Whether you are working on-site or remote, there comes the time when your employees just don’t feel as focused or productive as usual. And although there could be many reasons for that, sometimes, it is just enough to get a bit of extra help to get them back on track.
Luckily, software developers recognized that common problem and came up with an array of apps you can use to boost employee productivity. They come in many shapes and forms. Most of them have both desktop, browser, and mobile versions. Once you visit their website, you can at least get a glimpse of what they are all about. The only problem you might have then is how to choose which one.
That is where we step in. We are going to share with you a few apps that will increase effectiveness, morale, and productivity.
Collaboration Apps
When working in a team, there are few things that are more important than collaboration. Whether it is a collaboration between peers or at higher levels, it is pretty much impossible to finish any task without referring to your teammates and joining forces together.
What is also great is that any of these apps are free, and depending on your business needs and the team size, the free version might just be enough.
Trello
This is a hugely popular app. It primarily found its use in project management because of its different boards, lists, and cards that track the progress of the project at any given time. They are further divided into columns and you can label them according to your needs. You can delegate tasks, arrange meetings and events, etc.
What makes Trello so loved is how super user-friendly it is. Its dashboard is quite simple and intuitive, so you can easily move the lists in the appropriate columns, edit them, tag your team members, etc. Trello acts as a to-do list and a tracking tool, too. This could-based platform enables you to upload documents, images, and screenshots. The biggest advantage is that everything is stored and organized in one place, which reduces the chance of miscommunication or disorganization. Trello is a great collaboration platform where teams can collaborate and manage projects and tasks together.
ClickUp
A fun fact is that Click Up started as an internal tool but over time it changed into an all-in-one app. It provides many features you can work with: Features suitable for project management, CRM, marketing, design, etc. The best thing is that you can manage everything from a single dashboard. It is worth mentioning that you can customize the dashboard to your liking. Apart from having so many things to choose from, it also has scheduling functions for your or your team’s projects. And last, but not least, it has built-in messaging which helps your team be more expedient and fast.
Communication Apps
Communication is something that will either make or break your business. Most problems that occur within an organization are the result of poor internal communication. Not only does it help in collaboration, resolving issues, and setting clear tasks and responsibilities, but it also helps you engage your employees more. The more engaged your employees are, the more productive and effective they will be.
Slack
It comes as no surprise that we start with Slack. This is probably the most well-known communication app. At its core, Slack is a messaging app. What is great is that you can create different channels, and decide who can access those channels. You can have individual and group chats. What is also great is that you can have video calls and also send audio messages. All these cool features earned Slack a reputation as a great tool for fostering community and collaboration. It is quite a bubbly space where employees will not only talk-shop and share the latest news, but also share some more personal things like family photos, special events, celebrations, etc.
15Five
This is a mobile app and it is considered to be one of the most user-friendly ones. It covers communication within the team, between different levels in a company, and across teams. 15Five helps managers easily schedule check-ins and another great feature is that employees can ask questions or ask for further information and clarifications. This approach where communication flows freely and openly is a great way to increase employees’ engagement and productivity. It is suitable for fast-paced working environments where the information flow must also run quickly.
Time Tracking Apps
Time management is a factor that contributes to staying more focused on the task. It is very easy to lose a track of time which is why time tracking apps come in handy. When you get better insight into how long each task takes, it is much easier to organize your time better. Being time efficient helps you be more productive. This will help you finish your tasks on time and actually have more free time in return.
Clockify
This time tracking app is really handy. It is very intuitive and simple to use. You can track your own time while you are working, you can also pause it and then continue when it suits you. What is also good is that you can also manually enter the time in case you forgot to start the timer.
And that’s not all. In order to better see your productivity, you have daily, weekly, and monthly reports. This helps you get a clear picture of how much time you spent and in which areas you can be more effective. The same is true if you are an employer monitoring and managing your employees’ progress. You can also check the exact work input of individual employees.
My Hours
It goes without saying that My Hours tracks time so you can get more efficient and on top of things. You can use a timesheet or real-time tracker. It provides very detailed reporting. It is handy for organizing projects and analyzing the time it took to deliver. In addition, you can create voices within this app, too. According to the users, it is very user-friendly and has one of the best support teams.
As we said in the beginning, there are so many apps that you can use for your team. Regardless of which category they belong to, their main aim is not only to save time but to make your team more expedient and productive by taking the burden off their shoulders.