Working from home has, since the beginning of this year, become the new norm for professionals and office workers around the world thanks in no small part to the COVID-19 pandemic. This recent change is one that, while the circumstances are unfortunate, was likely welcomed by the majority of the population if nothing else then because it means no more lengthy commute to work early in the morning. Fortunately, working from home is by no means a new practice, and people like freelancers, executives, and consultants have been doing it for years. Because of this, there are plenty of tools available to make it easier for an individual to complete their daily duties without having to leave the comfort of their own home. Below are five of the most useful applications for any remote worker.
1. Outlook – Mail
You will likely already be familiar with this one as it has been a staple in Microsoft Office for years now. It is a free application that includes some of the best email tools and features available, allowing you to format a professional email template and signature effortlessly. One of the features that helps Outlook stand out from its competition is the fact that it integrates seamlessly with your calendar, allowing you to schedule meetings, appointments, and events at just the touch of a button.
2. Zoom – Video Conferencing
In terms of software that is used for video calls and virtual meetings, Skype used to be king. However, in recent history Zoom has handily taken the crown and the popularity it gained during the early stages of the pandemic is unrivaled.
The free version of Zoom allows you to host meetings of up to 40 minutes long, and the paid version brings this time limit up to 24 hours. Similarly to Outlook, Zoom offers plenty of features and control that really pushes it above the competition. For example, Hello Backgrounds offers a Zoom background videos that integrate seamlessly with the application, letting you hide what is behind you should you so choose. Whether you have sensitive information on show, distractions such as pets or housemates walking around, or even if you simply have an untidy room, virtual backgrounds are practically a necessity for modern virtual meetings.
Control who can access your meeting, use audio or video, and much more with the leading video conferencing application available today.
3. Slack – Communication and Collaboration
Next up on our list is Slack, this application is used for internal collaboration and offers features such as a secure chat to talk directly to clients or co-workers without needing to have a virtual meeting. There is a free version for personal use, and a paid version for any corporate use, and Slack claims to cut down on email communication by almost 50%, providing a fast and secure messaging tool.
4. Google Drive – Storage and File Sharing
Google Drive is another tool that you have most likely already used, or have at least heard of. It offers a secure, cloud-based solution for file storage and allows you to easily share documents between individuals and groups, giving you complete control over who you share it with. There are, of course, other cloud-based storage solutions available such as iCloud and Amazon’s Cloud Drive, but Google Drive is by far the best in terms of allowing you to share information and documents with other parties.
Simply signing up to Google Drive will grant you 15GB of free storage space, and once you fill that up there are various paid plans that offer different amounts of storage.
5. Snagit – Image Management
Snagit is not only useful for those that work in the image manipulation field, but also for anyone who finds themselves routinely sharing things like screenshots of documents. It allows you to take screenshots and then resize the image, capture both images and videos, lets you trim videos and crop pictures, and also lets you draw on the screenshot if needed.
Working from home can seem like a great thing, but if you are not properly prepared then it can bring new challenges that will make your life harder. The applications highlighted in this article are great tools that you can use to make sure you continue to deliver a consistently high quality of work.
