A virtual team – whether across the street or across the world – is a team whose members simultaneously work together to a common purpose, while physically apart. -Yael Zofi
How Many People Work Virtually?
Working from anywhere has never been easier thanks to WiFi, cloud computing, smartphones and online collaboration tools. Building relationships is also easier and faster due to social media.
Did you know that approximately 20-25% of the workforce teleworks1 at some frequency? Of course, these figures were pre-COVID-19. With a majority of people still working from home during the coronavirus crisis, online project management tools are more important than ever.
We Rock Your Web has been testing and using various tools throughout the years to keep our virtual team connected and productive from locations around the world.
What Are The Best Online Productivity Tools?
You have tons of options for your online collaboration needs. Some have overlapping features; however, each offers a different type of service. Some specialize in task management, while others are better for instant messaging.
You may find it best to use multiple collaboration tools (like we do at We Rock Your Web). For that reason, we’ve chosen a winner for each category rather than our typical top 3 picks. Read the reviews below to see what each company specializes in and how they can help your team.
Teams of any type (virtual or not) require you to use tools to manage tasks and projects of all sizes. The challenge is getting everyone on board with the same system. You want something that’s complex enough to give you options and flexibility yet not so complicated and overwhelming that you spend more time learning the system than getting work done.
At We Rock Your Web, we’re suckers for Basecamp (and many others are too), but from the recent research we’ve done, it seems more teams are migrating toward Teamwork Projects because it has more features than Basecamp. But we also review two project management tools that are growing in popularity, Todoist and Airtable.
Best For: Project and task management for more experienced users Ideal Team Size: All company sizes
Teamwork is super easy to use and intuitive. It’s similar to Basecamp except that it has a few more features, including the ability to give tasks priorities, create milestones and invoices, and track time. It also has a desktop timer you can download to your PC or Mac to track hours by project and task.
You can view what’s on your plate by checking out the calendar or see a list in an activity log format. It also shows workloads and a snapshot of tasks and milestones that are past due. You can customize Teamwork to fit your team’s specific needs.
Teamwork continually makes updates and improvements to their service. In 2018 they introduced advanced features like bulk-editing, historical information on changes for each task and the ability to exclude tags from searches. In 2019 and 2020 they added CRM, project time budgeting and other features to their growing list of capabilities.
If you like Teamwork for project management, it even has its own chat and help desk products so you can keep everything under one roof. This is an affordable option for those of you looking for a collaboration tool with basic yet functional project management.
Pros
Cons
Great customer service reviews
Unlimited users
Tons of features (time tracking, Gantt charts, subtasks, etc.)
Basecamp import tool in case you’re switching
Teamwork Desk (help desk) for added fee
Team Chat app (added fee)
Discounts for non-profits and educational institutions
Subscribers say it’s simple to use
The software is continually being updated and improved
Free forever option
Apps available on iOS, Android, Chrome, Web, Mac and Windows
Best For: Task management for everyday users Ideal Team Size: Small to mid-sized companies
Are you looking for a basic, easy-to-use and straightforward project management tool? Look no further than Basecamp. You can track projects and tasks via to-do lists, host written discussions, embed media files (images, videos) and more. Basecamp 3 is our primary project management tool at We Rock Your Web.
What’s great about Basecamp is its simplicity. There are few distractions to take you off task. Basecamp cuts down on email when you set up your notifications so you only receive alerts or email when a specific task or discussion is relevant to you.
It also keeps you organized by stringing discussions together in one organized task. You can tag people and assign the task to whoever’s court it’s in next (or multiple people). Basecamp 3, the newest version, gives you added control over these notifications.
Our Experience
Kimberly A., We Rock Your Web, has been using Basecamp since 2013, and here is her experience with it.
I’ve used a handful of various project management tools and I must say, Basecamp is one of my favorites. I found Teamwork to be a little overwhelming and Basecamp to be more straightforward. I like that Basecamp has a simple layout with nothing flashy to overcomplicate things. Teamwork, on the other hand, has more colors and distractions for me, so I was more confused when I used it. However, I know some people may like the color coding options that Teamwork offers.
