I know things seem crazy right now. In fact, things ARE crazy right now.

But there will come a time in the near future where things get back to a ‘new normal’.  A normal that will feel as comfortable as before.

Restaurants will be full again, Concerts will sell out, and people will visit your company just like they did before.

The Sudden Transition to Remote Work

But until then, we need to find a way to work with what is. For many of us, that means a sudden transition to remote work. If you’re not used to being part of a remote team, this can be a challenge. It’s a big adjustment and it will cause stress.  Communication may be scattered, and projects may slip through the cracks. But with the right tools, it’s possible to feel organised and in control. We know, because we have more than a bit of experience with remote work at ProWorkflow. 

Staying connected as a team and keeping communication going are some of the first things that come to mind when discussing the requirements of a remote team. But that’s not where it ends. 

When not all team members are in the same room, a good all-round flexible work management software is essential to keep things moving.  

5 Essential Software Features for a Successful Remote Team.

Of course, this prompts the question:  What are the essential software features for remote teams to be successful?

1. Next Level Communication and Collaboration. Yes, it is important to keep the communication flowing.  You need to be able to get quick answers to your questions so decisions can be made. You need to be able to communicate across different departments or even across team members that might not belong to the same company. Communication and collaboration needs to be easy, feel natural and team members need to be able to collaborate in real time. Proworkflow treaded discussions and centralized messaging brings teams together in a single space without the risk of overlooking or losing important emails. Fans of Slack can use the messaging software thanks to the Zapier web application that manages the Slack link with ProWorkflow.  Unnecessary meetings are avoided, and decisions are made faster. 
2. Sharing Files. ProWorkflow allows you to share files directly within the Projects Details Page.  This not only provides context to the conversation, it is also easily accessible to everybody in the Team. No more desperate digging around for the latest email on a Project that you’re sure you’ve seen somewhere. There’s only one place to look! 
3. Custom Access Roles and Privacy. In the situation where your message should be private, you can adjust the settings. If the files should only be read by the appropriate pair of eyes, Proworkflow lets you allocate different levels of access to different roles. Privacy and flexibility are important!  
4. Security. Sharing your sensitive documents in the secure environment that is ProWorkflow is a lot safer than just sending it attached to an email. 
5. Accountability and Work Progress. This is where many work management softwares will end.  But it’s just as important that the team is in alignment and that accountability is ensured, even if people don’t share the same workspace. No more ‘I thought my co-worker was working on that’. ProWorkflow not only accommodates effective and secure collaboration and files sharing.  The software also ensures that entire team can see who is working on what Project or Task and how the work is progressing. After all, you don’t want any work or deadlines to slip through the cracks. The ProWorkflow Dashboard, the Gantt Chart, the Projects Board, the Reports and the Task Statuses all contribute to a very efficient way of working together as a team without having to constantly ask for updates on progress. The information is there at your fingertips, it’s yours to consult. Imagine the time you can save, and the moments of panic you can avoid!

As a team with a good amount of remote work experience under our belt,  we say these 5 features avoid a good amount of the confusion you may feel as a first time impromptu remote worker.  As we mentioned before, remote work stands or falls by the tools used. 

A free trial is always a good idea.