Are you aware that only around 7% of U.S. employees used to work from home before the pandemic regularly?

Now, the statistics have drastically changed. Most employees of web development companies are working from home in this COVID 19 crisis.

Remote work during COVID-19: How many people work remotely now?

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And of course, 78% of remote workers say work from home is more productive.

But in order to increase the productivity rate, you need an exceptional strategy. And this leads us to remote working apps. 

Yes, incorporating the best apps in your strategy can make things such as collaboration, organization, communication, workflow, etc., seamless, thus maximizing productivity.

There are so many functional and productive remote working tools out there. But to make the most out of them, you will have to make a careful selection based on your business goals.

Here, we have rounded up seven of the top must-have remote working apps that can help you thrive during the crisis. Have a look at them and incorporate them to grow your remote business.


1. Zoom for collaboration and communication

zoom app screen

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With Zoom, you can conduct video meetings and collaborate with your team from anywhere. It allows you to invite up to 100 people for free and up to 500 people with its paid plans, making it the perfect alternative to Google Hangouts when you need to meet a larger number of people. 

It supports Android-based phones and tablets, other mobile devices, Windows, Mac, Zoom Rooms, H.323/SIP room systems, and telephones.

Pricing: The free basic plan allows you to host up to 100 participants for 40 minutes. However, 1.1 meetings are for unlimited hours. The pro plan costing ₹13,200 is great for small enterprises. You can also avail of the Business Small & Med Businesses plan and Enterprise large Enterprise-Ready plan for ₹17,700 each.

2. Asana for project management/task management

Asana’s user interface

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With Asana, you can create, assign, and manage tasks with your remote team. It is easy to get organized with this app, as you can set priorities and deadlines, share details, and assign tasks, all in one place.

You will be able to follow your projects and tasks and also create visual project plans and see how your plans will work out. The app also identifies risk and removes roadblocks.

It supports iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

Pricing: The basic version is free forever. It offers features for managing tasks and personal to-dos. You can get the premium plan for $10.99 per user per month billed annually/$ 13.49 billed monthly. The plan offers features for tracking team projects. 

The business plan that offers everything in premium plus can be availed at $24.99 per user, per month billed annually/$ 30.49 billed monthly. Or you can get the Enterprise plan at a customized rate.


3. Workfront for work management

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Workfront is a great tool for those remote teams creating new products, driving technology transformation, or creating marketing campaigns.

You can easily share ideas, simplify planning, create content, and manage processes. It is engaging and offers speed. As per Forrester, Workfront users achieve a 285% ROI.  

Workfront app is compatible with all your devices.

Pricing: You can visit the Workfront website and request the pricing to avail of their basic, pro, business, and enterprise plans.


4. Evernote for productivity and reporting

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With Evernote, you can take notes for team members working remotely, while keeping the notes organized. You can then sync the notes automatically across all of your devices. 

When you use this app, it won’t be hard to track your tasks, and you won’t be missing deadlines. Some of the app’s features include web clipper, templates, integrations, notes sync, and document scanning.

It supports Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.

Pricing: The basic plan is free. Evernote premium plan will cost you ₹ 190.00 / Month. It offers features to let you organize everything. The business plan is priced at ₹ 500.00 / User / Month (minimum of 2 users). It allows you to bring your team together.


5. Rescue Time for time management

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With Rescue Time, you can know exactly how you spend your time. Thus, you can be more focused, productive, and motivated at work. 

You can allow all your team members to use this app. It operates in the background on your computer, phone, and tablet.

It is compatible with iOS and Android phones.

Pricing: You can sign up for a 14-day free trial. The starting price is $9 per month. You can also avail of the annual plan at $72 94 months free).


6. Whatfix for employee onboarding and training

An example of segmentation in Whatfix

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Whatfix is a simple yet functional real-time in-app for effective employee onboarding, training, and offering on-demand support. 

You don’t need to know coding to create content. You can do it in intuitive steps. Plus, you can show help in the user’s preferred format, either it is video or PDF or others.

It is suitable for mobile devices and the web.

Pricing: To use Whatfix, you will have to request a custom pricing quote. It also offers a free trial.

7. Feedly to get inspired

Feedly

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Feedly is the right app if your team is looking for some inspiration. You can use it to read blogs, pick up new topics, and track keywords, brands, and companies.

This app also helps you to organize all your publications, blogs, YouTube channels, etc., in one place. Feedly is connected to more than 40 million feeds.

It is suitable for Web, iOS, and Android.

Pricing: The free basic plan you follow up to 100 sources.

The pro plan priced at $64.92/year features unlimited sources and categories, search, and third-party integrations. 

Wrapping-Up

To do work at home jobs more productive during the crisis, you can start incorporating these seven must-have remote working apps in your strategy.

Sure, you will have to invest in order to use the apps, but they will be worth the ROI.

Note that all the apps mentioned in this article will not be suitable for your business. 

Analyze your business goals and choose an app accordingly so that it will help you meet the goals.

Plus, many employers are considering allowing their workers to work from home even after the pandemic is over. If you are one among them, you will require the apps for the long-term.

Author bio:

Aanya Rachel is the Content Manager at The Address, a coworking space in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge, experience, and extensive research in this field. She writes on a wide range of topics related to coworking, growth of remote workers, startups and real estate.


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