Need remote technology to help you telecommute? Keep your team connected with free tools for remote work.
With the right technology in place, remote employees can hold virtual meetings, communicate via real-time messaging, collaborate on projects, and share documents.
Many remote work tools have free versions, making it affordable for small business teams to stay productive, accountable, and connected while away from the office. Paid versions may be a better fit for your needs and goals.
Remote work tools can improve communication, management, and collaboration, in addition to allowing you to work from home or anywhere you have Internet access.
The coronavirus has changed the way work is done around the world. Instead of working in an office every day, many employees now work from their living rooms, kitchens, and home offices. Remote work has grown in popularity in recent years, and the current climate makes remote work a must for many in the workforce. To facilitate this new work environment, many small businesses are eagerly looking for free remote work tools. If free remote work doesn’t fit your needs, paid remote work may be right for you.
What types of remote work tools are available?
There are many types of remote work tools that employees can use to work efficiently from home, and Miranda Nicholson, vice president of human resources at Formstack, recommends four types: communication, scheduling, project management, and file sharing. remote work software should be looked for, she says.
What are the benefits of using remote work tools?
The purpose of using remote work tools is to give your out-of-office employees (who may live across the country) the feeling that they are right next door to you. Remote work tools allow employees to stay connected, no matter how remote they are. In these uncertain times, miscommunication, missed progress, missed opportunities, and disappointed customers are not acceptable.
Now is a good time to look at the benefits of remote work tools as companies rethink their team environments and cultural strategies,” said Billy Boughey, founder and president of Elevate Experiences.
Boughey told Business News Daily, “There are many resources that employees can use to do their own work from home and connect with their employees without losing productivity.” Remote work tools can help employees stay on track, achieve results, and maximize output. Having the right mindset is the key to unlocking a great remote work environment, and remember that you don’t have to meet in person to get personal.”
In addition to allowing people to work from anywhere with an Internet connection, remote work tools allow for better communication, management, and collaboration. With seamless integration and connectivity in remote work, teams can quickly host video calls, send each other messages in real time, and easily access each other.
Editor’s Note: Need remote PC services for your business? Complete the survey below and one of our vendor partners will contact you with free information. What are some of the best free and paid remote work tools available?
The best free and paid remote work tools can keep your team productive, accountable, and connected. These tools are essential for companies transitioning to remote work for COVID-19 and other reasons. They not only provide employees with the resources they need to be productive when working outside of the office, but they do so at no cost, which is critical for revenue-driven small businesses. Here are some of the best free remote work tools and paid options, categorized by software type.
Remote Communication Tools
Tools that help teams stay connected through instant messaging, video conferencing, phone calls, and more. [Business phone systems like Nextiva can integrate both capabilities through VoIP]. Email is important, but an inbox makes it difficult to manage and maintain conversations. With the new communication platform, teams can easily follow threads and add others to the conversation. Such a platform eliminates barriers to conversation and ensures that conversations are on topic and relevant.
Slack.
Slack is an instant messaging platform that allows you to organize conversations into shared channels and communicate with team members around the world.
Slack offers a free version that small and medium-sized businesses can use for an unlimited period of time. This includes access to the team’s 10,000 most recent messages, one-on-one voice and video calls between teammates, and up to 10 integrations with other applications such as Google Drive and Office 365.
The paid Slack option is recommended for small and medium-sized businesses that routinely conduct online meetings, with full integration with the Slack tool, plus inclusion of identity protection. Message history is also stored.Slack’s paid program allows you to keep your team meetings and communications secure without time constraints.
Zoom
Zoom is a remote video conferencing service that helps teams stay connected through video chat, conference rooms, and phone calls. The service offers online meetings, video webinars, cross-platform messaging, file sharing, and more, wherever you are.
Zoom’s basic plan is free and includes hosting for up to 100 participants and unlimited one-on-one meetings; groups of three or more can meet for up to 40 minutes at a time with this plan. The free basic plan also provides HD video and audio, full-screen and gallery views, simultaneous screen sharing, and plug-ins for Chrome and Outlook; it supports Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android operating systems.
Many remote workers choose the paid version of Zoom to accommodate virtual communication; one of the major drawbacks of Zoom’s free version is the time limit. Many companies find it difficult to limit meeting time to 40 minutes or less. Paid plans allow unlimited meeting time. Paid plans also support cloud storage of meetings and streaming to social media.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a communication hub for team collaboration in Office 365 that combines workplace chat, video conferencing, cloud storage, and app integration Microsoft Teams is free until January 2021 and Downloadable.
With the free version of Microsoft Teams, remote teams have access to unlimited chats, built-in group and one-on-one audio or video calls, 10GB of team file storage, and 2GB of personal file storage per user. office 365 license You can already use Microsoft Teams if you have an Office 365 license.
