Tools that will Help You to Collaborate Effectively as a Freelancer
The number of freelancers in Dubai has skyrocketed over the last couple of years. All this can be attributed to the dawn of popularity of the internet and the many benefits working from home offers. The modern workplace has completely evolved, and employers are now targeting the skilled talent from all parts of the world, and not just restricted to their places of residence.
These remote teams present themselves with their own benefits as well as challenges. As more and more companies continue making a move towards the gig economy, there comes a great need to adapt, for both the freelancers and the employers. For the latter, managing a team of remote workers entails keeping track of projects and deadlines of the different projects at a go.
Moreover, since communication is also a vital aspect in the freelance world, one needs to decipher ways to streamline the transfer of information between the parties involved seamlessly. While this might sound overwhelming for beginners, it becomes very easy as long as you have access to the right tools.
There are currently many tools available that one can use for better collaboration when freelancing. While some of them are freely available, others are only available for paid members. In this post, we help you to identify some of the best collaboration tools for freelancers that will help you to run your business smoothly.
Tools for Online Communication
Without a dedicated communication channel, it will be hard to manage all the workers at a go. You may have to deal with numerous emails, video and voice calls, etc. Well, this doesn’t have to be the case as with these communication tools:
1. Slack
This is a group messaging application that allows you to create your own spaces to easily communicate with either your employees, clients, or teammates. One of the factors that make Slack quite popular is its availability of different channels that allow group discussions. For instance, if you have a total of three projects going on at the moment, you can have three different channels. Each project will be discussed on its own channel, instead of having them all addressed in one place.
Slack is also useful because of its automated notifications. This enables one to add new tasks, milestones, arrange meetings, and also have the members notified of new projects while still keeping track of the others.
This app is not just for group messaging but also allows for private conversations on both video and voice calls. Slack is quite popular, and so if you haven’t used it yet, you’d better start now. It can also be integrated with other management tools such as Trello, Google Drive, etc.
2. Skype
Skype is the go-to app when conducting meetings. One can add up to 25 people in either a voice or video call. It is one of the most preferred apps by employers for interviewing potential employees, and that’s why every freelancer in Dubai ought to master it.
Apart from allowing you to share your screen when giving out instructions or seeking clarification, you can send and receive files of up to 300 MB. The channel also offers a platform to form groups and disseminate written communication in real-time to other members.
3. Google Hangout
This is an excellent way to connect with clients and other team members, provided they have a Gmail account. Apart from chatting live, this app supports video calls of up to 10 people at a go. Syncing of accounts on different devices is also made possible, making it easier to retrieve older messages and documents. The instant messaging feature is another boost for the remote work business.
Project management tools
These tools are essential for organizing tasks to the right people, keeping track of deadlines, and other project-related discussions. Freelancers in the UAE use these apps to get all the details associated with a particular project. These project management tools are essentially vital when one is building a freelance team, as it gives them a deeper understanding of how you operate.
1. Trello
This is an app that is used to segment cards, boards, and lists. It is a kanban style project management tool that has boards to support various topics and a list of cards to be used on a particular one. Everything is basically visual-based, so tracking and managing a project is done efficiently.
One can upload documents to the cards, add comments, and assign the due dates for a given task.
2. Basecamp
On the other hand, Basecamp is a minimalistic project management tool loved by many freelancers in Dubai for its usability and simplistic nature. The platform enables one to manage their projects in one place. There are message boards, to-do lists, deadlines and date ranges, etc. Moreover, there is a discussion room that makes it easier for the team to collaborate much better.
Time management tools
Time management is one of the most crucial skills freelancers in the UAE should have. Time tracking tools help the freelancers to gauge how productive they have been and optimize time.
There are many ways a freelancer charges for their services and hourly rates are part of the equation. These tools are best used to determine how long one has worked for and pay them according to the agreed rates. Take a look at some must-have time management tools for remote workers.
1. Harvest
This is one of the most popular apps when it comes to time tracking and management. It is built with simplicity in mind and has inbuilt timers that go off whenever one starts working on a project. It is a hassle-free app to use, and you can build different tasks, allocate each to different people, and you can also bill differently for each task provided. Moreover, it can be integrated with other project management tools such as Basecamp and Trello.
2. Toggl
Toggl is yet another useful tool for both the freelancer and the client. It has an inbuilt timer that keeps track of the time used on a project and supports the exportation of timesheets, setting of different rates, and even more interesting is the ability to keep track of time offline. It is one of the best tools to be used when dealing with a freelancer that keeps missing deadlines.
3. Hubstaff
Hubstaff is another useful time management tool for freelancers, thanks to its on-the-go timers. You can use this app to set deadlines for a project, track the time used by individuals on tasks, etc.
Other notable features available with Hubstaff include the generation of customizable time reports, close monitoring of someone’s work & their activity levels, and setting up an automatic payroll.
Conclusion
Effective collaboration in the gig economy is essential to both employers and their employees. While some of the freelancers in Dubai are really good at what they do, these management tools are important for the smooth operation of your online business.
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from Bawabba Blog https://blog.bawabba.com/freelancers/the-best-online-collaboration-tools-for-freelancers/
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