Team Communication
Staying in communication with your team is the first priority when working remotely. The solutions below make it easy to communicate via messaging and video conferencing. Each can scale from a team of two all the way up to hundreds of users.
Slack
https://slack.com
Price: Paid tiers start at $7.24 user/mo
Slack is great for team chatting and messaging in an organized manner. You can create separate feeds, called channels, and chat in real time for a shared view of progress and purpose. This software also offers small group video chatting, with up to 15 people on the paid tiers. There is also a free tier that is perfect for getting started.
Microsoft Teams
https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
Price: Paid tier starts at $4/user/mo (includes Office 365 features)
Microsoft Teams is similar to Slack, offering chatting, messaging, and small group video chatting. This software is perfect if you already use or have thought about using Microsoft 365 for documents and/or email. Microsoft Teams is included in the suite of Microsoft 365 products and makes collaboration easier with Word docs and files. There is also a free tier with a smaller number of features.
Google Hangouts Meet
https://gsuite.google.com/products/meet/
Price: Starts at $6/user/mo (Includes G Suite Features)
Google Meet is a video chat platform with the capability to include over 100 people at a time. This is perfect if you have a large staff and need to be able to talk to them all at once. Meet is fully integrated with G Suite, allowing you to create meetings through Google Calendars and email.
Zoom
https://zoom.us/
Price: Starts at $14.99/host/mo
Zoom is also a video chat platform allowing a large capacity of people in a single video conference room. 100 or more participants can chat for the price of a single host, making it a very economical option for large teams who don’t use G Suite or Microsoft 365.
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Project Management
When you need to facilitate projects, tasks, or work that needs to be done, project management software is the best solution. These software options include real-time collaboration to help facilitate projects and share information among your whole team. The best part? Each option below has a free tier to get you started. Depending on your team’s needs, you may not need to upgrade!
Trello
https://trello.com/
Price: $0 – Paid tier starts at $9.99/user/mo
Trello can be best described as organized sticky-notes. Each note is a topic or set of tasks with messaging and file sharing capabilities attached to each. It is light-weight, easy to understand, and a great option for people who are newer to project management software. However, it can also be powerful, with awesome advanced features.
Virtual Phone Systems
If you and your team cannot work in the office but need to answer office phone calls, a virtual phone system will help. These software options allow you to register or port a phone number and are Internet based VoIP systems. Each has Apple and Android apps for the team to use their own cell phones, and web based applications for computer use.
Google Voice
https://cloud.google.com/voice
Price: Starts at $10/user/mo
If you’re already using G Suite, Google Voice is the best option for you and your team. You can make and receive phone calls using your work phone number from anywhere. Voice is easy to set up instantly, and has a simple interface through G Suite.
Dialpad
https://www.dialpad.com/
Price: Starts at $15/user/mo
Like Google Voice, Dialpad allows you to move your phone system, conferencing, and call center to the cloud. Make business calls from anywhere on any device. This software also includes a voice intelligence feature, transforming your conversations into something you can see and use.
Aircall
https://aircall.io/
Price: Starts at $30/user/mo
Aircall has the benefits of the other virtual phone systems, but also includes powerful call center features and productivity integrations. Connect Aircall to your CRM, Helpdesk software, eCommerce platform, and more.
Ringcentral
https://www.ringcentral.com/
Price: Starts at $24.99/user/mo
Ringcentral is a cloud phone system with robust features. This software also includes messaging, file sharing, task management, and HD-quality video conferencing.
