While working from home might seem like the best idea ever, the transitioning process is not entirely seamless...

Especially for individuals who have never worked from home before.  Some of the things that might come as a surprise are the online resources that you will need to manage the various workflow processes and for communication with your team.  

So, to get you settled in we have compiled some of the most important resources that you must have to streamline your workflow as you start working remotely. 

Video Conferencing Resources

The most common video conferencing resources are Zoom, Whereby, and Skype, these tools are free to download but for them to function properly you must have a strong internet connection. The tools help employees to network, and can also be used to interact with clients. 

Video conferencing is more of a virtual office and other free-to-use resources are such as Google Hangouts, Lifesize Go, Facebook Live, and YouTube Live. Each of these resources works uniquely, for example, Zoom can host up to 100 participants while Google Hangouts can only host 25 video participants. Thus you will have to settle with a resource that resonates with the requirements of your company. 

Communication Resources

Communication resources are designed to help simplify communication when working remotely. Take, for example, the instant messaging software designed to send messages instantly to your co-workers. Upon use of this software you will notice that it is less intrusive when compared to making a telephone call and also faster than email. There is also the content review and proofing software, used to harmonize communications while improving transparency. 

Online Collaboration Resources

Online collaboration resources are tools designed to enable cooperation between offices that are run from different geographic locations. The tools come in varieties, for example, Asana is an application that project managers can use to ensure that their teams stay on schedule. They can, therefore, use the tool to come up with works flows and projects. 

Even better is that the tool integrates with various technological devices. Mavenlink also works like Asana and will consolidate time tracking, resource planning, and project management into one platform. 

File-Sharing Resources 

File-sharing tools make working remotely less labor-intensive and at the same time help save on time. If you are, therefore, looking to send large files as emails, and presentations then you are going to have to adopt a reliable software. Alternatively, you could utilize the integrated cloud service which has been deemed to be much safer. 

Some of the tools that you can, use to send large files are such as Google Drive but remember this application uses a lot of memory. You could also use the Microsoft Outlook OneDrive to transmit large files or the iCloud and MailDrop. The file-sharing tools are not limited to the ones mentioned above, as there are others that you can adopt such as Files2U, PipeBytes, and Pando among others. 

HotJar 

They say work without play makes Jack a dull boy, and HotJar is the one resource that you can use for team-building activities. The application has consolidated games and activities that encourage cohesiveness with some of the games tailor-made to make new employees feel part of the team even without seeing each other face to face. 

Project Management Resources 

Project Management is a difficult task but by adopting the right software you will be able to easily, plan and organize your work. The software is instrumental when it comes to sticking to deadlines and submitting excellent work. The online project management tools are differently designed and therefore work to fulfill different functions. For example, the Project Manager.com software helps teams working remotely to plan track, and collaborate online. 

Another highly functional and reliable resource that you can adopt for your projects is Brightpod, the software helps in the creation of workflows. It has also incorporated time tracking tools and timers that can be used to estimate the duration of a project and the final overall cost. 

Customer Relationship Management Resource 

The lifeline of most businesses are their customers, and since you will be transitioning to work remotely, it does not mean that services to your customers should be compromised. In this regard, there are various customer relationship management resources that you can adopt such as Sugar CRM, which has been designed to provide an overview of the entire customer journey. 

There is also the Pipedrive, a sales management tool designed to visualize a company's sales pipeline consequently ensuring that important conversations and activities are retained.