As we are into another week of working from home (remotely) and we are still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all had to learn to adapt.
We have put together a list of our top apps for working remotely as we do currently or as individuals working from home where you need to collaborate effectively with others.
These apps allow us to collaborate, communicate and organise our days effectively.
Google Drive
A powerful file sharing and collaboration tool where multiple people can work on the same documents and sheets at the same time.
With a free Google Drive account, you get 15 GB of storage. The storage gets used by Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos so you can store files, save your email attachments and back up photos and videos. For more than 15 GB, you can upgrade to Google one or Drive Enterprise for around £5 per user per month.
Google Drive integrates seamlessly with Gmail, so it is perfect if you are already using Gmail.
Microsoft Teams
A chat-based collaboration tool that provides global and remote teams, with the ability to work together or remotely on shared information through departmental groups that you can create.
There are many features like document collaboration, document store private chat, team chat and Video Meetings linked which links directly into your Microsoft Outlook calendar. Teams integrate with many other applications such as Skype for ease of use.
A nice feature in the chat tool is that you can see instantly which members of the team are online, busy or away.
Slack
Slack is a free collaboration hub, in Slack conversations happen in the channels organised by topics, projects or teams whatever makes sense for your company.
Co-workers can chat with colleagues on the instant messaging feature they can also share and edit documents.
Slack integrates with the apps and services you and your team already use every day such as Google Drive, DropBox and zoom to mention a few.
WhatsApp is fast becoming the go-to app for instant messaging. WhatsApp is great for co-worker conversations by utilizing the group option you can communicate freely and securely.
WhatsApp has a full end to end encryption on all data sent through their network, can send text, voice, video or files knowing it is safe to do so.
WhatsApp is great for people working from home in small groups.
Zoom
Known for video, voice conference calls for groups and one-to-one. The free version offers unlimited meetings, but group chats are limited to 40 participants and a maximum of a 40-minute’s per meeting.
Some of the great features include screen-sharing, group messaging and the sharing of files.
Skype
One of the longer-standing favourites for on-on-one chat and group chats, video calling and sending files. Skype for Business is also an option which integrates with Office 365 Teams and increases the call limit from 25 to 250 people.
Google hangouts
google hangouts integrates with Gmail and is useful for individuals or businesses using the Google suite, you can use Google Hangouts for voice and video calls, create group chats or chat directly with your co-workers. Additional features are the ability to send videos and images.
Trello
Trello is a fantastic tool for project and task management. The visual Kanban boards are flexible, shareable and let you pack a lot of detail into each card.
Trello board is a list of lists, filled with cards, used by you and your team, it’s a lot more than that, though. Trello has everything you need to organize projects, open a card, add comments, upload file attachments, create checklists, add labels, due dates, and more.
Take the time to review the Apps
There is a lot to take in, let alone learning to adapt to working remotely, take the time to try and review the apps, see how they can add productivity to your day.
