By | Charlie Fletcher
There’s no doubt about it: the world of work looks far different today than it did just a decade ago. The pandemic, as well as ongoing innovations in workplace technology, have only served to accelerate a steadily growing trend toward remote and hybrid work arrangements.
Today, many workers across the world are working from home at least part of the time. As the shift to hybrid and remote work continues, the importance of equipping these teams with effective collaboration tools becomes increasingly apparent. After all, without the ability to stay connected, remote and hybrid employees won’t be properly equipped to perform or succeed in their roles. To that end, this article identifies the 10 best remote collaboration tools for remote and hybrid teams to stay connected and in sync.
1. Miro
Miro is a remote collaboration tool that offers everything you need to keep your team organised, productive, and in sync, regardless of where they’re working from. Among its most beneficial features is an online whiteboarding tool that enables teams to securely ideate real-time strategies. Miro also provides an expansive library of organisational templates to suit every project need. And, importantly, Miro integrates seamlessly with a host of other productivity and communication tools, such as Slack, Trello, and JIRA.
2. Asana
If you’re looking for a tool to drive project transparency, goal-setting, information flows, and status reporting, then you can’t do much better than the Asana project management tool. Asana can help prevent information silos, which are a particularly significant risk in remote and hybrid settings, by tracking project milestones and schedules. The result is better communication and more effective cross-team collaboration.
3. Bluescape
Bluescape is a collaboration and creative ideation tool that places a premium on visual design, making it especially suitable for creative teams. It allows users to organise, download, and securely share images from the workspace, as well as to create, share, and annotate digital “sticky notes” to galvanise ideation. The tool allows video conferencing and is optimised for multiple platforms, including mobile devices, to support project planning and real-time problem-solving.
4. LucidSpark
When it comes to remote collaboration, LucidSpark is a tool that truly has it all. Hybrid teams can use LucidSpark to drive ideation through capabilities such as mind mapping, roadmapping, storyboarding, and customer journey mapping. In addition to these planning templates, LucidSpark also enables users to customise online ideation through functions such as the infinite canvas, digital sticky notes, and freehand drawing tools.
LucidSpark is also a robust communication and organisation tool, allowing in-product chats, file sharing, tagging, presentations and feedback, and voting. The software even includes a timer function to help employees stay focused, on-task, and productive.
5. Slack
Every successful remote employee needs a great communication tool and few apps fit the bill quite as nicely as Slack. Slack provides secure, instantaneous communication across a range of platforms, including mobile. The tool allows both direct and group messaging, as well as the creation and customisation of multiple discussion forums. In addition, Slack enables secure file sharing, video and phone communications, and internal and external messaging. In other words, it’s an excellent all-in-one communication tool!
6. ProductPlan
ProductPlan is another must-have tool that’s ideal for hybrid employees engaged in multiple complex projects simultaneously. It facilitates the development and updating of project roadmaps to facilitate efficiency and productivity across the project lifecycle. This includes the capacity to prioritise tasks and disseminate status updates to all project stakeholders. In addition, ProductPlan supports secure file sharing, including the importing of spreadsheets.
7. Wrike
Wrike is a phenomenal tool for project management in hybrid environments. Through the use of personalised dashboards, in-product Gantt charts, and other project tracking functions, project workflows become more transparent and efficient while preventing silos.
8. Ziflow
If you’re looking to make your hybrid creative teams more efficient, then Ziflow may be just the tool you need. Ziflow is designed to expedite feedback and approval processes for creative projects, using automation to speed the production cycle without compromising quality. That means that lag times spent waiting for a manager’s permission to move forward with the next phase of project development are all but eliminated.
9. Chanty
When it comes to hybrid workspaces, there are few greater concerns than cybersecurity. This is particularly true when it comes to ensuring the privacy of video conferencing and online data sharing. Luckily, Chanty goes the extra mile when it comes to the secure transmission and storage of data.
The tool offers zero moderation and prohibits the unauthorised exportation of company data, meaning that your company retains sole ownership rights over its data. And, as an extra layer of security, the platform encrypts all transactions and maintains rigorous regulatory compliance standards, including meeting EU General Data Protection Regulation statutes.
10. Zoom
Of course, when it comes to secure, reliable, high-quality video conferencing, you can’t go wrong with the most popular of them all: Zoom. This platform enables real-time video-based collaboration across an array of devices, including smartphones and tablets.
In addition, Zoom supports person-to-person and group engagement through a host of highly functional utilities, from online whiteboards to team chats to calendar synchronisation.
The Takeaway
The workplace has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years. More workers than ever before are now choosing to work remotely, rather than in an office setting. And, thanks to the latest innovations in remote collaboration tools, hybrid teams have the power to excel literally at their fingertips, no matter where they may be working from!
