Keep Your Remote Team Connected With These Essential Business Communication Tools
The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact communities across the world, and the majority of people in Canada and the U.S. are practicing social distancing. Fortunately, if your employees are able to work remotely, they can still be productive while working from home.
When team members can’t meet in person, you may need to revamp the way work gets done, and that includes reevaluating the tools you use to communicate. Your team needs the ability to collaborate effectively and efficiently, and there’s no shortage of products available to help with that task.
Choosing the right tools isn’t always straightforward, so read on to learn about our favorite cloud-based software tools for remote communication, plus tips on how to get the most from each tool.
1. Slack
There’s a reason so many professionals love using Slack to chat with their colleagues throughout the day — it’s user-friendly and incredibly powerful.
Slack organizes conversations in the form of channels, threads and direct messages, limiting how often your team needs to battle their email inboxes. Conversations are searchable, too.
When you utilize integrations with other tools like Google Docs and Salesforce, this tool also streamlines workflows and project management across the company.
2. Zoom
There are plenty of video conferencing tools to choose from, like Skype for Business and GoToMeeting, but Zoom remains one of the most popular tools available for online meetings.
The video quality is high and it’s a stable platform that works well across devices, whether you’re calling in from a phone or using video on your laptop. It’s also easy to use, with interactive features like screen sharing and co-annotation.
3. Trello
Every team needs a project management tool to keep track of tasks, deadlines and deliverables. There are tons of cloud-based tools available, and one size doesn’t fit all, but Trello is a great option that works for a wide variety of businesses.
Trello is versatile and can be customized to the way your team works. If integrations with tools like Slack and Google Docs are important to your company, you’ll be happy to know that Trello supports a wide range of app integrations. Since the tool is cloud-based, team members can access Trello from any device.
4. G Suite
Google’s G Suite includes Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Meet and a host of other helpful business tools. You can’t beat the convenience of having all of these tools in one place, attached to a single account for each team member.
With G Suite, your team can easily store important files, collaborate on documents and presentations in real-time, reach one another via several different communication tools and so much more.
No tool can fix deep-rooted communication problems
Each of these tools can make it easier for you and your business’s team to get more work done, but they won’t fix underlying communication problems.
If your team struggles to collaborate effectively, spend some time thinking critically about how those problems can be solved. Your business needs a strong team, so never underestimate the importance of building a solid foundation.
