Auxana’s Top 5 Favorite Tools for Working Remotely

The remote workforce has been steadily increasing in numbers over recent years, and here at Auxana, we’re no exception. Whether we’re working from home for better work-life balance, health issues, or simply enjoying a change of scenery, the practice has been proven to increase productivity and employee retention, while helping to keep operational costs down.

Working remotely can also present a few challenges as well, namely around communication, collaboration, and motivation. Here are our top 5 favorite tools for keeping ourselves connected, accessible and accountable:

 

1. Google Drive: Nothing we’ve ever used for documents, spreadsheets or slide presentations even compares to the ease of Google Drive. We conveniently update meeting agendas via Google Sheets, seamlessly add comments and approve content in Google Docs, and quickly collaborate on presentations within Google Slides. Who needs dozens upon dozens of folders and documents saved all over your computers and devices – if you can even find them again – when you can utilize the seamless organization that Google Drive has to offer.

Bonus Tip!  Our friends over at Digitile have taken the location and management of digital content one step further.  We encourage you to head over and take a peek at what they are doing. Let them know we sent you.

2. Slack: Seriously, what did we even do before Slack came around? Slack has replaced email for our day-to-day conversations, and provides an incredibly accessible way to check-in with colleagues, easily confirm details with the boss, and swifty discuss projects with an entire team who may all be working remotely. It’s easy to grab someone’s attention when we need a speedy response, and we love being able to pop into a channel for a straightforward approach to catching up on a project or issue.  We have even integrated our other productivity tools with Slack to help with notifications, such as when a colleague assigns us to review a Google Doc they need eyes on, or we have a call coming up.

3. Basecamp: One of the most difficult things about working remotely is remaining on-task and managing projects with efficiency. Gone are the days of sticky-note reminders and haphazardly-scribbled to-do lists. Even the most organized team members have had assignments slip through the cracks, but Basecamp helps keep us accountable and on track. Projects are no longer scattered and everyone has visibility, which means stress levels stay down to a minimum. It also integrates with Google Drive so that we can link important documents directly to the thread, allowing it to remain dynamic content.

4. Calendly: Scheduling meetings can be a cumbersome chore. Availability changes, meetings run long, and even the initial coordination can wind up taking a dozen back-and-forth emails to organize. Calendly set-up couldn’t be simpler, and it always takes into account our availability preferences. Instead of the monotonous volley of emails to schedule a meeting, our member applicants, clients and colleagues can simply select a time based on our allotted availability, and the event is automatically added to our calendars like magic.

5. Spotify: All work and no play makes Auxana a dull team. We’re all about an honest day’s work, but let’s face it, sometimes we need a mental and emotional break from the stressors and projects of the day. Spotify lets us listen to our favorite tracks and artists whether we’re in front of our laptops or on the go, and we even enjoy collaborating on shared playlists.

We would love to hear from you about what tools you find helpful in your Outsourced GC practice!  Shoot us a note at marketing@auxana.co.