Pros
Cons
Access Basecamp with Mac, PC, iOS, Android and email
When responding to a task, you can close your browser window and it automatically saves your draft
Easy to learn and use
No annual contracts, cancel anytime
Unlimited users
Can control access for each individual (admin, team member, client, visitor)
Back up data to Google Drive or Dropbox
Great Twitter support with fast replies and email responses
Can integrate with more than 100 apps and add-ons
Data is secure via HTTPS encryption and 2-factor authentication
Best For: Task management and project scheduling Ideal Team Size: Small to mid-sized teams
Looking for an easy-to-use, reasonably priced and simple task management tool? Todoist has become a go-to tool for over 100,000 teams. It bundles project scheduling, task management and document management together in one platform.
It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that you’ll find with advanced tools like Asana, but its simplicity could be just what you’re looking for. The potential downside? If your team requires a large number of tasks, Todoist may not be the tool for you since they have caps on the number of projects with all plans (unlike Basecamp).
Best For: Project management (especially for marketing, advertising, creatives) Ideal Team Size: Small to mid-sized teams
Airtable is a visually appealing collaboration platform that combines the flexibility of a spreadsheet with rich features like Kanban card stacks, file attachments, calendars and reporting. In Airtable, you create a spreadsheet/database for each project. These “bases” have highly customizable tables and fields. It’s like Excel on steroids.
Powerful filtering, sorting and grouping features allow you to arrange and view your work projects in multiple ways. If you have the Pro or Enterprise plan, you can also add what they call blocks to your bases. Blocks are creative palettes of app-like functionality which allow you to add maps, video chat, multimedia and other content to boost your workflow.
Pros
Cons
Highly customizable
Calendar, Kanban, grid and gallery views
Custom time tracking
Can link records between tables and spreadsheets
Data is secure via encryption and two-factor authentication
Integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox, Basecamp, Slack, Zapier and many other third-party apps
Robust API
Client access
On the pricey side
Learning curve to figure out how to utilize all its features
Limited user permissions compared to many other platforms
Doesn’t have instant messaging feature (but does have comments)
Pricing
You can save 17% off the following pricing if you pay annually. All plans, including the free version, include unlimited bases.
Free version: 1,200 records per database, 2GB attachment space per base
Plus: $12/user/month for 5,000 records per database, 5GB attachment space per base
Pro: $24/user/month for 50,000 records per database, 20GB attachment space per base, advanced calendar features, custom branded forms, user permissions
Enterprise: must contact for pricing, includes unlimited records per database, 1TB attachment space per base, dedicated customer service, individualized onboarding and training
Coupon
Use this link to get the best deal we can offer from AirTable.
Best For Virtual Team Communications
When you have a virtual team, good team communication is critical to collaboration, but sometimes an important text can be disruptive and scheduling a phone call can be impossible. Luckily, there are more options than ever before. Virtual team communication tools give you a dedicated platform to make up for the lack of a shared physical environment.
Best For: Virtual team online chat communications Ideal Team Size: Small to mid-sized companies
Slack is a souped-up chat platform created by one of the Flickr founders. Our team started using Slack in early 2015, and we’re big fans. Its desktop (and web-browser) app is intuitive and straightforward yet useful.
It has all the same features as other chat platforms that you know and love but creates a virtual hub to put all your communications in one place. Drag and drop a file into a chat window. Host an impromptu virtual meeting with one of its many integrations. Search conversations.
You can also search chat history and star important messages. It has a user-friendly interface, and you barely need any training to start communicating and collaborating with your team. You can @mention people (similar to Twitter) to call things to their attention in a private message or on one of the “channels.”
We use Slack for quick questions to help eliminate unnecessary emails and texts. It’s also a good tool to use to chat about non-work-related things and have some fun with your team (including custom emojis). Lastly, it has a strict privacy policy that makes us a lot more comfortable sharing sensitive information than on some competing platforms.
Our Experience
Kimberly A., We Rock Your Web, has been using Slack since 2015, and here is her experience with it.
Slack is one of my favorite tools we use on our team. It’s great for quick questions and it’s a fun place to catch up with coworkers too. I appreciate the different Channels our team has created so we are easily able to organize discussions around specific subjects like editorial changes, tech issues and more.
Pros
Cons
Use via web browser or desktop app
File sharing
Integrations with 3rd party apps like Google Hangout, Dropbox, Salesforce, etc.
