Top 7 Tools To Effectively Manage Remote Working Teams In 2021

Times are changing, and 2020 has successfully transformed many aspects of our lives, a major one being the work culture across the globe. Seeing your colleagues every day at work, attending meetings, and being summoned by the boss are things of the past now. Today telecommunication has risen, and remote work is rampant, with individuals working together from different parts of the world towards a common goal. 

Since 2005 remote work has been steadily increasing and has grown up to 159%. Thanks to COVID-19, organizations that had never functioned remotely accepted it with open arms. To make things easier, you have got online management and productivity tools widely used by teams working from home. 

As per a recent survey, 77% of employees say they are more productive when working from home. But several companies have been on the fence for remote work, and to save time and resources, they have employed the use of collaboration tools that foster better teamwork. 

Remote work can pose several challenges for teams, but these online marketing tools have helped replace the office touchpoints with technology. 

How To Choose A Remote Work Tool?

The internet has an abundance of online management tools; you need to look for the features you require and zero down on one. An excellent remote work software must ensure that your team is on top of deadlines, maximizing productivity, and communicating effectively. Here are a few basic features that powerful management software must have:

• Time tracking and management

• Team and individual communication

• Third-party integrations

• File sharing 

• Easy-to-use interface

In case your team has individual specific requirements, you can look for software to do just that. With careful deliberation, you can find just the right tool for your team.

Here is a list of the top online management tools that help increase the efficiency of remote working teams:

1. ProofHub

ProofHub is a project management tool that makes planning, collaborating, executing, and culminating a project super easy and efficient. ProofHub is used in offices as well as by remote teams all across the globe. It helps managers to manage remote working teams to generate the best output productively. 

ProofHub comes with some fantastic features such as task lists, custom workflows and kanban boards, project timelines, custom reports, automatic timer, and more that make it a great option to bring all your projects together in one shared space. Moreover, it also has excellent collaboration features such as an in-built chat app, a dedicated space for online discussions, online proofing, file sharing, and more which can prove to be an asset for teams, especially during remote work, when communication and collaboration are quintessential. 

With numerous features under a single platform, ProofHub has made remote teamwork organized and effective. If you’re a team leader looking to promote transparency and collaboration, ProofHub is the perfect tool for you. 

2. Scoro

As a project management and collaboration tool, Scoro is highly beneficial for remote working teams looking to connect and work together. It is an entirely digitized platform that enables leaders to track real-time results through its dynamic dashboard and easy to use interface. 

Scoro enables leaders to streamline work and fosters better communication between remote working employees irrespective of the distance. It is the best platform to plan, schedule, and track all your projects. Scoro’s most famous feature is the time tracker that makes it a complete tool for simplifying time management. 

If you’re looking for a tool to manage your team while working from different geographical locations, Scoro is just the tool for you. 

3. Slack
   
   

Slack is another robust project management tool that is an excellent option for remote working teams looking to communicate with each other constructively. Slack enables teams to eliminate long, messy email threads and helps conversations flow easily while also enabling file sharing and third-party integration.

Over 75,000 companies across the globe use slack regularly, which is a testament to its credibility. This tool is designed for teams of all sizes and supports collaboration on a global scale. Slack is known to foster better communication and chat options; it also has audio and video call features. The software has a central, designated space for conversations, file sharing, and team announcements. Thus, Slack is a kind tool that has numerous upsides for remote working tools.

4. DottedSign

DottedSign is your electronic signing partner that helps you simplify the process of getting documents signed. The software lets you assign signers, manage and track the signing process and get notified when the signing task is completed. The best is that you can use it across all devices. With DottedSign, you will be saving a lot of your time that was earlier being spent on getting documents signed. 

The software comes with a free basic plan, which makes it even more enticing. Advanced features in the app include templates, in-person signing, secure password via sms, app lock and many more. 

5. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is another top quality time tracking and management tool that enables team monitoring and makes it easier for managers to work with remote employees. This software is exclusively designed to manage freelancers and outsourced tasks. Remote work can be overwhelming and challenging to manage at times, but Hubstaff’s smart time tracking feature enables users to track time directly from the browser or Hubstaff dashboard. 

Hubstaff incorporates 30 different management tools, making it a one-stop-shop for all the needs of a team. Hubstaff has an inbuilt GPS and geofence time tracking feature that helps employees clock in and out and sends automated reminders to the team. 

6. Trello

A dynamic collaboration and management tool, Trello is a boon for remote working teams. It has numerous features that help organize and streamline office work, making it an asset for remote working teams. 

Trello comes with built-in workflow automation tools that help teams stay on top of work even when working remotely. The most popular feature is custom boards for each team as well as for every project. It also can integrate with third-party applications and remains in sync with all your devices making remote work all the more comfortable and accessible. 

7. Troop Messenger 

Troop Messenger is a super accessible remote work tool with a wide variety of features to facilitate work from home effectively. From small business enterprises to large scale businesses, Troop Messenger is widely used by teams working from different locations. 

It is an easy-to-use tool with a fluid interface and user-friendly features addressing a team’s requirements and business needs. The most popular Troop Messenger features are audio and video calling, screen sharing, remote desktop control, and integration with essential applications such as Google Drive, DropBox, iCal, and many more. The Burnout feature allows members to chat in private within a stipulated time and even tag messages as Respond Later so you don’t forget to reply to important messages. Teams also can collaborate with freelancers, vendors, and clients through Troop Messenger and grow their business. 

8. Instagantt

Trusted by over 20,000 teams across the globe, Instagantt is an online Gantt chart software that helps teams manage projects and track their progress. It enables managers to manage their teams, schedule tasks, track time, and stay on top of deadlines. Instagantt helps managers stay updated with the team’s progress and workload, which prevents the overload of resources. 

Team members can easily organize their tasks and requirements to maximize their performance even while working remotely. The automatic project scheduling feature allows another excellent aspect of Instagantt as it enables users to track progress and be sure about what direction they’re heading. 

To conclude:

We all are aware that remote work is here to stay. With Coronavirus still affecting a huge chunk of the global population, working from home is a safe and smart choice. However, working from home comes with its challenges too, especially for managers who are responsible for an entire team and its performance. Keeping everyone’s work in check, ensuring the quality of work, and also maintaining employee satisfaction in mind can be a considerable challenge. 

This is where project management and collaboration tools come to the rescue of remotely functional teams. These tools help teams to work methodically and hence, ensure that their performance is in no way affected by their geographical locations. Remote working teams must employ these tools in their daily work routine. These are some of the top options for you to try if you want to keep your remote working team productive and sane during this period. Give them a try and see how they work for you.

All the best!