Managing a remote team brings communication, collaboration, and cultural challenges. Leaders are responsible for ensuring that everyone is aligned with the company culture, systems, and overarching strategy. Often, remote workers are in different time zones, making it difficult to check in informally when they’re unsure of something.
Building camaraderie, keeping everyone in the loop, and syncing everyone’s schedule is easier with these ten apps designed to help manage remote teams.
Asana
Asana is a popular option for project management. This app keeps projects and tasks organized, allows managers to see progress on specific tickets, and provides a central hub for all workflow activities. In Asana, managers can assign tickets to individuals, attach documents and share notes, and add due dates. Collaborators can comment on tickets and add dependencies to show what work needs to be completed before the ticket is finalized. Asana helps teams communicate transparently and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
Connecteam
Connecteam is an employee management app that includes a time clock, scheduling, communication tools like chat, forms and surveys, and tons of other features. It’s a highly effective employee management tool that empowers managers to easily share workflows, assign tasks, engage with employees, and schedule or dispatch tasks. It’s incredibly user-friendly and available on both the Apple and Google stores.
[Read more: 8 Employee Time Clock Apps for Remote Workers]
Miro
For teams that miss brainstorming together, the Miro app is a game changer. Available for mobile, tablet, and desktop, Miro mimics a whiteboard to help teams build and develop ideas as if everyone were in the same room. Real-time and asynchronous communication tools help teams overcome time zone limitations and plan projects in creative ways.
Soldo
Tracking expenses can be a challenge for remote teams. Soldo makes it possible to control, track and report spending through its employee expenses app. Remote workers receive a prepaid company card and capture receipts, VAT, notes, categories, and more using the Soldo mobile app. Managers can get real-time insight into costs, including spend per employee, team, vendor, period, and more.
Slack is extremely popular, and for good reason. Not only does this tool help teams and managers stay in touch, but it’s a great way to build company culture remotely.
1Password
Security concerns are on the rise in tandem with remote work, and small business managers should take precautions to guard customer and company data. 1Password can help secure user accounts. This password management tool is an easy way to store and use strong passwords. Remote teams can share logins, passwords, credit cards, and more. Users can save their own personal passwords and update them easily (and regularly!) to keep accounts secure.
Slack
Slack is extremely popular, and for good reason. Not only does this tool help teams and managers stay in touch, but it’s a great way to build company culture remotely. Anyone added to a Slack channel can post messages, share documents, and send private messages to members. Create channels for various projects, as well as workplace banter, positivity, diversity and inclusion, and other initiatives that make your culture unique.
I Done This
I Done This may have a quirky name, but it’s a powerful tool for keeping track of what your employees are working on throughout the day. Once you’re set up, your team members will check in daily, either in their browser or via email. Managers can easily see what's done, what's getting done, and what can't be completed (and why).
[Read more: How to Track Remote Worker Productivity]
F4S
F4S is a professional development tool. Using F4S, remote employees can set individual professional goals, get online coaching, improve their soft skills, and increase happiness at work. Managers can build teams that are more satisfied, improving employee retention and productivity in the process. Identify skill gaps and put employees in roles where they’ll be most successful.
Timezone.io
This simple app shows you what time zone each of your team members is in. Instead of Google searching, “What time is it in Portland?”, simply login to your Timezone.io page to get a snapshot of what time it is for each of your distributed team members. It takes the hassle out of planning team meetings and trying to sync calendar events when people are working remotely.
10to8
10to8 is an appointment scheduling tool that is designed specifically to help businesses work remotely. Set up an online booking calendar and make virtual appointments with 10to8’s Zoom or Microsoft Teams integration. Manage internal staff meetings, client appointments, or even remote medical appointments—10to8 is GDPR and HIPAA compliant.
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