Monday, December 11, 2023
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How software can help you manage remote teams

Dominic Lill ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Recent statistics reveal that in June 2020, 38% of the UK’s adult worked from home during the Coronavirus lockdown.

So, how can you as a business effectively manage your remote team? Here are some ways in which software can help manage your remote teams.

software to manage remote teamsCommunication

When your teams are working remotely, it is more crucial than ever that communication is instant and reliable. New communication software tools often incorporate video-conferencing to replace everything from formal board meetings to quasi-social exchanges around the (virtual) water-cooler.

Some of the most popular tools on the market are Skype, Zoom, Outpost, Google Meet, and Slack each offering useful services.

  • Zoom, for example, provides meeting rooms, chats and conference options;
  • Slack is a channel-based messaging system where you can create different channels based on teams/subjects. Team members can chat and share files. Slack also integrates with Google Drive.

Project management

Project management tools offer some of the best ways of keeping your team members focused on the mission in hand – especially when they are working remotely. They can help teams collaborate and improve productivity.

Tasks can be delegated, and the software ensures all team members are aware of progress on different projects.

  • Trello, for example, is set up with improved management of your remote working teams specifically in mind. It can be set up to work with other platforms such as Google Drive, Slack and Salesforce to manage multiple workflows;
  • Basecamp promises an all-in-one solution for remote working and focuses on the benefits of collaboration through the sharing of ideas, group discussions of projects, the setting of individual tasks, and groups recognition of when the mission is complete;
  • Asana brings your team’s goals, plans, tasks and files together in one shared space. Its useful Timeline feature helps you map out projects and manage dependent, overlapping, and unscheduled tasks.

File sharing

Practically any of the software packages mentioned so far will also benefit from user-friendly and secure file-sharing. Although there are many ways that your existing communications packages may allow the sharing of text files, spreadsheets, images, and so on, a dedicated file-sharing platform is likely to offer the most efficient solution.

You might want to take a look at Google Drive – not only is it free to use (up to a point), but any number of team members can also use it at the same time.

Security

The rise of remote working has led to an increase in cyber-attacks, so it is crucial to have security measures in place. Ask team members to avoid using Wi-Fi and instead encourage the use of a virtual private network (VPN). Ensure employees have up to date anti-virus software installed on their computers and use a password manager for added security.

The management of remote working teams may present new challenges for businesses large and small. Software can help you rise to the challenge of how to manage your remote teams and ensure that your business continues to work at optimum capacity.