We are in an extraordinary context in which we all have the responsibility to contribute to the containment of COVID-19, while we must, as far as possible, maintain the operation of various professional projects and services.
Many small and medium-sized companies, institutions and non-profit organizations have had to assume the virtual work modality despite not having it foreseen in the short term. This circumstance coincides with a digital and collaborative environment in which it is possible to access a large variety of tools to coordinate tasks, share documents in the cloud and maintain fluid communication between work teams.
We present below a series of tools for organizations and social entrepreneurs useful for holding meetings, storing files and managing projects that include, in most cases, free access modalities and that do not require specialized technical support for their implementation, in this case merit , willingness and openness to assume an efficient culture of remote work.
Many organizations and individuals already work with email services hosted in the cloud, being among the most popular Gmail and Outlook. In this manual we refer to different applications that are grouped on Microsoft’s Office 365 and Google’s G Suite platforms. And we also include services that are not part of these platforms and are also accessible and easy to configure.
Tools for team communications
It is the collaboration tool that centralizes the resources that a team needs to work efficiently. It offers the possibility to chat individually or in groups, create meetings by videoconference, share screen to work collaboratively and call with your own telephone system. As part of the Office 365 suite, you can consult, share and edit Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets in real time among team members. It highlights its ability to integrate with other Office 365 services such as Planner and Power BI, in addition to other functionalities such as Zendesk and Box.
Through the MAKAIA donation program you can get the free benefit to access Office 365.Click here to learn more details
It allows members of a company to collaborate and maintain communication by creating group conversations through channels. It can be accessed from the computer or the cell phone. Its features include the creation of channels between different companies to communicate with customers, suppliers or partners and allow integration with other tools such as Google Drive, Calendar, Salesforce, Outlook, Gmail, Zoom or Trello.
It is an alternative messaging application to WhatsApp, but with other features that allow it to be adapted for various purposes such as: customer service, internal communication, and external communication, as this messaging manager aims to be used in companies’ newsletter lists. and initiatives. As it is not linked to a sim, it offers the possibility of using the application from any device, keeping the message history updated.
Tools for video conferencing
It is a remote conference tool hosted in the cloud, which allows video and audio calls for up to 1,000 participants, being able to watch up to 49 videos on screen. In addition, it makes it possible to record conversations locally or in the cloud. It allows collaborative annotations when sharing screens, and options such as voting, questions and answers, claiming attention by raising your hand virtually or indicators of attention of the attendees; guaranteeing interactive meetings.
Through the MAKAIA donation program you can get a benefit to access Zoom. Click here for more details. .
It allows integration with almost all the products developed by Google. For example, it offers the option to record meetings and save them to Google Drive. Meetings can be accessed directly from a calendar event or an email invitation. Google will offer the functions of this service for free until July 1 in an effort to help students and workers who have been forced to stay at home.
Set of tools ranging from online meetings (Meetings), teamwork with its own functions of messaging, video call, file sharing and whiteboard; even cloud conference calls.
Tools for document management in the cloud
This cloud storage manager allows you to save multiple types of files, having in the free mode 15GB of storage associated with a Gmail account. It allows you to share them with other users so that they can see and work on them. It enables collaborative work simultaneously for selected members in real time. They can comment on the activity to feed back and thus make changes at the moment.
This is the Microsoft file storage cloud that also allows you to share them with team members and collaborate in real time in their preparation through the Office 365 suite. It allows access to files from any device even without being on line. And if something happens to the device, the files and photos are not lost because they are encrypted using SSL.
Through the MAKAIA donation program you can get the free benefit to access Office 365. Click here for more details..
It is a cross-platform file hosting service in the cloud, which allows users to store and synchronize files online, between devices and share them with other users. There are free and paid versions for individuals, teams and companies. Integrates with Trello, Zapier, or Salesforce.
Platforms to send files
It is a service that is based on the transfer of large files via online. Its operation is very simple, since it is enough to drag the content that we want to send and complete a form similar to that of an email: recipient, sender, message. It also allows protecting files with a password.
It is an online platform that allows you to easily share, without the need for additional software, any type of file over the Internet. It works as a storage server to upload our files to, but, unlike conventional clouds, it allows you to send the file directly to a recipient, both via email and via a link.
It allows the sending of files without prior registration using only an email address or generating a link that will allow sharing it with anyone. It is a free service up to a capacity of 5Gb, 20 recipients and 50 files. Your payment options allow you to expand these features.
Task and project management
It is a collaborative application for task management. The product has many functionalities, such as workspaces, group projects, personal projects, tasks, labels, notes, comments, and a mailbox that organizes and updates information in real time. Asana is designed to make it easier for people and teams to plan and manage their projects and tasks. Each team has a workspace. Workspaces contain projects, and projects contain tasks. In each task, users can add notes, comments, files and labels.
Through the MAKAIA donation program you can get the benefit to access ASANA. Click here for more details.
It is the planning tool for Microsoft Office 365. Available to premium, commercial, educational and non-profit subscribers. It enables users and teams to create plans, assemble and assign tasks, share files, communicate and collaborate with other users, and receive progress updates through various means on the Office 365 platform.
Through the MAKAIA donation program you can get the free benefit to access Office 365. Click here for more details..
Es un organizador de tareas en equipo que mediante distintos tableros permite organizar y priorizar proyectos de forma flexible. Cada tarea se organiza en una tarjeta que a su vez permite adjuntar listas, enlaces, contenidos y fechas de vencimiento, así como clasificarlas con etiquetas y mencionar a los miembros implicados en cada una.
In the cases of Office 365 and the G Suites, both platforms have modalities designed for non-profit organizations, both services being very well configured to work remotely.
As remote work is a trend in which more and more people are related, in a next installment we will share useful team management tips to facilitate remote work.
Accompaniment to upload to the cloud
From MAKAIA we are committed to supporting social organizations in the use and appropriation of technology, that is why we have some support services that may interest you. We invite you to register for a free consultation and accompany you in the process of using digital tools.