With millions of Americans now working from home, the tech tools businesses provide their remote workers—whether for collaboration, communication or customer service—are more important than ever. 

 

We asked business owners what tools for remote teams have been most valuable to their employees working from home in recent weeks; here’s how they responded:

 

Project management software

One tool that helps us to get work done remotely is Trello. We use it for all of our project management needs. We sometimes work with up to five different remote contractors on projects, and it helps us to stay organized and on track with what needs to get done. Everything needed for communication is included within the platform, and it’s got a great free plan that anyone can use to get started.

—John Holloway, co-founder, NoExam.com, Roswell, Georgia

 

Customer relationship management tools

I use Dubsado as my CRM, to move my clients through the process of putting together their estate plan. All of our contracts and forms are sent digitally, to be completed using either a computer or a smartphone. I use Zapier to send leads to my Dubsado CRM, both from my mailing list with Flodesk and my scheduling system with Calendly. By streamlining the process of onboarding and working with our clients digitally, we can ensure that everyone receives the same level of care and attention to their matter.

—Jennifer Jancosek, principal attorney, Jancosek Law, Los Angeles

 

Team collaboration hubs

We’ve come to love Microsoft Teams. It easily connects with our other Microsoft Office products and works seamlessly. Plus, we can set up channels and chats to help stay connected and store information. 

—Betty Brennan, owner and president, Taylor Studios, Rantoul, Illinois

 

Time-tracking tools

We use Time Doctor to help our employees stay on task. It’s easy to get distracted and find yourself on social media for hours throughout the day. However, Time Doctor enables us to see where employees are spending most of their time. It helps keep everyone honest and enhances productivity. We can see what tasks need to be ironed out so we can get them completed faster.

—Sean Pour, co-founder, SellMax, San Diego

 

Note-taking and organization tools

As executive recruiters, we’ve been using Evernote—an app designed for note-taking, organizing, task management and archiving—to keep our team organized with every respective hiring search. It’s just as easily used on a desktop computer as it is on a mobile device. 

—Clay Burnett, president, Clay Burnett Group, Rolling Hills Estates, California

 

Online video calling and messaging  

My team is scattered across the globe, so communication technology is of utmost importance. We use Skype all of the time to send messages, as well as to hold monthly check-ins using the video chat function through the app.

—Christine Wang, founder, TheSkiGirl.com, Evergreen, Colorado

 

Document-sharing tools

The free tools on Google Drive are incredibly underrated when it comes to remote collaboration. When you combine things like Google Sheets and Google Docs with Zoom or other remote-conferencing solutions, it closely approximates being in the same room. Even if you don’t have reliable screen-sharing capabilities, everyone can look at the same document together in real-time.

—Dan Gower, owner, Buddy Gardner Advertising, St. Louis

 

What remote-working tech tools have been most valuable to your business in recent months? Share your insights in the comments section below.

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