Remote Collaboration Tools & Software

Remote Collaboration Tools & Software

Before the COVID-19 pandemic , remote work tools and technology were necessary for teams collaborating across multiple office locations and time zones. In 2019, roughly 4.7 million U.S. employees worked from home for at least half the week, while 62% of them worked remotely sometimes.

However, with more organizations moving to work from home (WFH) arrangements for the foreseeable future, managers need as many remote work tools as possible to help streamline operations and stay up-to-date on fast-moving projects, campaigns, and initiatives.

Fortunately, you'll find plenty of remote work tools and apps designed to help geographically distributed teams make the most of their teleworking situations . Some of these tools are free, while others require a monthly or annual subscription to unlock more robust features and multiple user accounts.

Below, we're breaking down some of the best remote work tools for managers navigating the new normal of teleworking in a post-pandemic world, and outlining remote collaboration tools perfect for project management .

Why remote work tools are important for your distributed workforce

Work from home projects require teams to be agile, focused on team building, and available for real-time collaboration. As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce points out , equipping your team with tech and productivity tools will go a long way towards improving communication.

Communication is not just about nailing down the details for active projects (although that is very important). It's also about celebrating achievements, providing useful feedback, and engaging with one another.

Strong evidence exists to support the use of remote team tools. For instance, GitLab has 1200 employees working remotely across 27 different countries. It's been a remote-only company since its inception in 2011 with no physical office space. They utilize team collaboration and work from home software to create a virtual workplace.

Remote work tools can be a great way to address your team's productivity needs. To successfully manage a virtual team , you'll need to make sure their tools have features that can help them carry out their project management requirements. Choose multi-faceted options serving all or most of these functions to enhance productivity and work from home software adoption rates.

Messaging. Eliminate cluttered email chains and miscommunications with real-time messaging  within individual tasks and project folders. Easily search through the software to find names, keywords, and task updates at a glance.

File sharing. Attach documents and start or assign approvals right within each task. Keep completed projects stored within the system to reference files at a later date easily.

Collaboration. Get organized and creative at the same time by keeping the conversation in one place. Lead your team virtually through all phases of projects without missing any steps.

Remote tools for CRM

Satisfy your customers by implementing a highly focused customer relationship management software solution with a simple and easy-to-use customer interface. Achieve business success when you align marketing, sales, and customer service functions in a single tool.

Salesforce Get a targeted view into client work by creating an effective cross-departmental system for customer-related projects. Integrate your Salesforce account with UDN Task Manager and seamlessly manage your clients' work.

Remote tools for software/IT design and development

Use the following tools as software repositories of codes to maintain version control and allow teams to collaborate flawlessly.

Github Bring remote teams together, solve problems, manage projects, and build custom software with Github's development platform. Get better collaboration and higher visibility when you integrate UDN Task Manager 's tasks with Github repository issues.

Jira Juggling multiple projects at the same time is a reality for many managers. Get a clear picture of progress and gain overall project visibility by mapping JIRA issues to UDN Task Manager tasks, sub-tasks, and projects.

Remote tools for an email service provider

Want to minimize time spent writing and responding to emails? Pick a remote collaboration tool that helps your virtual team communicate more efficiently. Share up-to-date information with a chosen email client and integrate it seamlessly with UDN Task Manager to keep your distributed teams connected.

Gmail Increase productivity and save time when you choose Gmail. With the UDN Task Manager Gmail integration, you can effortlessly manage tasks in your inbox and capture work-related data from your inbox.

Outlook Help your team get more done when you align your emails with project management using the UDN Task Manager integration for Outlook.

Remote tools for messaging/chat

Communication is key for a physically distributed team. Staying in touch every day is essential, and email can quickly get clunky if you need to speak to multiple people at the same time.

Slack The ubiquitous work chat platform helps keep teams connected. Stay on topic or catch up with teammates about the latest binge-worthy Netflix series. Slack is a must-have in your arsenal of virtual team tools. The best part? Slack integrates seamlessly with UDN Task Manager , allowing you to share tasks and work collaboratively without breaking a sweat.