Convene
Convene provides additional support for virtual meetings, including interactive Q&A and polling options; meetings can be held for two to four hours per day and breakout rooms are provided. Top-of-the-line classes offer in-depth analytics to assess attendee engagement.
Remote Scheduling Tools
Teams can use these tools to schedule meetings and share calendars. This allows employees to check in regularly to see everyone’s availability. Many tools sync directly with your calendar and automatically send meeting reminders and invitations, reducing unnecessary emails.
HubSpot Meetings
HubSpot Meetings syncs with your Google Calendar or Office 365 calendar, allowing you to set your own availability and schedule meetings for your clients and employees. The tool provides form fields on the meeting page to store contact information. HubSpot Meetings is free to start, and the number of meetings is unlimited.
Setmore
Setmore is an appointment scheduling tool that organizes calendars, client lists, appointment pages, and staff profiles. The tool provides access to all appointments from anywhere in the world and allows teams and clients to reschedule appointments directly from their inboxes, eliminating time-consuming phone calls.
Setmore’s free basic plan includes logins and calendars for up to four staff members, with automatic alerts and notifications. This service allows you to schedule appointments with clients online. The free basic plan also integrates with third-party apps and platforms such as Facebook, Mailchimp, Zendesk, and Zapier.
10 to 8
10to8 is an appointment and scheduling program that is becoming more popular as telecommuting increases. A free version is available, but the number of people allowed to log in is limited to two and the number of appointments per month is limited to 100. The paid version supports a minimum of two staff log-ins per month and 100, 300, or 600 appointments (or a customized number) per month. The paid version also allows you to customize your company’s branding.
Remote Project Management Tool
Various tasks and assignments can be created and shared remotely. Team members can collaborate on projects and managers can easily track progress and project completion.
Project management tools are typically cloud-based, multi-user platforms with many features, including mobile apps for on-the-go status updates and real-time task views to monitor multiple projects at once.
Basecamp
Basecamp is a management tool that puts everything your team needs to get the job done in one place. With message boards, to-do lists, file storage, real-time group chat, and automated check-in questions for each project, Basecamp works with third-party mobile and desktop applications such as TaskClone, Zapier, Project Buddy, and Zoho Flow. Basecamp also integrates with third-party mobile and desktop applications such as TaskClone, Zapier, Project Buddy, and Zoho Flow.
Basecamp Personal is a free plan for individual projects and small teams that includes 16 GB of cloud storage and allows for three independent projects and up to 20 users.
The majority of users prefer Basecamp Business for their company’s needs. This paid option allows unlimited features and users. The large amount of storage needed to maintain workflow is also part of the paid plan. In addition, stored projects are guaranteed for as long as you need access.
Asana
Asana is a project and task management tool designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work wherever they are. Automation features reduce bottlenecks, streamline approvals, convert standard projects into custom templates, and save time manually updating project schedules when deadlines change.
Asana offers a free basic plan for up to 15 team members, with calendar and list views to assign tasks and due dates. The free plan integrates with third-party apps such as Jira Cloud, Adobe Creative Cloud, Gmail, and Slack.
Remote File Sharing and Cloud Storage Tools
These tools allow teams to securely share and store files in the cloud to facilitate collaborative activities. File sharing services make sharing interactive files incredibly easy. Edit content, add comments, and collaborate from anywhere in the world. [Read related article: Best Solutions for Cloud Backup and Storage].
Dropbox
Dropbox is a file sharing service that provides cloud storage and file synchronization in a centralized workspace.Create cloud content such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Microsoft Office files, Dropbox Paper, and more, Dropbox Basic is a file sharing service that provides a centralized workspace.
Dropbox Basic is a free account with 2GB of storage. With this account, you can access and share photos and documents from any device, and easily back up and restore shared files. Dropbox Basic is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android operating systems.
Google Drive
Google Drive is a cloud storage service that allows users to store, sync, share, and access files on any device. as a service of G Suite, Google Drive integrates with other Google applications such as Google Forms, Drawings, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, Google Drive is integrated with other Google applications such as Google Forms, Drawings, Docs, Sheets, and Slides.Google Drive personal plans include 15 GB of free cloud storage. Your storage account is used by Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos to store files, email attachments, and back up photos and videos in one workspace Google Drive is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, The free version of Google Drive tends to fill up quickly.
Time Tracking
Timesheet applications and software tools are essential for accountability among company staff. Time tracking applications are also essential for project budget planning. Below are free and paid virtual options for time tracking.
Clockify (Free)
If you are looking for a user-friendly tool for free, consider Clockify. This application features unlimited users and unlimited projects. Features include a virtual timer to record time, pre-filled timesheets, and categorization by project. Timesheets can also be marked as billable or paid. The reporting feature is customizable and provides a visual breakdown.
Toggl (free and paid plans)
Toggl is free to register, and paid options offer more advanced features such as billable rates, time audits, calendar integration, and project templates. The program runs as an application, but is also supported as a browser extension; Toggl also works offline.
