12 Tools for Effective Online Team Collaboration
Exploring the digital landscape for innovative team collaboration tools, we’ve gathered insights from Founders, CEOs, and other tech-savvy professionals. From the interactive potential of Miro’s Collaborative Whiteboard to the seamless integration of Google Suite for real-time editing, here are the top 12 lesser-known yet effective tools they recommend.
- Miro: Visual Collaboration Whiteboard
- Twist: Enhance Asynchronous Communication
- Quip: Real-Time Collaborative Document Editing
- Wrike: Adaptable Project Management Solution
- Loom: Effective Asynchronous Video Messaging
- Businessmap: Customizable Project Management
- Notion: Custom Setup for Unique Projects
- MURAL: Visual Collaboration for Creative Teams
- Loom: Asynchronous Video Communication Tool
- Basecamp: Simplified Project Management
- Bitrix: Real-Time Global Connection
- Google Suite: Real-Time Collaborative Editing
Miro: Visual Collaboration Whiteboard
Another powerful but less-known tool for online team collaboration is Miro. Miro is a flexible online team collaboration whiteboard that is created so teamwork on brainstorming, planning, and even real-time collaboration from different parts of the world is possible. That is probably why Miro is unique but, at the same time, user-friendly. Its flexibility offers many templates along with the integrations that fit the nature of the workflows, be it agile project management or creative brainstorming. Its visual nature helps to communicate ideas clearly and effectively to members of the team, creating that sense of engagement and participation that can sometimes be quite difficult in a purely virtual environment.
Roman Shauk
Founder&CEO, EducateMe
Twist: Enhance Asynchronous Communication
One lesser-known yet highly effective tool for online team collaboration is **Twist**. Twist focuses on asynchronous communication, which contrasts with the real-time nature of tools like Slack. This is particularly beneficial for distributed teams or those working in different time zones, as it reduces the pressure to be continuously online and available, fostering a more thoughtful and digestible communication flow.
In my experience at TechTrone IT Services, where we manage complex IT infrastructure projects, Twist has streamlined our project management and day-to-day operations. The way it organizes communication into threads helps our team maintain focus and ensures that all discussions are easy to track and review later. Unlike many chat apps, which can become chaotic quickly, Twist’s threaded conversations allow us to compartmentalize discussions by topic or project, reducing the noise and making information retrieval straightforward.
We noticed a significant improvement in team productivity after integrating Twist. For example, our response time for internal queries decreased by about 40%, and the overall time savings allowed us to focus more on core business activities such as client support and strategic IT planning. For SMBs looking to enhance their remote collaboration efficiency without the constant pings and distractions of traditional chat apps, Twist is a hidden gem worth exploring.
Remon Elsayea
It Consultant, Techtrone
Quip: Real-Time Collaborative Document Editing
When it comes to online team collaboration, many companies default to the usual suspects like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace. While these are great options, I’ve found Quip to be an underutilized gem in this space.
Quip is a powerful yet intuitive document creation and project management platform. What makes Quip stand out is its living documents feature—team members can work together in real-time to edit shared docs with built-in messaging and tasks. The documents stay synced and organized as the project evolves.
I’ve used Quip with remote teams of all sizes, and it streamlines collaboration like no other tool. Team members can brainstorm ideas, assign action items, share feedback, and track progress without the chaos of long email threads or missed notifications. And it integrates nicely with tools like Slack, so you get the best of both worlds.
If your team struggles with disconnected collaboration, I highly recommend giving Quip a try. It’s been a game-changer for keeping my remote teams aligned and engaged. The best part is it has a free version, so there’s no need to commit fully until you experience the benefits firsthand.
Gauri Manglik
CEO and Co-Founder, Instrumentl
Wrike: Adaptable Project Management Solution
Wrike is effective and very adaptable. About three months ago, we had 18 projects running concurrently. The projects ranged from developing complex AI algorithms to creating common software for clients, each with a different manager. Their template feature made it easy to set up the new projects, subdivide tasks into folders, and automate triggers in a few clicks. They also have a mobile app, which made it easy to check progress, type feedback, and share updates when away from the office. Everyone stayed in sync, and we were able to complete the 18 projects on time.
Their customer service is highly reliable, too. I once reached out to their customer care on a Friday night. I explained my issue on their live chat and was connected to a representative within a minute. The representative walked me through the solution and sent a follow-up email with additional resources. It was the first month of using Wrike, and the fast customer service built my trust in them. It may not be the most popular, but it is a perfect fit for us.
Serhii Antoniuk
CEO, LITSLINK
Loom: Effective Asynchronous Video Messaging
Despite receiving less attention than it should, Loom is a really useful tool for online team collaboration. When managing a facility with employees dispersed across multiple sites and working different shifts, asynchronous communication becomes a necessity. Loom enables staff members to create, share, and watch important work-related recordings, ensuring that everyone is informed and engaged regardless of their schedule.
