If you’re a startup, chances are you don’t have a lot of funds to spend on splashy software and tech to get everyday work done. Luckily, there are tons of great apps and platforms – many of which are free to use.
With many startups embracing remote work, communication tools are also especially valuable. Technology that helps teams stay in constant contact and on the same page will make getting work done that much easier.
Collaborative apps and platforms help your teams get organized, communicate, and scale with little to no overhead so that you can focus your limited funds on other important startup endeavors.
We’re fans of tech that allows for real-time interaction and updates. We’re also fans of low-cost options and solutions that are intuitive to ease any friction involved in adoption by the team. Here are a few of our favorites that we think are easy to incorporate so you can get right to getting work done.
Google Docs
What did anyone ever do before Google docs? This super simple way to collate and collaborate your docs in real-time is a venerable game changer. There’s a whole suite of tools – from google sheets (their version of Excel) to docs and slides (similar in form and function to powerpoint). The best part? You can create folders, share items, and invite team members to certain sections of the drive. Collaboration happens in real-time, so you can literally observe edits as they develop, meaning there are no more worries of anyone ever working on an out-of-date version.
Trello
For those teams that are juggling a lot of things on the fly, Trello can swoop in and help organize task management. Think of Trello as a deck of cards. Each card is a task that can be assigned to one or multiple people who can add documents, slip in links, and communicate directly about each task in one place. You can even add steps to the card that are easily checked off as they get completed so that everyone knows where the task stands and when it is due.
Google Hangouts
Google really is offering a one-stop-shop of free team solutions to help with every aspect of work. Case in point: Google Hangouts, a great way to manage meetings. Users can invite people to meetings, set up a conference call line, and join calls or video chats for two or more team members. It’s a great way to run meetings or to handle conference calls whether they are scheduled weekly or occasional one-offs.
It also removes the need to invest in expensive conference equipment, saving startups serious cash while still allowing for constant contact and face-to-face video conferencing. You can even share screens!
Slack
One of the most prolific platforms over that past few years has to be Slack – and with good reason. It’s not just a place to message team members. You can also share links, download docs, and organize your work and conversations across channels. Slack has over 1500 plugins to help users work smarter in a variety of ways. You can connect Slack to everything from Trello to Google docs and even plug in other project management apps, like Jira, using Slack-approved plugins, like our Slack-Jira integration app that helps teams stay connected and up-to-date in an agile environment.
When you’re ready to collaborate, look for solutions that are flexible and easy to use. Many solutions, like Slack or Trello, offer simple sign-ups to get everyone up and running in seconds. The real-time and instantaneous aspect also ensures team members are always basing their work on the most up-to-date details.
Collaboration tools make it easier than ever to bring remote teams together. No longer does anyone need to be in the same place or tethered to a desktop to work efficiently. All of the apps and platforms here work on both laptops and secondary screens like tablets or phones so that wherever the team member is, they can get notified and stay in the loop which makes communication way more efficient than it used to be.
If you’re a Jira user and you’re ready to integrate with Slack to help simplify your workflow, we have the solution you’ve been looking for. Our Slack-Jira integration app will help those on and off Jira track bugs, stay up-to-date on the latest Jira notifications, and communicate updates across Slack channels. Find out more about how we can help make your everyday tasks easier. Download our app today.
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