10 Essential Tools for Managing a Team of Remote Workers

Are you looking for tips about how to manage a team of remote staff? These 10 essential tools will make your job easier and keep your staff more engaged.

If managing workers on site is difficult, then managing them remotely is enough to drive any manager insane. Fortunately, technological advancements and the internet make things way easier than it was a few decades ago. This doesn’t mean that managing a team of remote workers will be a breeze, but it’ll be much easier.

Many companies have to operate remotely to achieve their financial and expansion objectives. So the biggest hurdle for managers is how to manage a team that works remotely.

Managing a remote team isn’t the easiest thing on earth but thankfully, there are a lot of tools to help you do just that.

These tools are designed to help address the challenges you’re likely to encounter while managing a remote team. They’ll handle everything from storage needs, note-taking, and team chats to project management.

If your company has a remote team, then read on to find out invaluable tools for managing your remote teams. That way, you can effectively manage your remote team for the prosperity of the company.

How to Manage a Team That Operates Remotely With the Right Tools

To effectively manage a remote team, you need to navigate a lot of obstacles. The right tools will help you overcome these challenges to manage your remote teams more effectively. If you operate one or more remote teams, here are a couple of tools to consider for your bidding.

1. Mobile Hotspots

Mobile or portable hotspots are a great tool to start with. That’s because most businesses need the internet for a lot of operational activities. That said, it’s not easy, nor is it possible to have a sophisticated internet setup for your remote locations.

That’s why smart companies use remote hotspots for their remote operations. The mobile hot spots can fit in your pockets and offer uninterrupted internet connectivity. What’s more, they cost as little as $80 and can allow up to ten users.

There are many internet service providers you can consider for your remote teams. With plans as low as $10 a month, mobile hotspots aren’t tools that exactly break the bank.

2. Video Conferencing Apps

There are plenty of video conferencing apps to choose from, but your choice of the app doesn’t really matter. These apps are invaluable for your meetings and are a great way to get comprehensive feedback from your remote teams.  Most of these apps are free to download and work great, especially with a stable internet connection.

3. Cloud Storage

Cloud storage addresses all your storage needs without the need for any physical storage media. That way, you can access your digital resources from anywhere with an internet connection. All you have to do is move all the relevant files to the cloud and allow access to your remote team members.

There are lots of cloud service providers to choose from and each with different storage plans. You can settle for free cloud services, then pay for extra storage space.

4. Chat Apps

Proper communication is crucial to the success of your remote operations. Team chat apps provide an easy and convenient way to communicate constantly. It’s way better than using email, which is much slower and more complicated to use.

You can use the group chat feature to keep everyone updated with any new developments at once. Chat apps are ideal for naturally flowing conversations, unlike emails. What’s more, most of these chat apps are free to download.

5. Online MS Office Suites

There exist online versions of your usual Microsoft programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. These online versions work just like normal programs. The only difference is that you can have automatic sharing and online editing with online office suites.

You can try Google Suites if MS Office isn’t your cup of tea. It works just as well as MS Office suite programs with online sharing and editing features also.

6. Every Time Zone

Well, not literally every time zone. Every Time Zone is an online resource that lets you know the time in every part of the world. It’s incredibly useful if you have a global team. So you don’t have to worry if everyone is awake or asleep for your virtual meetings.

7. To-Do List Apps

Balancing between managing your remote team and the team on-site can be hectic. If you’re not organized properly, you can end up messing up things on both ends. You’ll realize the traditional paper and pen technique of organizing activities doesn’t work too well when managing two teams at once.

Consider downloading a to-do list app like Toodledo. These apps are easier and more effective for organizing your tasks since you carry your phone almost everywhere. Unlike spreadsheets or a paper list, these apps have alarms to remind you of what you’re meant to do and at what time.

8. Project Management App

If you’re new to project management software, then Trello is an excellent app for beginners. It gives you a simple visual outlay of your entire team and your operation. Apart from that, here’s what you can get with Trello

• Upload and share company files through the cloud
• Integrate with other apps for better functionality
• Use drag and drop to assign tasks to the team or specific team members

The greatest feature of Trello is that it’s entirely free. So let Trello be a virtual assistant on-site when managing a team remotely.

9. Note-Taking Apps

Note-taking apps go hand-in-hand with to-do list apps. The latter helps you organize your tasks, while the other enables you to complete them. A note-taking app doesn’t seem like much, but it’s essential for organizing your team’s work.

Sometimes regular sticky notes or desktop sticky notes aren’t enough for complete organization.

10. Paystub Creator

Creating company payrolls is sometimes more difficult than making a payroll. Fortunately, tools like pay stub generators help you do so without much of a hassle. You just need to use a free pay stub generator to sort all the payroll needs of your remote employees.

Remote Management Made Easier With the Right Tools

Hopefully, you now know how to manage a team that works remotely using the proper tools. Remember, although the tools are quite helpful, you still need to put in a considerable amount of effort. However, these tools will be invaluable for managing your remote teams.

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