Unlocking the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant can transform your business. Its seamless integration with Microsoft 365 staples such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint enable instantaneous co-authoring and smooth workflow amalgamation. Furthermore, Teams prioritizes security and compliance, boasting robust measures to safeguard sensitive data and uphold regulatory standards. Leaders in 100+ countries have fewer, better, shorter meetings thanks to Fellow. Online, you still attend brainstorming sessions, project retrospectives, and Friday afternoon coffee breaks with far-off colleagues. You still need to ask questions and communicate with coworkers on the daily.
These tools serve as virtual workspaces where remote workers can connect, share ideas, collaborate on projects, and manage tasks in real-time. Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that combines chat, video conferencing, and file sharing into one unified workspace. As part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, it seamlessly integrates with tools like Word, Excel, and SharePoint, allowing teams to co-author documents and manage projects without switching between apps.
Jira is a powerful project management tool (developed by Atlassian) widely used by agile teams for planning, tracking, and managing software development projects. Its features support various agile methodologies (including Scrum and Kanban), making it a foundational tool for teams looking to improve productivity and collaboration. From well-known video conferencing apps to robust platforms that can juggle multiple projects, we’ll be covering all the bases with these 12 collaboration tools for remote teams. Keeping teams engaged remotely involves fostering connection and recognition.
Miro is an online collaborative whiteboard platform that helps distributed teams with brainstorming, planning, and project management. It offers a flexible and intuitive interface that allows users to create, share, and collaborate on visual content in real time. Miro is especially useful for teams that need to brainstorm ideas, map out processes, and visualize complex projects together. Effective collaboration requires clear communication, structured workflows, and the right tools. Use messaging apps like Slack for real-time updates and project management tools like Monday.com for task tracking.
To drill down into the topic, we’ve put together a detailed guide on the basics of collaboration for remote teams, introducing the best practices and highlighting how to make the most of them. Foster collaboration, manage resources, and improve team productivity with tailored tools. Integrated within your daily tools like Microsoft Teams, the app ensures you stay ahead of all tasks and meetings.
Workleap, Asana, and Slack are among the most widely used collaboration solutions for distributed teams. Together, these platforms help millions of remote workers boost productivity and collaborate with ease. Miro is an online whiteboard tool with an infinite canvas for idea sharing and real-time team collaboration. Remote teams often use it for brainstorming and digital whiteboarding, mapping, and planning.
The platform offers additional features like shared calendars and project reporting. Plus, remote team collaboration it integrates with many common tools like Gmail, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, so you can easily use the apps you already know and enjoy. Monday.com is a flexible remote collaboration tool that helps teams manage projects, workflows, and everyday activities. It provides a visual and intuitive interface that makes it easy for teams to collaborate, stay organized, and keep track of their progress.
It allows you to customize every type of project without having to be a coding expert. Effective collaboration allows remote teams to communicate effortlessly and, ultimately, increase productivity through streamlined outcomes. Without taking steps to improve remote collaboration, your virtual team could be at risk of a lack of visibility, unclear objectives, and poor planning.
It allows for organized communication through channels, private messaging, and integrations with other apps like Google Drive and Zoom. Slack’s free plan includes basic messaging features, while premium plans start at $7.25 per month per user, which includes additional file storage and more integrations. Slack is best used for team communication, project collaboration, and quick file sharing.
You can easily share your ideas by creating freehand drawings, annotating images, and using sticky notes—all in real-time. Collaborative meetings allows you to leverage your team’s diverse perspectives and expertise. Everyone on your team is trying to be effective, together—even if we’re all practicing social distancing to varying degrees. Follow the four tips above to learn how to collaborate effectively if your team is remote so you can connect more frequently (even if it's different than you would in an office). With your colleagues, share what’s been working with you and ask if they have any new tips.
There is no one-size-fits-all tool; rather, look for software that fits your needs in terms of cost, functionality, number of supported users, and other factors. As sensitive data is shared and accessed remotely, security and compliance are crucial factors to consider when selecting a collaboration tool for remote team. Furthermore, Google Workspace's seamless integration with a variety of third-party applications amplifies its value for remote teams. Clockwise is an AI-powered time management tool that boosts the productivity of remote employees. It also allows integration with communication tools such as Google Sheets, Dropbox, and Google Drive. It’s a one-stop solution for messaging, video calls, and phone calls to simplify communication on any channel.
This cadence is best for leadership teams, departmental reviews, or for discussing topics that benefit from a broader perspective and an extended reflection period. It offers a platform to examine the bigger picture, review key metrics, celebrate significant achievements, and set or adjust longer-term goals. Prepare and distribute materials well in advance to allow for thoughtful consideration, and maintain focus on strategic outcomes rather than tactical details. Meeting cadence refers to the established frequency, schedule, and duration of recurring meetings within a team or organization. Vimeo’s video collaboration tools enhance workflows with screen recording, video editing, and secure sharing.
Once you see past the common myths about cross-team collaboration, embracing diverse perspectives and building stronger teams become easier. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies turned to video messaging tools like Zoom and Loom to collaborate with their teams. Notion's flexibility makes it perfect for teams that want to build their own systems.
It’s best for teams using agile methodologies, software development, and tracking project progress. If your team is fully remote, your organization needs to invest in the right digital tools. Collaboration software, project management tools and communication technology must enhance virtual collaboration. Teams must be able to access their tools from anywhere and get updates in real-time to meet common goals. Zoom stands out as an outstanding video conferencing solution, highly preferred by remote workers for its smooth and dependable communication capabilities. Whether it's a crucial team meeting, a client presentation, or an informative training session, Zoom facilitates crystal-clear communication, enriching collaboration despite geographical barriers.
It’s a useful productivity platform for both broader teams and individual employees, with its variety of workspace templates. Involving team members in the goal-setting process increases engagement and trust while aligning team behaviors. Beyond task-oriented goals, it’s important to set expectations for online presence, communication, and conflict resolution to support collaboration.
Gain insights into productivity, engagement and well-being with a suite of tools designed for the modern remote workforce. Outside the basic details, it’s also important to ensure remote employees don’t waste time in unnecessary meetings. To improve effectiveness, only hold meetings when a discussion is more efficient than an email or group chat.
Managers of remote teams should lead by example and participate to improve personal connections and productivity, rather than as a top-down mandate. When choosing the right Collaboration Tool for remote teams, start by thoroughly assessing your team's specific needs. This involves understanding their communication preferences, project management requirements, and file sharing needs. By pinpointing these aspects, you can focus on options that align with your team's preferences and workflow.