office phone systems, and conference rooms.
The fact that each employee has to use different tools in order to complete a task can take too much time and energy. Having to switch from one tool to another can be a hassle and may even hinder productivity. Moreover, since all data is stored locally, employees have limited access.
In today’s world, cloud-based solutions can replace all the bulky outdated equipment that used to fill entire rooms. You can now access data from with an internet connection. All the data is stored in a cloud-based platform. You can also choose to move your business communications to a cloud-based contact center.
Through the use of cloud-based platforms, the employees may upload and interact with their file, and all these can happen remotely. This provides convenience for employees who work not only from home, but also for those who like travelling while being productive and active workers.
In contrast to the old assumption that working outside the premises of your office is not efficient, working remotely can actually lead to higher productivity rate with the use of appropriate tools.
2) Team Management Tools
One of the fears of most of the employers in a remote work setup is checking their employees’ activity. Some may already have the notion that working from home may lead to a lot of distractions that may slow down productivity.
In contrast, according to PwC’s US Remote Work Survey in January 2021, 83% of employers have confirmed that working remotely has become a success. With proper tools and softwares, you can be confident that each employee does the job well.
One of the most effective tools that come in handy are time tracking tools. Some of the applications that you may use are Hubstaff, Time Doctor, TSheets, and Toggl Track. Which works best depends on what you need.
With time tracking tools like Hubstaff, you can easily check your employees’ web activity within their working hours. It takes screenshots randomly to make sure that everyone dedicates their time solely on completing tasks and nothing else.
For your employees, since working outside the traditional office space may cause distractions, these time tracking apps can help in keeping their focus. Although it’s good that they can work with minimal supervision, a little checking from time to time won’t be too much.
The use of these tools track, manage, and report your employees’ activity on a day-to-day basis. This is so much easier than having to physically check on them one by one in an office setup, isn’t it?
3) Collaborative Tools
Collaboration is the core of every successful business. This became a real struggle for most companies due to forced isolation caused by the pandemic. Nowadays, working remotely is no longer just an option, but a must.
There are a lot of collaborative tools that can help depending on your needs. These are not limited to video conferencing and instant messaging, but also includes file sharing, document editing, slide presentations, and data management.
The first step in choosing the best collaborative app for your team is knowing what you need. Do you need a tool solely for video conferencing, or do you need one for email management? What kind of projects are you working on? Do you need an app that can integrate several tools that you may use, in short an all-purpose app? How big or small is your team?
Some of the collaborative tools that you can choose from are Slack, Zoom, Google Slides, Hive, Bit.ai, etc.
Slack is one of the best tools that you may use for instant messaging. In this app, you may create different channels with different designated tasks. You are also allowed to share files and documents.
This app combines all the communication tools that you may need including group messages, direct messages, voice calls, and even video calls up to 15 participants. It also allows integrations with 2000 apps you can choose from in the app directory.
Another well-known collaborative app is Zoom. It is currently the most widely-used app for video conferencing. It is used for group meetings, and other virtual events like webinars. Zoom allows up to 100 participants by default, so if you are conducting a huge virtual event for your company, this app is highly recommended.
Aside from being used as a productive tool, Zoom can also be utilized to hold non-work related events within your employees just like virtual parties. This kind of activity may be counter-productive, but raising the morale of your workers can help your business grow beyond what you think is possible.
If your business needs collaborative presentations, Google Slides can be the easiest one to use. It allows your team to simultaneously give comments during presentations. Plus, it also allows you to create, edit, and present from anywhere.
Hive is also one of the most effective project collaboration tools in the market. Just like Slack, it enables your team to communicate efficiently, and it also allows file sharing. It can be accessible via mobile and desktop.
Aside from Hive’s collaborative function, it also has time tracking and timesheets. It also has app integrations that you can choose from.
Aside from Google Docs, Bit.ai is another handy document collaboration app. It allows anyone on your team to make comments, write, and edit contents simultaneously. Bit.ai also helps you enhance your write ups with digital contents like videos, music, charts, and more.
There are tons of apps that allow collaboration wherever your employees are. You just have to find the right options based on your goals.
4) Online Business Phone Systems
Making and receiving phone calls is one thing you can never get away from in business no matter how big or small. It is the easiest and most common way to communicate with people in and outside our business.
The most advanced system when it comes to the telephone innovation is Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP. This allows inbound and outbound calls wherever you are in the world. The only thing you need is a computer with stable internet connection.
As we know, online business phone systems are not limited to making and receiving calls. There are other tools or apps that you need to integrate in order to do things swiftly. One of the best VoIP providers out in the market is ULTATEL.
Whether you have a large scale business or a starting one, you must consider switching from the traditional landline to VoIP. This provides you a hassle-free communication line since you can collaborate anywhere through any available device.
Moreover, ULTATEL also offers an effortless installment. There are no costly maintenance fees every month. So if you are just starting your business venture and you want to cut your phone bills, this might be the right time to switch.
The use of VoIP has been a huge leap in expanding businesses. Since you can now communicate real-time to anyone and anywhere in the globe, you may hire remote workers from other countries without worrying about all the hassles.
Summary
With the future ahead of us still uncertain, most companies have been deciding to continue the remote work setup even after the pandemic. This is perhaps the change that we did not think we were going to make in our work system before the pandemic.
Having to work remotely is indeed a challenge both to the employers and employees. However, with the technology that we have today, it’s impossible to have a problem that does not have a solution yet.
Keep in mind that working together does not always have to mean working in one place. Collaborations that happen virtually have huge potentials to turn your goals into reality.
Digital Web Services (DWS) is a leading IT company specializing in Software Development, Web Application Development, Website Designing, and Digital Marketing. Here are providing all kinds of services and solutions for the digital transformation of any business and website.
