10 Best Apps For Remote Workers
Updated: Nov 16, 2022
Remote work is here to stay.
Employees all over the world prefer to work from home.
According to a survey, 62% of employees will prefer working from home forever.
That’s almost two-thirds!
However, working remotely requires different tools, apps, and tech stacks.
So, in this article, we have listed down 10 applications (with their alternatives) that you need for efficient remote work.
Let’s get straight into it.
Slack
When it comes to team messaging tools, Slack is undoubtedly the best.
Recently Slack has added features like Slack Clips where you can send video messages making it even better. Furthermore, you can add people who are not in your organization to make client collaboration easier.
Another reason Slack is preferred by most organizations is the integrations it provides. You can hook it up with any other app in your tech stack. It doesn’t matter what your current system is, Slack will take no time to adjust itself.
Alternatives: Microsoft Teams, Workspace by Facebook.
Zoom
The pandemic has made video conferencing mainstream. Zoom has emerged as one of the industry leaders in that vertical. It started as a video conferencing tool but soon it came out with other features.
Now, Zoom is used for webinars, live streams, podcasts, and more. Its ease of use and cross-platform support make it a favorite. Zoom launched an update in 2021 where other apps can be used through it.
Zoom continues to improve its usability and adds more and more features to increase the breadth of its application.
Alternatives: Microsoft teams, Google Meet, Cisco Webex.
Yes, we know that “it is not a brand”. That’s because fundamentally, the features remain the same as a tool. The only differentiating factor is the integrations, UI and UX.
Email has been and remains the most used personal communication tool in everyone’s tech stack. Its versatility is exceptional and is actively used by most, if not all, departments in an organization.
Marketers, salespersons, account managers, etc., agree that email is the most effective tool for communication-related tasks specific to their organization.
As most of the features of email remain the same, here are a few ones you can choose from.
Service providers: Gmail, Zoho Mail, Rediffmail.
Google Drive
When you think of “collaborative file sharing”, isn’t Google Drive the first thing that pops into your mind?
The reason it is everyone’s first option is because of the features that come with it. Sharing files, editing documents, adding comments, collaborating, etc., are all possible. Even the free version comes with 15GB of storage space!
If you want more space but don’t have the budget, all you need to do is create additional accounts and share files.
Alternatives: Dropbox, Microsoft Office.
Calendar
Thanks to modern technology, each of us is capable of juggling multiple things at once.
But, things might get hectic if they are not properly managed and scheduled. Hence, a calendar is a must-have in your stack. It will send you notifications and reminders about appointments, meetings, deadlines, etc.
Just like email, you can choose it from different brands. You can utilize the native calendar application on your phone or computer for that as well. Below are some brands that come with useful integrations which will make managing your tasks easier.
Service providers: Google Calendar, Zoho Calendar.
Hubstaff
The biggest challenge faced by employers in remote work settings is to make sure that they are fair in their assessment of their employees. It can be challenging to be on top of everything when your team is suddenly away from your sight.
Introducing Hubstaff.
This productivity management office suite helps employers, managers, and employees to trach their productive hours. It is a direct and easy way to ensure that the tasks are completed on time and with maximum efficiency.
Just like most apps in this list, Hubstaff easily integrates with other tools in your workflow.
Alternatives: Proofhub, TimeDoctor, ClickTime.
Asana
Keeping track of tasks is difficult especially when you are working on multiple projects. Asana helps by collating all of those tasks neatly. You can get your daily task list on your dashboard based on the deadlines you have added to each project.
Moreover, collaborating with your remote team becomes way easier as you can see what your co-workers are up to.
One cool feature of Asana is that you can choose between a list view, calendar view, and board view, depending on what you were used to.
Asana easily fits into your tech stack. With 200+ integration including Zoom, Gmail, Dropbox, Slack, and Zapier it is a no-brainer to choose Asana for task management.
Alternatives: Jira, Trello, Workzone.
Every Time Zone
If you are working on a remote team, you have definitely faced difficulty in scheduling calls with someone overseas.
Every Time Zone enables you to book calls in a jiffy by taking the grunt work of checking corresponding times.
Alternatives: World Time Buddy, FoxClocks.
Boomerang
Boomerang is a Gmail add-on that allows you to set reminders and schedule emails.
It is extremely helpful if you are working in the marketing and sales industry and are holding numerous conversations per day via email. It takes the pressure off by reminding you to send follow-ups at the right time.
On top of that, you can track the clicks and open rates easily to see the impact your messages are making.
Alternatives: BananaTang, FollowupCC
1Password
Working remotely involves using multiple software and tools.
If you are using the same password for each of them, you are being careless as that is a security risk. Remembering too many passwords is tough and having your browser remember them is a security threat for your organization.
1Password offers a secure and all-rounded solution for the same.
Alternatives: LastPass, KeePass, Rippling
That’s a Wrap
Well, that was our list of the 10 best apps that you need to be using right now to collaborate and work better with your remote team.
Did we miss something?
Let us know in the comments!