3 Best Communication Solutions for Remote

Workforce
By : Shelly Brams

Nowadays, technology allows us to do things that were once considered

impossible. One of the most impressive changes that it has brought is the
rise of the remote working model. Working from home is becoming
increasingly popular in our society. Both CEOs and employees take
advantage of the communication and professional continuity software they
have at their disposal.

If you plan to go remote but do not know how to do it, allow us to help. In
this article, we list the best communication solutions for the remote
workforce. All of these tools can significantly improve your efficiency and
productivity, making your first steps while working from home a little bit
easier. Let’s get started.
High-Quality Video Conferencing
When working from home, you may find it difficult to build relationships with
your colleagues. Besides, the lack of physical presence can make a
business meeting difficult to organize. Luckily, there is a way to do it
effectively: using video conferencing.

This communication solution allows you to exchange information and ideas

in a more engaging way. You can share your screen and turn on your
webcam, making the virtual work environment even more realistic. If you
need to keep all the participants focused on the conversation, try one of
these great software solutions for video conferencing.

• Zoom – Zoom is one of the most complete video conferencing

solutions available on the market. It allows you to schedule meetings
as needed, which is especially useful when you work from home. You
can add up to 100 participants to each meeting. Additionally, Zoom
comes with other features, such as screen sharing and screen
recording tools.
• Google Hangouts – Google Hangouts provides a wide range of
communication tools, including voice calls, group chats, video chats,
and screen sharing options. All of these features are available on all
possible devices, whether you use Mac or PC, Android or iOS.

Team Chat Apps

In addition to video conferencing, there are other types of communication
tools that can be very useful for remote teams. Team chat apps can be
used to share files and edit them in real time. These tools allow you to
collaborate with your team members more easily. Here we list the best
communication solutions for the remote workforce when you need
something quick, simple and effective:

• Slack – Slack is by far one of the most popular team chat apps. With
Slack, you can easily share messages with your coworkers, create
groups and channels, and integrate third-party apps. In addition to
that, Slack also offers an impressive number of integrations with
other services and excellent security features.
• HipChat – this is another set of tools that helps to centralize
communication between team members. With HipChat, you can set
up different channels to discuss different topics. Additionally, the app
also comes with a built-in calendar tool that helps your company
schedule events and meetings.
• Team Chat by Atlassian – Team Chat by Atlassian is another great
group chat tool that allows you to collaborate with your colleagues
effectively. The app also comes with an impressive number of
 integrations with other services and a great security system. One of
its most appreciated features is the ability to send message
reminders to colleagues who forget to reply promptly.

Live Chats
Communication is not only about emails and video calls – sometimes it is
necessary to use tools that help you communicate with your customers
directly, which is why you might want to consider implementing live chat
solutions into your workflow. Here are some great alternatives to keep in
mind:

• Zendesk – Zendesk has been a leader in its niche for many years
already. With Zendesk, you can build a powerful customer support
website for your users at a very low price. Among its most
appreciated features are automated messages based on user
behavior, customized ‘check out’ pages and full control over your
communications.
• Kayako – Kayako is another popular live chat provider that offers
numerous features for customer support websites. According to
companies who already use Kayako, their experience has been really
good so far – the application allows them to get in touch with their
customers quickly and easily.
• SupportBee – SupportBee is another excellent alternative for live
chats that allow you to manage different channels (email, Twitter,
Facebook) and engage with customers in real time. The service also
comes with several integrations with other services such as
MailChimp and Freshdesk.

The Bottom Line

While working from home definitely has its advantages, there are also
some downsides to it. For instance, when the whole team (or company) is
working remotely, it can be hard to maintain a good relationship between all
employees. Or is it?

The truth is that today there are so many applications available online that
it’s becoming easier and easier to communicate with each other – the
solutions we have mentioned above are the perfect example of that. Which
you’ll choose for your company depends mostly on its needs. However, we
are sure that you will be satisfied with each one of them. Good luck!