Working remotely has its challenges and its rewards, but every digital nomad needs some help along the way. That’s where these seven digital tools come in; they’re essentials for anyone freelancing or working for an agency online. They’ll keep you connected, productive, and punctual.
Conference calling services
Whether you’re collaborating with others on a project, or simply need to meet with new clients, having a conference calling service at your disposal can make working remotely simpler and improve the effectiveness of your communication.
Business relationships require good communication, and a great conference call can offer just that. There are dozens of conference call services on the web. And all just a google search away.
Screen sharing software
Sometimes working remotely will require that you share information or a process with someone half a world away. The internet has given us the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world, and with screen sharing software, you can now share your computer screen as well.
Whether you’re giving a remote presentation, showing your process, or just sharing some great websites you’ve found, screen sharing lets you deliver information straight from your screen to another. Conferencecalling.com offers screen sharing from any computer anywhere in the world.
Video calling
Sometimes a simple phone call isn’t enough, and you’ll require a virtual meeting of sorts. While Skype is still one of the top video calling services, it’s been paralleled by several other services over the years including Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Join.me.
All of these services offer video conferences with one or more individuals in high definition. Now you can have those important meetings face-to-face, without ever being in the same room; or the same country for that matter!
Not all video calling services are the same, however. Be wary of sites that charge seemingly high rates for video conferences. Many of these services are offered for free through apps like Skype, with no lack of quality.
Time tracking service
When you’re part of a remote team, often you’ll have members all over the country (or the word), and everyone is likely in different time zones. Keeping up with everyone’s time zone and coordinating meetings and availability can be difficult, to say the least.
That’s where time trackers come in. They track everyone’s time zone and allow you to set up meetings and collaborations. World Time Buddy is a great app that allows you to synchronize time zones all over the world, so there’s no confusion among your team members.
Digital calendar
Keeping track of meetings, appointments, and deadlines has never been easier with digital calendars. Google Calendar is among the forerunners of digital calendar services. It allows you to set events, reminders, deadlines, and meetings, and synchronize with other users.
You can RSVP to events, set notifications, and customize your interface. Not to mention, it saves on paper and the need to carry a physical calendar around. Saving space in your briefcase or bag is essential to staying organized in the digital workplace.
Mobile hotspots
Having a reliable internet connection is the most important tool for a remote worker. Having a backup plan for when the internet goes out can be arguably even more important. We rely so much on our internet in the modern world, we often forget that sometimes it becomes unavailable. Even in this modern age, some establishments do not have wifi, at least not for customer use.
There are two types of mobile hotspots: hardware and software. Which one you use depends on your preference. The hardware version are pocket-sized wifi hotspots that charge per gigabyte of data used. You can also use your cellphone as a mobile hotspot; which will drain your data plan if not used carefully. A mobile hotspot can be a great tool in a pinch and is normally a cost-effective alternative to traditional wifi.
Cloud sharing services
Uploading to the cloud eliminates the need for external hard drives and flash drives, which would be impossible to share over great distances anyway. Using services such as Dropbox, G-Suite (Google), or Microsoft Onedrive can allow you to edit and upload documents, spreadsheets, and more directly to the cloud. You can choose who has access to the documents and whether they can only view them or add edits as well.
The cloud can essentially serve as centralized online storage, and it can be accessed from any device at any time. The servers are highly secured, so you can be sure that any sensitive information is properly protected and managed.
Many cloud storage services start with a base amount of storage for free (Google’s is 15GB, Dropbox is 2GB) and then offer premium packages for greater storage space. With an impressive 15 GB of storage to start, Google is the best free storage option. Microsoft Onedrive offers 1TB of storage space plus access to its document software such as Word and Excel, for around $8/month.
Choosing a storage option depends entirely on your needs. If you’re just collaborating on small projects, Google’s 15GB might be plenty; if you need to store and share lots of data, you may need to pay for more space.
Technology is here to help
It’s amazing how far technology has come. Working remotely has never been easier. Everything from time to data and storage, to communication is now easily accessible and manageable.
There are literally thousands of tools to help meet your remote needs. Here we’ve listed just a few of the essentials to make any digital nomad more effective and organized.