Top Apps, Tips, And Tricks For Remote Teams
Working as part of a remote team has a few outstanding benefits, such as the flexibility to work from wherever suits you. Moreover, it allows team members in different time zones to work together easily and productively.
Of course, remote work doesn’t come without challenges. How to communicate with each other? How to share files? And how to collaborate on documents? None of those are insurmountable, though. Try incorporating the apps listed below into your daily workflow, and your remote day might get as straightforward as working with your colleagues side by side. So, without further ado, here are some of the best apps for remote teams.
Collaborate in real time with Google Docs
To work effectively with virtually any team in any environment, you need a robust suite for collaborating on documents. Microsoft Office 365 might come to mind amongst others, but none offer the range of features and convenience of Google Docs, which is also, amazingly, free to use.
Anyone with a Google account can create a document, spreadsheet, or presentation and share it with colleagues. Google Docs has lots of templates to make setting up documents quick and easy, and the options for controlling who can comment and edit are versatile and easy to use. One of its strongest features is that, where multiple people collaborate on a document, each user can see the changes made by the others in real time.
Merge all messengers into IM+
Working with remote teams doesn’t always mean working with people in the same company or organization, and so it’s rarely possible to demand that everyone should use the same messaging platform. The chances are, you need to talk to people on WhatsApp, Slack, Facebook Messenger, and Google Hangouts. And that means having multiple applications and windows open at the same time.
The trick is to use an app like IM+ that pulls all of the messaging clients together in one simple interface. And boom, using multiple messaging platforms just got so much easier.
Learn to love email with Unibox
Yes, you’ve already got an email client. Yes, it does what you need it to do. But does that mean it can’t be improved? Of course not. Unibox redefines what it means to be an email client. It groups messages together by contact. Click on a contact in the sidebar and your conversation with them unfolds in the main window, like it would in a messaging client. Attachments can be previewed inline, as part of the conversation, or you can view all the attachments from a contact as thumbnails or a list. And you can use Quick Look to preview them too.
When you need to send an email, the compose tool opens in the main window, so you can see the conversation as you type, again like an instant messaging client. Unibox supports IMAP services, so you can use it with Gmail, iCloud, or any other IMAP service.
Create on Mac with iWork
Apple’s suite of office apps has come a long way in recent versions, and it now rivals services like Office 365 and Google Docs. If everyone on your team uses a Mac, it’s a great way to work collaboratively on Pages, Keynote, and Numbers documents. You can edit and share them from your Mac, an iOS device, or using any web browser.
As the owner of a document, you can decide who to share it with, who has permission to edit, and you can view the changes others make. Best of all, edits made to documents by others are displayed in real time, with colored cursors to identify each team member.
Access remote computers with Screens
Working remotely often means needing to access a Mac that’s in a different location, be it in the next room or the other side of the world. Screens is a VNC client that allows you to access and log into a remote computer and use it as if you were sitting right in front of it.
You can transfer files from one computer to another, run applications on the remote machine, or troubleshoot problems. You can even shade the screen of the remote computer while you work, in case you’re accessing sensitive data.
Fine-tune your FTP workflow with Forklift
Cloud services are great for sharing files and documents. But when you work as part of a remote team, there will come a time when you need to upload files to an FTP server, Amazon S3 account, or WebDAV volume. Forklift allows you to connect to all of those, as well as AFP and SMB servers, and to manage files on them at the same time.
Connections can be bookmarked, so next time you need to access a server it’s just a click away. And once you’re connected, you can copy files, preview them, compare different versions in different locations, and synchronize them.
Archive files better with BetterZip
Sending files to colleagues in remote locations? You’re going to want to zip them up. While macOS has a built-in archive utility that supports the zip format, BetterZip aims to be, well, a better zip archive client.
Among its features is the ability to preview the contents of an archive before you unpack it and the option to encrypt archives with a password. You can also add comments to archives and delete files from them without unzipping. And BetterZip is AppleSriptable so you can integrate it to automated workflows too.
Jump on a conference call in Skype for Business
Skype has become an important tool for anyone who works with colleagues in different locations. Widely known for its messaging and its video calling features, Skype for Business also allows you to schedule and host conference calls and to share your screen with meeting attendees. Client apps are available for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
Protect your WiFi connection with Shimo
When you’re working with sensitive or commercially confidential data, a secure internet connection is essential. And if you spend time working in coffee shops or anywhere else with a public WiFi network, you need to make sure your connection won’t allow data to be leaked or monitored. In both cases, the answer is to use a VPN.
Shimo is a VPN client that supports all the major VPN protocols and can connect using SSL and SPSEC. It uses AES 256-bit encryption and allows for a two-step authentication. Better still, Shimo can connect to multiple servers simultaneously and you can set conditions to trigger connections automatically — for example, when you’re away from your home or office WiFi network.
Limit data use with TripMode
Talking about being away from home. Being part of a remote team often means travelling between locations and having to work while you travel. If that means relying on cellular data to connect to the internet, you need a means of minimizing bandwidth usage. TripMode does just that. It allows you to prevent online backups, cloud syncing, photo uploads, and any other data hungry tasks that can wait until later. You can also set time limits on data usage and block applications from connecting to the internet altogether.
Monitor remote servers with Yummy FTP Watcher
Yummy FTP Watcher allows you to automate uploading, downloading, and synchronization of files between your Mac and a remote server, whether it’s FTP, SFTP, or WebDAV. You can set watch folders, so that when anything changes on that folder, it’s reflected on a folder on the remote server. You can also schedule folder synchronization or ask to be notified when changes are made to a remote server.
Stay on the same page with Slack
Slack has become something of a phenomenon over the last few years. It has its detractors, but those are outweighed by the organizations who have embraced it and its way of working. Put simply, it’s a team messaging system that allows you to hold discussions with the whole team, sub-groups of the team, or directly with other team members. By setting up channels, you can keep discussions on topic and when you need to talk to someone away from the group, you can send them a direct message that only they will see.
Slack also allows you to share files and to “@” colleagues, so they’re notified you’ve mentioned them, and to set up customized filters and notifications.
More misc. tips for remote teams
The key to successful remote working is to make sure everyone in the team knows what they should be doing and what others are doing. That means regular communications and making sure you use calendars and scheduling tools that each team member updates. Few things are less efficient that task duplication, so develop a system that ensures team members can notify others when they pick up a task and when they complete it.
If you use multiple communications channels, designate a clear purpose for each one. For example, Skype for conference calls and Slack for messaging. And set up a watercooler, say on Slack, where team members can chat about non-work subjects and socialize. By designating a channel for light-hearted discussion and things that aren’t directly work related, you’ll ensure that other communications platforms are more focused.
Lastly, hold regular team meetings, preferably by video or voice call, rather than messaging. Keeping in touch with the wider team is an essential element in bonding.
As you can see, there are a huge number of apps that can help remote teams work together and many of those are available for a free trial on Setapp. Try them all today and make your team more productive in just a day.
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