Anyone working with a remote workforce faces many different challenges – tracking projects that are being worked on, building and maintaining company camaraderie, and negotiating staffers’ varying schedules. This requires the use of tools that are more advanced than just webcams.
Here are some apps that can change the way you work from home:
BeamPro
Usually, for video conferencing, we all use Skype, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime. However, BeamPro by Suitable Technologies is a screen-equipped, five-foot-tall mobile robot that offers more interactive features. Employees working from home can easily use Beam’s video game-like app to drive a Beam at speeds of more than two miles per hour, with those who share similar interests.
Zoom
This is another popular app used by many companies across the world for video conferencing. Other video conferencing services might result in distorted audio when people talk at the same time or choppy video quality. But with Zoom, conference leaders have more control, they can mute certain participants when needed. Zoom also displays the quality of each participant’s internet connection. With this feature, it’s easier to understand why a certain participant’s audio or video quality is lagging behind.
Clockify
This is an efficient time tracking app that allows your team to keep track of their work hours. This can be done in 3 ways:
– Adding time in a timesheet view
– Tracking time while working, by using a timer
– Adding time manually, after you finish working
By glancing at the ‘Dashboard’ section of this app, you can even see what your teammates are working on currently. Once all the data is entered by your team, you can generate reports and see who worked on what, when, and for how long.
Slack
This is a classic communication app that allows you to handle all your team communication specialized private or public channels, and direct messages (sent to groups or individuals).
When the team is working remotely, streamlining the team’s communication gains more importance, and Slack helps you minimize response time. You can even set a work status, which will help your teammates understand whether you’re running an errand, or taking a lunch break), conduct video calls with groups and individuals, and share attachments.
Doodle
This online calendar app can help you track your deadlines, and organize meetings, tasks, and other activities.
If your team is scattered all over the world, it’ll be easier to check everyone’s availability based on their time zones using Doodle. To ensure that the team responds in a timely manner to meeting requests, you can define auto-reminders and set deadlines that urge participants to send their confirmations faster.