Standard: $8/user/month (billed monthly) or $6.67/user/month (billed annually) for unlimited searchable message archive and unlimited apps and service integrations (sign up using link above for $100 in free credits)
Plus: $15/user/month (billed monthly) or $12.50/user/month (billed annually) for SAML-based single sign-on and 99.99% guaranteed uptime SLA
Enterprise: must contact for pricing (includes unlimited workspaces, HIPAA-compliant messaging and more
Best For: Companies who already use Microsoft products and programs Ideal Team Size: Small to mid-sized teams (Teams), Large companies (Yammer)
Dubbed the “hub for teamwork in Office 365,” Microsoft Teams is perfect for those who already use Microsoft products and services like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint, etc.
The Teams platform puts all of Microsoft’s online collaboration tools under one roof, including chat, conference calling, customized dashboards and more. It’s geared toward small team collaboration within an organization. For example, your marketing department could use Teams to work on specific projects.
Yammer is meant for larger, company-wide communications, including announcements, town halls, training, cross-departmental meetings and more. However, you can create private groups in Yammer. Many companies use both Teams and Yammer since they serve different communication purposes.
Pros
Cons
All communication tools under one roof
Integrates with Adobe, SurveyMonkey, Smartsheet, etc.
Enterprise-level security and compliance
Mobile apps and connect on multiple devices (Teams: iOS & Android; Yammer: iOS & Android)
Active community of help and support
Compatible with Windows and Mac
Desktop app requires updates
Must have/use Microsoft 365 products
Pricing
Teams and Yammer are free services, but you must have Microsoft 365 to use them. Microsoft 365 has 4 pricing options:
Essentials: $5/month per user (with annual contract)
Business Standard: $12.50/month per user (with annual contract)
Business Premium: $20/month per user (with annual contract)
Apps only: $8.25/month per user (with annual contract)
Team collaboration platforms combine communications, task management, project tools and more all under one roof. Instead of doing one specific task exceptionally well, team collaboration tools do a lot of things pretty well.
You might sacrifice certain features, but you get the benefit of having an all-in-one product that consolidates everything into one place versus logging in and out of multiple platforms. We chose Asana as the clear winner for the best team collaboration category.
Best For: Team collaboration Ideal Team Size: Small to mid-sized companies
Asana claims to be “teamwork without email,” and it is just that. It looks and acts like an email inbox but groups projects with the ability to add due dates and “likes” and stars for essential items in one place. It integrates with several third-party sites, including Google Drive and Slack. Many well-known organizations like Salesforce, Meals on Wheels and Deloitte use Asana.
However, it does take some getting used to if you’re not very tech-savvy. There are several bells and whistles users can take advantage of, including the ability to create custom themes and shortcuts.
Pros
Cons
View progress reports
Color code/highlight key tasks
Boards feature that allows teams to organize and manage tasks efficiently
Web-based, so there’s no software to install
Integrates with Microsoft Office, Zapier, Google Drive, Salesforce, etc.
Premium: $13.49/user/month (billed monthly) or $10.99/user/month (billed annually)
Business: $30.49/user/month (billed monthly) or $24.99/user/month (billed annually)
Enterprise: contact Asana for pricing
Coupon
Use this link to get the best deal we can offer from Asana.
Best Tool For Document Collaboration
When you have a document that needs editing and feedback, it can be a challenge to go back and forth between versions and confusing to know which is the latest copy. Also, files attached to emails can go unnoticed in email chains and weigh down your email server space. Enter: Google Drive.
Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) is widely used by many virtual teams, government agencies, non-profits and businesses of all sizes. When you have your document hosted on a cloud-based editing platform like Google Drive, you have only one copy of a document, yet you can go back to restore previous versions if needed.
Best For: Document collaboration Ideal Team Size: All sizes
Google Drive’s functionality is similar to Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. What’s different is that you and your team can collaborate on a project together in real-time via the cloud. Team members can edit, view and comment simultaneously without worrying about version control. You can also share folders and restrict user access through Google Drive and access your documents on the go using its laptop and mobile apps.
There is 2-step authentication to ensure your documents’ security. It’s important to know that Google offers its tools at no cost, but you’re giving them the ability to see and use your data for their R&D purposes. So in a way, you’re paying with your privacy.
Be sure to check your documents’ access levels and be especially careful with sensitive data. We use Google Drive for active documents and archive older documents to a safer, more private location.
