Teleworking has made a dazzling advance in manners in 2020, and remains very relevant for the beginning of the year 2021. It is, without a doubt, one of the forms of work with strong emergence in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. We were familiar with the first experiment with telework in the 1950s with Norbert Wiener. This is almost the norm in places in the world these days. Indeed, the evolution of new technologies and information channels over the past five decades has made out of office work a potential ready to be exploited.
In this article, we present a list of 10 tools that will make any teleworker an autonomous and happy professional.
Teleworking, what is it ?
Teleworking generally refers to a way of organizing work where you or your employees perform your tasks freely outside the workspaces of the company, all sites combined. For this, the employee-teleworker uses computer software, web 2.0 technologies and a whole series of communication tools. Thus, teleworking only makes sense when distance is created and involves being operational on a free site, for example at home. According to Statistics Canada, roughly 40% of Canadians hold home-based jobs.
While it is true that working remotely offers many advantages, it is also necessary to prepare for it for more autonomy and to avoid the risk of isolation. By going around the subject, we have identified 5 areas where you will need essential tools for working online.
What tools for internal communication while teleworking ?
- Slack
Slack is a communication tool that integrates more than 1,000 external services and applications. It facilitates real-time internal communication through direct instant messaging, channels and discussion threads. It also makes archiving, searching, and sharing of files possible.
Pros : Power of channels (public, private, customer-oriented, subject-oriented, etc.). Multi-terminal (Web, mobile, desktop). Data security
Cons: Notifications can be “anti-productive”. Paying for SMEs with more than 10 employees.
Price: From $ 0 USD / mo to $ 12.50 USD / mo
- Microsoft Teams
As understood, Microsoft Teams is a Microsoft product. It is also an excellent teleworking tool that facilitates remote working. As a team, you will be able to count on its dedicated collaborative and customizable spaces, video conferences, shared screens, etc.
Pros: Rich internal communication. Productivity gains. Collaborative transparency. Connection to the Microsoft Office suite.
Cons: Limited flexibility. Difficult to share a file with Outlook without going by email.
Price: From $ 0 USD / mo to $ 12.50 USD / mo
- Loom
Loom is a video messaging tool that helps you get your message across to your coworkers through instantly shareable videos. You can record your camera, microphone, and desktop simultaneously.
Pros: Intuitive and easy to use. Responsive support. Recording and long captures possible. Multi export possibilities. Slack integration included.
Cons: Notifications can be “anti-productivity”. Paying for SMEs with more than 10 employees.
Price: From $ 0 USD / mo to $ 10 USD / mo
What tools make it easier to share documents from home?
- Google Drive
Google Drive by Google allows you to store files online and access them anywhere using the cloud. The Drive also gives you access to free web applications to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more.
Pros: Compatible with Microsoft Office. Storage and sharing of all types of content and formats. Advanced collaborative work on files. Accessible everywhere.
Cons: You need to be connected (but you can activate offline editing as long as the files are already open). Poor security of shared links.
Price: Free.
- DropBox
With Dropbox, you can store and share your files online for easy access from anywhere - personal pc, work computer or your mobile device. Your files are synced or automatically updated across all your devices.
Pros: Reliable storage for your files. Access without internet. Multi-terminal (Web, mobile, desktop). Synchronization and edit history. Responsive customer support.
Cons: Storage limited to 2GB in free plan (but expandable for free too). Collaborative work limited to comments (no editing).
Price: $ 0 USD / mo / user to $ 25 USD / mo / user
What tools are used to plan and manage teleworking projects?
- Trello
Trello organizes your projects into boards. At a glance, you will know who is working on what and what is the level of progress of each. Very useful in a telework situation.
Pros: Efficient for managing teams and multitasking. Cards and labels for task tracking. Calendar display. Copy and paste maps, contents.
Cons: Cannot work without loading data.
Price: From $ 0 USD / mo / user to $ 17.50 USD / mo / user
- Monday.com
Monday.com helps in the planning, management and monitoring of your collaborative projects. It is a highly visual app with adding team members, assigning tasks, creating workflows, and tracking progress from a central view.
Pros: Efficient organization for your simple and complex projects. Improved visibility of work. Strengthens synergy. Ideal for telecommuting projects.
Cons: Pricing limiting the number of users. Mobile app still limited. Few integrations. Interface sometimes considered bulky.
Price: From $ 8 USD / mo / user to $ 16 USD / mo / user.
What are the best tools for team meetings?
- Google Meet
Meet (formerly Google Hangouts Meet) is Google's high-end video conferencing software, supplied under Google Workspace (formerly G Suite). It's similar to the video chat service provided in consumer Hangouts, but includes more participants.
Pros: Simple, light and easy to use. Secure videoconferencing. Free calls up to 24 hours for 100 participants. Fast sharing features.
Cons: Limited functionality. The 24 hour offer per meeting of 100 participants ends March 31, 2021.
Price: $ 0 USD / mo / user to $ 6 USD / mo / user.
- WhereBy
Whereby (formerly appear.in) is a video conferencing tool for your meetings from your browser. No application or installation is required and no login for guests.
Advantages: Ease of use. Simple for beginners. Fast for your meetings. No need for a user account or login.
Cons: Limited functionality and integrations. Limited number of users.
Price: From $ 0 USD / mo / user to $ 99.99 USD / mo / user.
What tools to use to sign and scan documents?
- Signaturit
Signaturit provides you with trusted electronic signature software that guarantees the legal security of your digital transactions. Added to this are its electronic registered letter and electronic identification solutions.
Pros: Several types of electronic signature (simple, advanced with biometrics, advanced with certificate, qualified). Integration with your management software.
Cons: Free trial with limited time.
Price: From 37.5 € / mo / user to $ 62.5 € / mo / user.
- Tinyscan
TinyScan Pro is an awesome portable scanner that can quickly scan almost all your documents so that you can save them as PDF files. It's a small app that works quickly.
Pros: Fast, bulk, secure scanning with password. Compatible with iPhone and iPad. Dropbox, Drive, Box and Evernote integration.
Cons: No free plan.
Price: $ 5.99 USD / mo
And more...
This list is by no means exhaustive, and is just a series of 10 popular and little-known tools for optimizing your working time outside the office. If this article has you more, do not hesitate to deepen the subject for example by discovering this article on productivity at work!