As businesses continue to expand globally, managing remote teams has become increasingly common. However, coordinating efforts and ensuring everyone is on the same page can be a challenge. Fortunately, the advent of cloud-based tools has made it possible for teams to communicate and collaborate almost as effectively as if they were in the same room. Here’s a guide to help you get started:
Project Management
A robust project management platform is critical to the success of your team, whether you’re all working locally from the same office or spread out across the globe. With lots of moving parts to coordinate, project management software that integrates with your CRM keeps things simplified.
One such software is Insightly. It allows you to manage clients, projects, to-do lists, and calendars from a central location – accessible from anywhere there’s an internet connection. With real-time access to in-progress work, your team can collaborate seamlessly, increasing productivity and saving time.
Live Video Chat
Video conferencing has become an essential tool for remote teams. With tools like Google Hangouts, Blab, and Skype, you can host video conferences with small groups of people for free. Whether you need to conduct a business meeting or catch up with your team, video chat allows you to communicate face-to-face, no matter where you are in the world.
Blab works great if you need multiple hosts with mostly viewers, while Skype is the most popular tool. However, if you want to record the call for later viewing, Skype may not be the best option. If your team is all over the world, chances are you won’t find a time that works well for everyone to attend live, so you’ll want the option to view the chats later.
Editorial Calendar
Working on a team means coordinating tasks and staying organized. An editorial calendar is an essential tool for keeping everyone on the same page. CoSchedule offers a robust calendar that teams can work on together, ensuring everyone remains on the same page.
As an added bonus, it features a WordPress plugin so you can keep your editorial calendar right inside your company blog. You can automatically schedule your posts to go out to Facebook and Twitter, too. With an editorial calendar, your team can plan ahead, stay organized, and remain productive.
Social Media Management
Social media management can be an arduous task, especially when you’re working with a team. Managing multiple social media accounts can be a hassle, but tools like Buffer and Hootsuite make it easy.
With Buffer, multiple team members can access your social accounts, schedule posts, and more. It includes the ability to schedule Pinterest posts, a nice bonus for businesses that need to maintain an active presence on that network.
Hootsuite also offers similar functionality, allowing you to manage multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard. With both of these tools, your team can stay organized, streamline their social media workflow, and save time.
File Sharing
File sharing is an essential part of any team’s workflow. Whether you need to share documents, spreadsheets, or other files, there are many options available. Dropbox and Google Drive are simple and effective, allowing you to share files quickly and easily.
OneDrive, Microsoft’s answer to their competition, is another good solution. It is the better answer for small teams who also need cloud-based access to Microsoft Office, because an Office 365 subscription includes the ability to share with other users. Each user on the shared account gets their own 1 TB OneDrive space, plus 60 free Skype minutes a month.
No matter which of these platforms you choose to use, you can download them to your computer and mobile phone so files and folders can be shared directly from your hard drive or mobile device. And, if you have multiple team members who need access, you can control what is shared with whom in just a few clicks.
Screen Sharing
Sharing your screen is an essential tool for remote teams. Whether you want to collaborate on a document or need to provide a presentation, ScreenHero is an excellent tool for multiple people to work on the document together.
With the voice chat feature, it’s like working in the same room together. While Skype is great if you want to share a screen with a small group, ScreenHero is ideal for when more than one person needs control.
Conclusion
With the variety of cloud-based tools available today, there’s no reason your remote team can’t operate as a cohesive unit regardless of distance. When there’s something that needs to be done, you’ll be able to find the tool you need to accomplish it.
By using these tools, your team can stay organized, streamline your workflow, and increase productivity. Whether you’re managing a small team or a large workforce, cloud-based tools make it easy to coordinate efforts and communicate effectively. With real-time access to in-progress work, you’ll save time and money while increasing productivity.
