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Tag: Enhanced Community Quarantine

iManila’s Favorite Online Collaboration Tools during ECQ

With most parts of the world on lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many companies have been forced to shut down their doors and establish a sudden shift to remote work to stay operational.  

This also includes us in iManila. With most of our services revolving around the digital landscape, we were lucky enough to have started using various online tools to keep up with the trends and requirements of our clients, even before the pandemic.  

However, since we have started fully working remotely for the past two months, we have also discovered new tools to ease out of our usual business processes and to enhance team collaboration.  

Here’s a couple of online tools that we have found helpful during the lockdown period. Maybe you can try them out too!  

As our company’s official central communications platform, we have used Microsoft Teams more than any other online tool in the past few months. Microsoft Teams’ various features enable us to chat, call, and collaborate whether individually or through its “teams” feature, which allows us to create separate channels within each department or team specifically dedicated to a particular concern, project or purpose. One feature of MS Teams that we really like is that it enables team members to edit MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents within the app – allowing for easier collaboration and real-time edits without having to jump from one application to another.  

 Another thing that makes MS Teams great is that it also allows us to set-up separate “team” channels that our external clients can also access, view and be a part of. This allows us to have a secure private channel with our clients, allowing everyone to have a unified communication thread that’s easy to access whether on mobile or on desktop.  

We’ve been using Trello for a few months now to monitor and track tasks for specific projects. So far, this has been an effective tool to manage deliverables and timelines, especially for our creative design and website development projects.  

 Trello’s user-friendly and fun interface allows all of its users to keep track of deadlines easier, and easily prioritize tasks on-the-go. It also allows multiple people involved in multiple projects to be notified when a deadline is coming up. To add, Trello also has a user-friendly mobile app which is also easy to view and update via mobile phone.   

While Microsoft Teams also has a video call feature, we prefer using Zoom for calls involving a bigger group. 

 Zoom has been extremely helpful for big team meetings of more than 10 attendees and for company-wide townhalls called by our CEO for monthly company announcements. What’s great is Zoom can also be accessed either through your browser, desktop, or mobile app, and on top of that allows screen-sharing – making it easier for us to present pitch decks or webinars to clients or to other members of the team.   

Google’s G Suite platform is another one of our clear favorites as it has greatly allowed us to collaborate across multiple solutions – Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Hangout, Meet, etc!  

 Our entire team has been using G Suite for a few years now, as it gives us better solutions to collaborate, store, and share files within one consolidated platform. It allows us to have real-time updates on Google Docs, Sheets and Slides while sharing this with everyone (including clients) for easier collaboration.  

 Google Drive, on the other hand, serves as a repository for many of our working files as it likewise allows us to share these files with our clients, while Google Meet is another platform often preferred by our foreign clients when it comes to kick-off and coordination meetings.  

 These are just some of our favorite and most used online tools during the enhanced community quarantine. Other systems we use include our self-made and highly customized iManila Sales Portal, our HR Payroll System and our Technical Support’s Online Ticketing System, as well as a subscriber-based type of software called Zoho for time keeping and invoicing.  

 As one of the leading full-service digital agencies in the Philippines, we offer various digital services – from web and apps development, hosting, digital marketing, and technical support. 

 Need help in setting up your business towards the shift to the digital space? Looking to learn more about G Suite or Office 365? Get in touch with us today and let us improve your life through technology. #iManila #WorkFromHome 

How to be productive while working from home

In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of businesses have begun discontinuing working from the office and instead turning to other means such as working from home. Long gone are the days that you would only be able to get work done in your physical office desk in the presence of your co-workers. Work channels and other digital platforms make it possible to keep communication constant, whether it be through sending files or via video chat for important meetings.

 

For those who have yet to experience work from home, it may seem easier said than done. Offices are places conducive to ensure maximum productivity and this can be one of the challenges of navigating through working from home. We have compiled a short guide on how to maximize your time working from home so you can breeze through it and get things done.

 

Have a Dedicated Office Space

 

Your biggest enemy to working from home is getting in that work mindset and this can be difficult when you are sitting at your couch or at the kitchen table. Having a dedicated space where you can keep focus is important, whether it means just clearing a table or picking a room to stay in where you would be working full time.

 

Part and parcel of this is making your environment ideal for productivity which means decluttering the mess in your desk and nearby surroundings. It is important to keep this neat as you would be spending most of your time working at home in this area.

 

Make a schedule and set boundaries

 

Because you would be working from home, it would be really easy to slip out of work time and into your personal time. This makes it important to make a schedule for yourself to ensure that you do not cross that boundary and still get that work-life balance.

 

One of the big advantages of working from home is being able to control your own time. Nobody knows how to optimize your productivity more than you so make the most out of this and let it work to your advantage. Block out time in your calendar for your own priorities and set your notifications accordingly. This means to also allot times for breaks that can help you best get back to maximum productivity.

 

Set ground rules with people in your home

 

Just because you are working at the comfort of your own house doesn’t mean you’re already free to run an errand or do chores on the dot. Set clear rules about when you are free to help around in the house and with other matters outside of your work. This would help you keep your productivity and still be able to help around the house at the right time.

 

Start and end your work hours with a routine

 

This is important as it creates a habit that both signifies the start of your workday and the end. Whether this be to make a cup of coffee before sitting down at your work desk or doing a stretching routine after your work hours have ended – it’s always nice to keep a routine going.

 

What this means for business owners

 

If you are a business owner thinking of letting your employees do their work from home, there is nothing to fear for a lot of businesses have taken up the same position. With the right tools to equip them for easy communicating no matter where they may be working from, there’s nothing to worry about in terms of productivity. Just know that there are many businesses out there, just like you, that are still fighting to stay in operations despite the global pandemic.

 

Having your business online is a good way to ensure that your brand is still felt despite not having an operational physical store or office. There is no better time to expand your business online than now. Get a team of experts to help you get started in navigating through the digital landscape. iManila remains open and contactable despite the pandemic. Reach us through our website, and drop us a question to find out how to get started in Digital!