Do you have to do work at home? These 6 Applications Will Help You

Given the situation, in which there are government provisions for social isolation to safeguard public health, we are faced with the dilemma of how to continue our activities, especially if we cannot stop our work.

Remote work or home office has been driven in recent weeks by the appearance of the COVID-19 virus, but this work strategy has been applied by many companies worldwide for several years, and it is not limited to large companies since there are many free and paid tools that help us carry out our daily tasks and that any business or SME could use.

It is time to apply technology and implement digital means of communication so as not to neglect our tasks. Before starting, you must bear in mind that the basis of all remote communication is the internet, so make sure you have good connectivity and equipment capable of supporting smooth online communication.

There are many applications depending on the activity you want to carry out, both to organize or organize your team, make video conferences, inter-area communication or documentation exchange. We can find paid and free applications, in both cases all very functional and useful.

Implementing remote work in an organization requires three fundamental aspects as a leader and as an individual:

-As an individual: Establish personal work habits and routines, and agree with the team.

-As a leader, establish agreements, habits, expectations, and routines with the team.

-Have the appropriate technology and systems.

Do you have to do work at home? Take note of these 6 applications that will help you better manage and organize your business from home.

1.  Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams on a platform created by Microsoft that makes work easier for companies.

This tool has a free and paid version, the free one being quite complete. It allows you to enable chats by work teams, and you can quickly share files and documents. It also gives you the possibility of videoconferencing with anyone inside or outside your organization, so that you don’t miss a meeting.

No matter where you are, you or your team can register activities, chat, create groups, make calls and much more!

Also inviting your team to join is as simple as sharing a link with the invitation.

2.  Slack

It is a communication tool for teams, it does not have a free version, its plans are accessible and start at  $ 6.67 per month per person.

With Slack, it is very easy to organize conversations by teams and allows you to share all kinds of files, from Word, PDF, Excel to multimedia files.

It is one of my favorite tools since it also allows video calls between multiple users in your organization and even sharing your screen, in case you have to make a presentation.

You can also activate notifications so that you do not miss any conversation and you can use it both in its online version, the desktop version, and mobile app.

It can also be connected with other platforms. If you need to have excellent communication with your team, Slack is a good option.

3.  Google Drive

Google Drive is a service for storing your information in the cloud. In a very simple way, you can upload all kinds of files and share them with more members of your company. One of the great benefits is that since all the information is in the cloud, you can have it anytime, anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection.

Another great advantage is that it allows other people to edit, comment or view the files you share in real-time.

All users have a free space if you want to have more storage for your company you can expand your plan to a paid one.

4.  Trello

Trello is a platform that allows you to work collaboratively, assigning tasks, delivery time, comments and progress.

It allows you to organize workflows and projects, if someone from your team finishes with the assigned they will be able to mark the completion of the task, in this way it is easy to be able to monitor the progress or objectives set.

Best of all, it is a free application,  so if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s time to get the most out of it so that your projects don’t get stuck.

5. Hangouts

Hangouts is a cross-platform communication application. It will allow you to initiate voice calls or video calls for free, both from the computer, through its extension that is downloaded from Google or through your cell phone, through its app.

On mobile, it is compatible with both Android and IOS and it also connects directly to Gmail, being a very light application and above all easy to use, which will help to maintain fluid communication with members of your team.

It is a free application and a good alternative to the classic Skype, Zoom Meeting or WhatsApp.

6.  Workplace

The workplace is a business-type social network. It enables companies to connect, communicate, and collaborate with each other. It is designed for businesses of all sizes, also if you use Facebook, as its use will be very familiar to you since it has a similar interface, where you can find news, groups, messages, and events.

This application has the Standard version that is free and also with its paid version for large organizations. Also, you do not need to have a personal Facebook account to use this application, they are completely independent.

Another advantage is that in the free version, you are the owner of the content that you publish and share, although the Facebook Community Rules apply. You also have the option to delete or deactivate your account at any time.

Don’t let social isolation stop you and take advantage of these applications and technology so you don’t neglect any aspect of your business. Not being in the same physical space should not be limited to stop communication between all the collaborators of your company and above all to stop performing essential functions within your organization.

Communication and coordination by digital means is a good alternative to use in these times of contingency, but it could also be applied as a permanent work policy.