One instance that highlighted Loom’s effectiveness was when I used it to discuss a new treatment plan. Instead of organizing a live meeting, which I knew many employees couldn’t attend at the time, I made a video and sent it to the team. This allowed everyone to know about, follow along with, and understand the changes whenever it was convenient for them. It ensured that the entire team was on the same page and enabled them to go over the explanation at any point, improving the clarity and consistency of our processes.
Having timely and accurate information is critical in what we do, and Loom has changed the game in this regard.
Jon Brown
Founder and CEO, South Meadows Recovery
Businessmap: Customizable Project Management
One lesser-known yet highly effective tool for enhancing online team collaboration is Businessmap, the project management tool I have been closely associated with for over seven years. Its unique selling proposition lies in its extensive capacity for customization to meet the needs of teams across diverse sectors.
While working on an ERP software implementation project, our team was scattered across multiple geographical locations. The unique ‘follow-the-sun’ feature in Businessmap enabled seamless handovers among team members, eliminating redundancies and miscommunications enormously.
Another game-changer was our ‘shared spaces’ functionality, which provided an excellent platform for brainstorming and innovation for another project with a multinational client.
Overall, the personalization, agility, and robustness of Businessmap make it an underrated yet powerful choice in the realm of online team collaboration tools.
Gabriel Lukov
Head of Inbound Growth, Businessmap
Notion: Custom Setup for Unique Projects
We love using Notion for projects that aren’t part of our regular workflows. The in-depth customization makes it perfect for these types of projects because we can set it up exactly how we need it. For instance, we’ve used it to manage everything from event planning to complex client projects. Everyone on the team can easily access and update the information, which keeps us all on the same page.
Milo Cruz
SEO & Content Lead, BuddyCRM
MURAL: Visual Collaboration for Creative Teams
MURAL is a tool that, despite its growing user base, is still not as widely recognized in the broader market. It is an excellent digital workspace for visual collaboration, enabling teams to innovate and problem-solve together through diagrams, sketches, and more. This tool is particularly beneficial for our design and development teams, who rely heavily on visual aids and brainstorming sessions.
What makes MURAL indispensable is its focus on enhancing creative processes through a shared, digital whiteboard interface. It allows team members to contribute visually in real-time, which is perfect for sprint planning, retrospectives, and any session where visualizing the task at hand leads to better understanding and innovation. For a company like ours, where remote collaboration must bridge various creative and operational gaps, MURAL has been key to maintaining the flow of ideas and ensuring that all voices are heard and visualized.
Alari Aho
CEO and Founder, Toggl Inc
Loom: Asynchronous Video Communication Tool
My top underrated online collaboration tool is Loom. I love Loom for asynchronous communication among team members. It’s great when you have teams spread out around the world, as you don’t need to worry about time zones. With Loom, you can make quick and easy screen-share videos that have your face on the screen as well. This really helps team members feel connected with each other, even when they live all over the world. I also love that they offer a written transcription of each video when you have the paid version of Loom. In particular, I find Loom useful for sharing project updates, training on internal processes, and reducing the confusion that can come from written communication only. It’s so much better to be able to show teammates what you mean, rather than just telling them about it in writing.
Basecamp: Simplified Project Management
While Basecamp is fairly well-known in certain circles, I find that its potential for streamlined, minimalistic project management and team collaboration is still underappreciated.
It excels in breaking down project components into manageable segments, such as to-dos, files, discussions, and schedules, all accessible from a single dashboard. Basecamp’s emphasis on simplicity and clarity helps keep teams focused and reduces the complexity often associated with project management tools.
Axel Lavergne
Founder, reviewflowz
Bitrix: Real-Time Global Connection
Collaboration methods for teams based online need to be effective and streamlined. If you are working with teams from several different countries, you need a tool that can connect you all in real-time. This way you will be able to contact each other with no issues during the course of the working day.
We found that using a tool like Bitrix will help in this regard. This connection tool helps us contact and connect with each other in real-time and ensures that we have updates regarding work-related information as it happens. We have a channel that is dedicated to our company, and within this channel, we are able to message employees directly and even have group channels that are specific to the different departments in our team.
Other features include a feed where we can make company announcements and also a project management tool to see how dedicated projects work out. It also allows us to synchronize with external applications and have everything that we need in one central location. It has really helped us work more effectively with each other.
Aureljia Gintaliene
Founder, Breezit
Google Suite: Real-Time Collaborative Editing
A surprisingly powerful yet familiar tool for online team collaboration is the duo of Google Sheets and Google Docs. Often used individually, their collaborative features are underutilized.
At our UI/UX design agency, these tools are essential for cross-departmental collaboration. Real-time editing ensures everyone stays on the same page, while cloud storage provides centralized access and editing for authorized team members, regardless of location. Built-in commenting and revision history foster transparent communication and efficient feedback loops. This user-friendly suite empowers seamless collaboration across departments.
Juan Carlos Munoz
Co-Founder, CC Creative Design
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