Our Experience
Kimberly A., We Rock Your Web, has been using Google Drive since it first launched in 2012, and here is her experience with it.
I’m a huge fan of Google Drive. I use it for work as well as personal things. I planned my wedding thanks to Google Drive and I keep my research organized for work-related tasks stored here too. It’s super simple to use and easy to teach others how to use as well.
Pros
Cons
Free to use with lots of free storage
Integration with other Google products like Gmail, Hangouts, Chat, etc.
User access permissions available to control who can edit and view documents and folders
Best Tool For Cross-Platform Project Collaboration
Change can be difficult, and it can be a challenge to get everyone on board with a new way of doing things, so the last thing you want to do is cause tension in your team.
So why not take your existing software and systems and integrate them to work together? Thanks to SharePoint‘s cross-platform project collaboration you can do just that.
Best For: Cross-platform project collaboration Ideal Team Size: Mid to large-sized companies
SharePoint is great for companies that use Windows since it’s part of the Microsoft Office suite. You can connect with other employees using Microsoft’s technologies like Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Large companies commonly use Sharepoint to integrate with existing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools and applications like DocuSign.
Another option is SharePoint Server OneDrive for Business, which syncs files and folders (similar to Dropbox).
Pros
Cons
Microsoft brand recognition, support and easy MS Office integration
First established in 2001
Integration with Yammer for inter-office social networking
Brainstorming can be a challenge when you’re not all sitting in a conference room together or chatting over coffee. That’s where collaborative brainstorming tools like Trello and Kanban Tool come in. They allow you to share ideas, manage to-do tasks and more, visually. It’s like using a giant virtual whiteboard to post sticky notes, tape ideas and assign tasks.
Best For: Collaborative brainstorming Ideal Team Size: Small to mid-sized companies
Trello is a very basic to-do list service you can use to collaborate with team members. There are minimal options to assign tasks, but you can tag “cards,” create alerts and add photos to “boards.” Think of Trello as an online whiteboard with a bunch of high-tech sticky notes.
The free version provides most of the features as the gold/upgraded version, and the functionality is more or less the same. Trello is great for anyone looking for a visual way to virtually brainstorm ideas and display your thoughts in a stream.
Pros
Cons
Easy to sign up; no credit card required for free version
Clean, simple layout with easy to understand instructions
Share links to boards, and invite outside members to view or collaborate
Easily print your boards to PDFs
Drag-and-drop functionality and stickers to enhance boards
Integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox, Zapier, Salesforce and more
Some security vulnerabilities, but they do have two-factor authentication
Pricing
Free for (up to 10MB per file attachment and 10 team boards)
Business Class: $9.99/user/month when paid annually (up to 250 MB per file attachment and unlimited boards)
Enterprise: $20.83/user/month (or less) when paid annually (up to 250 MB and unlimited boards, additional features)
Coupon
Use this link to get the best deal we can offer from Trello.
Should I Use More Than One Collaboration Tool?
Probably yes. Think about how you’ll be using your online collaboration tool. All these products offer various benefits, and you may find that using a combination of these services will work best for you. For example, we use Google Drive, Slack and Basecamp on a regular basis.
Finding the optimal combination of these products to meet your team’s needs is key. Below are some additional online collaboration tools that you may want to consider for your team:
Whether you’re a company or individual, your data is at risk of being hacked or lost. It’s important to take advantage of the security and back-up features these online collaboration tools offer.
Some have built-in security features while others require configurations (read their privacy policies carefully to learn who has access to your data and what’s being done with it).
No matter what, make sure you aren’t at risk for hacks or server crashes (read our article on website security and optimization on ways to protect yourself). Make sure the data you’re passing between platforms is secure and that your data is being backed up.
Sadie has over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, graphic and web design, social media strategy, email marketing and more. She is a 4th generation small business owner and has worked with a wide range of brands from fortune 500 companies to startups and entrepreneurs.
Sadie is a self-proclaimed Apple/Mac guru and keeps up with all the latest tech trends at conferences including South by Southwest. Sadie has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin's Moody School of Communications and a concentration in Business from the Red McCombs School of Business.
Her expertise has appeared in many notable media outlets, including The New York Times, Forbes, People, Reader's Digest, Apartment Therapy, and other regional news organizations.
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