How Companies Are Adopting Remote Work After Covid-19
Many companies are experiencing difficulties staying productive and efficient, especially after the advent of COVID-19 and the work-from-home boom and in the current economic recession. Teams are now asynchronous, living in multiple regions across different time zones.
Combine that with the economic recession currently befalling the west and… it’s tough out there. Productivity and efficiency are more important than ever before.
Different Rules; Different Tools
Despite some managers’ best efforts, the reality is that working from home is a fundamentally different experience than working in the office. As such, collaboration is going to look fundamentally different. No longer can you knock on someone’s door or peek into their cubicle: we have to leverage the power of the internet, AI, and of automation to find the best times to meet, organize our collective thoughts, manage teams, streamline documentation, and complete projects.
If you have a company or are thinking of starting one, it’s critical to take preemptive measures for online productivity. These are some of the best tools on the market right now when it comes to project management, scheduling, transcription, and brainstorming.
6 Best Online Collaboration Tools
GanttPro
GanttPro is a project management tool that allows users to plan and schedule tasks, track progress, and collaborate with team members. It is based on the Gantt chart method, which is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt Pro offers features such as task dependency, resource management, and time tracking to help users manage their projects more effectively.
Pros:
- Gantt chart visualization: This helps users see their project timelines at a glance and make adjustments as needed.
- Task dependency: GanttPro allows users to set task dependencies, which means that certain tasks cannot be completed until other tasks are finished. This can help users manage their projects more efficiently.
- Resource management: GanttPro allows users to manage resources such as team members and equipment, which can help users allocate resources more effectively.
- Time tracking: GanttPro allows users to track time spent on tasks and projects, which can help users understand where time is being spent and make adjustments as needed.
Cons:
- Limited free plan: GanttPro has a limited free plan that only allows a few users and projects, so users may need to upgrade to a paid plan to access all features.
- Limited integrations: GanttPro has a limited number of integrations, so users may need to use Zapier or IFTTT to connect to other tools.
- User interface: Some users may find the user interface of GanttPro to be less intuitive than other project management tools
Pricing:
- $49 per month per user
Monday
Monday is a task management software that allows users to plan tasks and projects, track progress, and collaborate with team members.
Pros:
- Customizable: Monday allows users to create custom workflows and boards to fit their specific needs and work style.
- Collaboration: Monday allows team members to work together and share updates in real time, which can help improve communication and increase productivity.
- Integration: Monday can integrate with other tools such as Google Calendar, Slack, and Trello, which can help users streamline their workflow.
- Mobile access: Monday has mobile apps for iOS and Android, which allow users to access their tasks and projects from anywhere.
Cons:
- Learning curve: Depending on the complexity of the user’s workflows, it might take some time for users to learn how to fully utilize all the features of Monday.
- Limited free plan: Monday has a limited free plan that only allows a few users and boards, so users may need to upgrade to a paid plan to access all features.
- Limited native integrations: Monday has a limited number of native integrations, so users may need to use Zapier or IFTTT (If This Then That) to connect to other tools.
Pricing:
- $100 per month for a team of 10, depending on team size
QikChat
Considered by many to be a beefed-up alternative to When2Meet, QikChat offers a wide variety of tools for inbound marketing by accelerating the sales engagement process by distributing leads and setting up meetings automatically.
Pros:
- One-click scheduling: With just a click or a touch of a button, your customers can confirm an appointment, making it easy to meet with and manage leads.
- Free integrations: Easy-to-use integrations with video conferencing software are free.
- Automation: No matter what channel the lead arrives from, they’re automatically distributed amongst your sales team.
Cons:
- Integration Quantity: While QikChat has most of the major calendar integrations, many competitors have more integrations at the moment.
Pricing:
- $35 per month
You Can Book Me
With customizable booking pages that can be sent or embedded anywhere, YouCanBookMe is a stellar way to ensure customers have a smooth, hassle-free experience all while maintaining brand consistency.
Pros:
- All-in-one tracking: Bookings automatically pop up in your calendar with all the relevant details you need to know, letting you track all your meetings in one place.
- Customizable booking forms: set your form’s content and design to gather all the info you need while matching your business’s brand
Cons:
- Limited features: compared to other scheduling software, YouCanBookMe doesn’t offer as wide a suite of features.
- High price: Many users will find the price of YouCanBookMe a bit steep.
Pricing:
- $10 per calendar per month
Otter.ai
Otter.ai is an AI-powered note-taking and transcription service. It uses AI to transcribe and organize audio and video recordings in real time, making it easier for users to search, share, and edit their notes.
Pros:
- Real-time transcription: can transcribe audio and video in real time, making it useful for meetings, interviews, and lectures.
- Easy to use: the platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
- Searchable and shareable: the platform allows you to search for keywords within your notes and share them with others.
Cons:
- Limited accuracy: While the AI is quite accurate, it may still make some errors in transcription, particularly with background noise or heavy accents.
- Limited to specific languages: Otter.ai only supports English, Spanish, French, German, and Mandarin as of this publication.
- Cost: Otter.ai has a free version but with limited minutes, you’ll have to upgrade to a higher plan to get more minutes.
Pricing:
- $20 per month (business plan)
MindMeister
MindMeister is a mind mapping and brainstorming software that allows users to create dynamic visual diagrams of their ideas and thoughts. Whether its mind maps or simple lists, MindMeister allows for seamless media embedding, comments, and notifications, as well as a variety of design options.
Pros:
- Visual representation: MindMeister allows users to create visual diagrams of their ideas, which can help users organize their thoughts and see connections between different ideas.
- Collaboration: MindMeister allows users to share their diagrams and collaborate with others in real time, which can be beneficial for team projects or group brainstorming sessions.
- Integrations: MindMeister can integrate with other tools such as Trello, Asana, and Google Drive, which can help users streamline their workflow.
- Mobile access: MindMeister has mobile apps for iOS and Android, which allow users to access and edit their diagrams from anywhere.
Cons:
- Limited free plan: MindMeister has a limited free plan that only allows a few diagrams and lacks some advanced features, so users may need to upgrade to a paid plan to access all features.
- Limited export options: MindMeister has limited export options, so users may need to use a third-party tool to export their diagrams in a different format.
- Complexity: Depending on the complexity of the user’s diagrams, it may take some time for users to learn how to fully utilize all the features of MindMeister.
Pricing:
- $12.49 per month (business plan)
Conclusion
Any entrepreneur, manager, or team leader needs to make sure they and their team have the tools to succeed in this new work landscape. The streamlining that these collaboration tools provide saves money, time, and effort across the entire startup sales process, allowing teams of any size to work smoothly regardless of geographical location. Take a look at the options and find the software that fits your needs and budget.
Jeena Alfredo is a passionate digital marketer at The Business Goals. She is working with other companies to help them manage the relationship with The Business Goals for the publications.
