“Employees are as integral to business operations as the product or service portfolio.”
It is rightly said that employees are crucial assets that can make or break a venture. Investing time and money in their onboarding leads the organization to the path of progress.
However, even the best team will count for little if their productivity levels are lacking. Alas, lower efficiency is becoming a significant concern for businesses with remote and hybrid models.
Companies need to boost employee productivity to manage tasks and projects, meet deadlines and collaborate with their counterparts. That’s where remote working software comes into the picture.
Let’s learn about this in detail!
What Are the Common Challenges of Remote Working?
Maintaining productivity is an even tougher nut to crack when the majority of the employees work from home or in a hybrid model. There are several challenges associated with remote working that are a direct hit to productivity levels. They include:
Time management issues
Distractions are nothing new to people working from home. With no proper work structure or over-the-shoulder accountability, it is not surprising that employees would get sidetracked. All the distractions eat into potential work time and eventually lower productivity levels.
Work-life balance
Most people working from home often feel like they are living at work. Separating work and personal life can be hard when there isn’t a clear structure and employees literally live in the office. It is not uncommon for employees to work late or start earlier. Overworking could end up being counterproductive because of the risk of burnout. People need to unplug and recharge for optimal productivity.
Fragmented communication
Communication, an essential element of teamwork and collaboration, can be a challenge with remote working. This is why eliminating spontaneous deskside brainstorms can affect workflow and productivity levels. The best way around this is to foster communication even with distributed teams.
Remote Work Software for Enhanced Productivity
Staying on top of tasks is much harder when working as a remote team. It is easy for productivity levels to slip when members of an organization are working remotely and may be unable to access crucial work documents. Fortunately, you can deploy some excellent software to promote team collaboration and ensure that employees working remotely are as productive as can be.
Here are some of the best remote work software in the market that can help boost your employee productivity:
Remote To PC
This is one of the best tools that makes it easy for remote workers to access and control their computers remotely. It allows access to PCs and Macs from any device for troubleshooting and collaboration. Employees can securely share and access any files they need from their work computers from home or anywhere. Your team members can do things like remote print documents and images, collaborate by drawing on the remote screen during a session, execute remote reboots, or play sound from wherever they are!
The beauty is that this tool allows you to connect to your remote computers via a web browser portal. In other words, you don’t need to install software to initiate the remote connection. You can also remote view and control Android devices if you have an enterprise mobility policy like BYOD (Bring your Own Device) or COPE (Company Owned/Personally Enabled) in your business.
TeamViewer
This is another remote desktop tool in the market that helps with remote access, control, and support. Employees can remain productive when they have unrestricted access to their files, applications, and servers. It is noteworthy that this remote work software is a bit pricey for personal use or for a small business. You might also experience challenges connecting with different versions of the tool for collaboration. Some users have also complained of frequent connection failures mid-session, even with a good Internet connection.
Splashtop
Splashtop is another tool that has some wonderful remote access and supports tools. This remote desktop software solution ensures central management of users’ remote access. Employees using the software can access their devices using Splashtop Business Access while using any device, be it Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or Android.
On the flip side, Splashtop isn’t that beginner friendly. Some of its remote desktop features are not that well explained. You might also need stable internet access on both ends of the remote connection to avoid lags and abrupt disconnections.
LogMeIn
This tool empowers employees to work from anywhere, boosting their productivity levels. It provides on-demand remote support and ensures secure access to work files. The tool is, however, quite expensive-it is around 50% more expensive than similar remote connection tools in the market. The connectivity isn’t as reliable as well. You might experience serious lags in your connections. They also don’t have an app or an option to log in from a browser portal.
GoToMyPC
This remote computer access software allows users to connect to their home or office computer files, programs, networks, and applications from anywhere. Employees using this tool get to work as effectively as they would had they been working at their desks.
Keep in mind, though, that it can be a bit of a hassle to use, particularly if your work desktop is large. Managing connections with multiple users can also prove a little challenging, plus the resolution quality is relatively below par compared to other remote work software vendors in the market. In fact, the software doesn’t have a full-screen option.
How To Choose the Right Remote Work Software?
There are many remote work software available in the market, but choosing the best for your team and business can be an arduous task. It helps when you understand how to select the right one.
Here are some key factors you ought to keep in mind as you choose the right remote work software for your enterprise:
Know what your company needs
For starters, every business has its unique needs. Remote teams are not all the same. Therefore, the best software solution for you will depend on your company’s specific needs. The features and tools you will need depend on the core activities of your company.
For example, if your employees need to share files often, you can use the remote file transfer feature provided by Remote to PC to transfer files from and to a remote PC effortlessly.
Bear in mind a good tool should fit in with the number of users you are looking to cater to. You need to know how many employees will use the software in their remote work before deciding on a package.
Explore remote work software features
A little research is necessary when looking for a remote software solution that would be the best fit for your company. A deep dive into the features of each tool allows you to narrow down the best solution for your productivity needs. For instance, you can look for the following features in the software to enhance employee efficiency:
- Unattended Remote Desktop Access
- Email User Link to Share Computer
- Unlimited Concurrent Remote Sessions
- Fast peer-to-peer first connections
- Multi-User Management
- Remote Printing
- Batch Multi-System Deployment
In addition, look at reviews to understand the experiences users have had using the software. It is also essential to compare the integrations and functionalities of each option.
Test free trials
You might not know how effective a software solution will be unless you try it. Leveraging the free version, such as provided by the Remote to PC software, can help you decide if the tool will be a good match for your company’s needs. Employees using the free version of the software can help feedback on its effectiveness as a long-term solution for utmost productivity.
Wrapping up
Remote working, accelerated by the pandemic, seems to be going nowhere. The trend does not look like it will slow down or end anytime soon. Not with its wealth of benefits. Unfortunately, innovation and productivity could suffer in a remote working environment. The good news is that you can use bespoke remote software tools to scale up your workplace remote work productivity and reap the benefits of this new model!
