Working remotely and managing distributed teams across the globe is a new form of work that has swiftly emerged as the new normal in the 21st century.

Managing a remote team certainly has its advantages… not only does it cut costs, but you’re also able to access a wider range of talent which translates into well-qualified employees.

However, remote working isn’t without its disadvantages. Remote teams are, by nature, not in the same vicinity, and this can lead to a lot of other problems, such as isolation and friction.

Therefore, in order to best manage a remote team you’ll need these 5 amazing apps to make your team much stronger.

1. Skype

There is no need to introduce this app. It is one of the most popular apps for video calling and VoIP, and is almost universal.

It is never a problem to schedule a Skype call (it’s even a verb now), and it has become even more professional. It’s a hassle-free, effective app that helps greatly when you need to see your remote team on a regular basis.

2. Wunderlist

Wunderlist is a fantastic tool for task management. It has a very simple user interface and controls, making it very easy to track tasks, so you can focus on completing your work instead of worrying if everyone else is doing theirs.

The service lets you prioritize tasks and star them when you can’t move forward with particular tasks. You can also break your tasks down into smaller tasks to make them easier. There are many more features, which makes Wunderlist a great service for managing remote teams.

3. Skitch

Skitch is a great program (although discontinued, you can still download older versions) that lets you annotate quickly and easily. This is especially important for remote teams, because you are not there to physically show someone what you mean. This is especially try when it’s difficult to explain what you mean in words.

Skitch lets you quickly take screen shots, annotate them in a variety of ways, and send them by email or export to file.

4. Dropbox

Dropbox is one of the best and most widely used file sharing services. Dropbox may not be the first, or most widely used file sharing or cloud storage service (e.g., Google Drive), but it does have a lot of great benefits.

Most specifically, Dropbox can be integrated with so many different apps that you are already using, making it a very easy transition. You can easily share files and edit them on the fly (right from your desktop, tablet or smartphone) with your whole team.

5. Slack

Slack has made waves in the business world. It made it remarkably easy for teams to communicate, and will be a great benefit for remote teams especially.

Slack is a team communication application that provides real-time messaging, archiving, and all content inside Slack is searchable from one search box and it integrates with a number of third-party services, including Google Docs, Dropbox, Heroku, Crashlytics, GitHub, and Zendesk.

However, it is important that you do not go overboard with the messaging, as it is easy to have your workday (and productivity) eaten away by easy and quick little messages.

With these five amazing tools, your remote teams will begin to become stronger and more united in their shared goals. Good luck!

This article has been edited.

Uwe Dreissigacker is the CEO of InvoiceBerry, an online invoicing software for small businesses and freelancers. His experience in the online business world ranges from AdTech to FinTech and online game publishing. When he’s not busy running his company he enjoys everything tech as well as travelling in Asia and Europe. Connect with @uwedreiss on Twitter.

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