Free Tools for Leading a Productive & Connected Remote Team

 

In just one month’s time, businesses nationwide have been united in their pursuit to support new remote workers. These 3 easy-to-implement tools will help your team work productively from anywhere, during this crisis and beyond.

 

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing may be the single most important component of building an engaged, collaborative, and productive remote workforce. Even without being in the same room as your team, you can see them, hear them, and, with some tools, collaborate with them. We use Accession Meeting (we’re providing this free to all businesses right now <https://www.northland.net/lp/teleworking/> ). The software allows you to host up to 100-participant video meetings (with no time limits ⏰) and collaborate with colleagues using features like screen sharing, “raise your hand,” chat, whiteboard, and more. Adapting to video meetings is easy using platforms like Accession. Simply download the software (we offer desktop and mobile applications), generate meeting links, invite participants via email, and you’re in business!

 

Phone Software

If your business is like most, managing and directing calls is crucial to operating and serving your customers. This can be difficult when your team members are working from home and using their personal phones in lieu of their desk phones.  Accession, our free software <https://www.northland.net/lp/teleworking/> , doubles as a “soft-phone.” It’s essentially a cloud-based phone system that sits on your computer’s desktop and/or your mobile device. No wiring necessary, all you need is an Internet or data connection to make phone calls. The soft-phone displays your colleagues and other contacts as well as a dial pad, making it easy to place, transfer, and manage calls. You can also set and see others’ availability with the “Presence” feature, which shows if your team members are online and available, busy, in “Do Not Disturb” mode, or offline. Soft-phones, like Accession, are easy to implement. In addition to providing greater efficiency, it protects the privacy of your remote workers, so they don’t need to use their personal phones for business.

 

Instant Messaging

When you’re working remotely, instant gratification can be at a bit of a shortage. You can’t just stop by your boss’s desk to ask a quick question or close the loop on a project with someone at the water cooler. In the remote world, these passing conversations become emails. Those email responses are (naturally) not instantaneous and, ultimately, delayed responses result in productivity taking a hit. If you notice emails piling up, consider implementing an instant messaging or chat software to keep your team productive. We use Accession <https://www.northland.net/lp/teleworking/>  to instant message internally.

 

There are hundreds of video conferencing, soft-phone, and instant messaging options available to help your team stay connected, engaged, and productive. If you’re interested in our Accession software, which offers all three, we are providing it 100% free right now. Learn more or request your free licenses at www.northland.net/teleworking <http://www.northland.net/teleworking> .

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