Microsoft Teams Use video calls, chat, or emails to communicate with your team the way you want to. With Microsoft Teams, you can keep your team together and translate conversations into structured work using UDN Task Manager 's integration.

Remote tools for file storage

Having a cloud-based file storage application at your fingertips is invaluable for remote teams. It keeps all the latest versions of your assets in a centralized place. No more hunting for the newest file version! Whether it's one team member working on a file or many, having a remote tool for file storage makes everyone's life easier.

MediaValet MediaValet is another tool that integrates with UDN Task Manager . Store digital brand assets such as videos, GIFs, social media banners, and more with this easy-to-use remote work technology.

Google Drive Google Drive is a must-have for dispersed teams. With Google docs and sheets, teams can work securely and collaboratively on files at any time and place. UDN Task Manager also integrates with Google Drive so that you can easily attach tasks and project files.

OneDrive Looking for smooth team collaboration? Simply attach UDN Task Manager tasks to Microsoft OneDrive files, and you're done. Now everyone on the team will have access to the latest file version and can see previous changes.

Box Use the easy file uploader integration and keep all your tasks and files together with Box and UDN Task Manager . Enjoy secure collaboration with your team on any device when you automate your workflows and increase seamless working with Box.

UDN Task Manager ’s online document editing Using online document editing, you don't need to download your files when editing them online. Once you are done, UDN Task Manager automatically auto versions the file when you save it.

Dropbox Dropbox’s modern, cloud-based infrastructure lets you share files with your geographically distributed team members. By integrating UDN Task Manager with Dropbox, you can seamlessly sync, collaborate, and share files of any size with your remote team members.

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Remote tools for mobile/desktop apps

As many of us are adjusting to long-term remote working, it is important to continue optimizing our processes, tools, and remote work software. What can you consolidate or add on to make life easier for everyone?

UDN Task Manager for Mac/Windows Enhance your focus on work by removing the distraction of multiple other tabs and make goal achievement a habit.

UDN Task Manager iOS and Android app With UDN Task Manager ’s native iOS and Android apps, you can remain productive on-the-go, check project status from wherever, collaborate efficiently — even when you’re away from your desktop device.

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Remote tools for business intelligence

Data on its own doesn't mean anything. Convert it into actionable insights. Try remote business intelligence tools that allow you to visualize data in a simple and understandable format that makes decision-making more effective.

Tableau Use the world's most popular analytics platform to analyze and interpret data for your business. When you integrate Tableau with UDN Task Manager , you get better insights into project performance and empower your team to make better, data-driven decisions for your business.

Remote tools for information security and single sign-on

Even though information security may not be fascinating for everyone, it is essential. Since remote teams store crucial business information on phones and laptops, having powerful information security and single sign-on tools is vital.

Microsoft integrations Use Office 365 or Azure Active Directory to log in to all your apps securely with a single account.

SAML With SAML, you can use a single sign-on for UDN Task Manager that lets you save time and needs you to remember fewer passwords!

Google SSO Hate remembering so many passwords? Use the Google UDN Task Manager SSO integration to sign into your account with your corporate credentials.

Okta integration Make your cloud application logins secure by using the helpful Okta integration with UDN Task Manager . Save passwords and time with this useful identity management service.

PingFederate Make remote team collaboration easier by integrating the federation server from PingFederate with UDN Task Manager . With PingFederate, you can use web single sign-on provisioning for employees, partners, and enterprise customers and API security for your remote teams.

Shibboleth Use Shibboleth's open-source software and federated identity solution for web single sign-on seamlessly when you combine it with UDN Task Manager 's native integration.

Create work from home success with UDN Task Manager

Tools don't just get the job done. They can often be the difference between project success and failure. Use the tools mentioned above to manage teams virtually and improve productivity, communication, collaboration, and work culture.

With UDN Task Manager , your teams are set up for project success. Time tracking, resource planning , shared dashboards, and reporting make it easy to hit targets and stay on track. Break down projects into smaller tasks and create workflows that optimize remote team collaboration.

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