If you’re a business that works with clients, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of trying to find a digital workspace that lets you easily work with people outside your organization. While AirSend makes it easy to add external clients to Channels, the process is more complicated in apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams.

In this blog post, we’re going to show you how you can work with a client in Microsoft Teams and how you can do it in AirSend. 

How to Start Working with a Client in Microsoft Teams

1) Create a new team by clicking on the button that says Join or Create a team.

2) Click add more people after the team has been created and enter the client’s email address.

3) The client will receive an email which will ask them to create an Office 365 account if they do not already have one. The account creation process requires the creation of a password and asks for location and birthday information. It also contains an email verification by a code sent to the client’s email address.

4) Then there will be a screen asking for permissions for the entity which created the invitation (your business) to access the client’s basic information (email, image etc.)

5) After that the client will be taken to their new account and have access to the team which you created.

6) You can then message them, call them, upload files for them to access etc.

How to Start Working with a Client in AirSend

1) Create a Channel, or you can invite people to a preexisting Channel.

2) Click on the People icon, then click the button that says “Add New Member” and enter the client’s email address.

3) The client will receive an email which will invite them to create an account. 

4) Here is where AirSend differs from Teams. If the client creates an account, which is through a much simpler 1-step process, then they will have direct access to the Channel and any files, notes, actions, and messages that are there. 

5) However, if they do not create an account, you can still work with the client by sending messages to them using the “Post message and send an Email” button in your Channel. 

Either way, it is much easier to work with a client using AirSend as opposed to Microsoft Teams. 

What has your experience been with working with clients in digital workspaces? Let us know in the AirSend Feedback Channel!

Everyone has their favorite workspace tool. However, there is a current reigning champion- Slack. Slack is the king of integrations and an easy-to-use workspace tool. However, based on several interviews we had with Slack users, Slack is not perfect. While the product is appealing and easy-to-use, several design choices make it challenging and annoying. We are going to do a deep-dive analysis of Slack’s workspace and how AirSend compares.

Slack WorkSpace: The Gist

The image above is a general layout of a new Slack workspace. On the left panel is where users will find all their channels and direct messaging. Labeled at the top is a button called “browse Slack.” In here is where you will receive a full-view of: 

• All unread messages
• Direct messages
• Mentions and reactions from every conversation
• Saved items
• Channel browser (where users can see all channels they can join)
• File browser (where users can view all team files)
• Full contact book and option to add people
• Third-party integration apps

Among other things, Slack also features a list of shortcuts 

• Set reminders
• Start a call 
• Create a post 
• Create code/ text snippets
• Shortcuts from other apps
  • Calendar events
  • Polling

The Problems with Slack

These features seem like a lot, but Slack’s design shines in this area by compacting them into lists. However, there are other areas where Slack’s UI does not shine. One of which, of course, is the issue of switching between workspaces.

Based on our interviews, users who worked with clients had to switch between slack workspaces to get work done. There is, of course, the new feature of shared channels/workspace; however, it is not a solution to handling multiple workspaces. Instead, it is a substitute for an answer. 

The issue with a shared workspace is that it can be challenging to share sensitive information with everyone seeing them. Sure, you can DM the person, but then there is difficulty finding which workspace the direct message sent.

The way shared workspaces work is simple. Workspace A and workspace B combine into one workspace. The combination of workspaces leads to shared channels. As reiterated before, having shared channels can be challenging to share sensitive information when you have everyone watching what you post.

Furthermore, notifications are useless when it comes to web browsers. According to the users we interviewed, receiving notification via the web browser is more complicated than receiving them via mobile phone.  Notifications received via web need to be decoded to find which workspace the message is located. 

Additionally, there are no read receipts, which is a nuisance when you have an active conversation. Finally, most users we interviewed felt that Slack’s mobile design is much easier to use when switching between workspaces and checking notifications. Now, let’s see what AirSend has to offer. 

AirSend

AirSend is a workspace tool with a radically different design from Slack. Instead of having several different workspaces with many channels in each of them, we offer a simplistic channel design. Work gets done through the use of channels. AirSend’s channels feature built-in task management, file organization, and notebook. That’s it. Users who work with clients or other team members can get all their work done in one channel. There is no need to switch between various channels or workspaces to send the appropriate message.

AirSend solves the multiple workspace problem that Slack tries to solve. We take out the concept of multiple workspaces and provide only one workspace. In one workspace, users can create and join as many channels as they like. 

The other solution that we provide that Slack does not is our notifications. 

AirSend notifications let you know where your message is posted and what the message is. Also, users can reply to the notification from their email instead of jumping into AirSend to answer. Users who receive a notice via mobile can respond to the ping itself. AirSend also offers read receipts, reactions, and reminders to messages. 

Here is a quick list of AirSend’s features

• Built-in features
  • Task management
  • File sharing/organization
  • Notebook
  • Audio and video calling
• Office 365 integration
• Private/public channels
• Customize backgrounds
• Email-to-channel- refer to our nine AirSend tips to help with remote work
• AirSend for GSuite/Gmail extension
• Assign member roles

This Gist of it All

So, I know I threw a lot of information at you right now, and I have given you a lot to think. Instead of going back and rereading everything, here is a quick summary of what we went over. The beginning of this blog post discusses what a Slack workspace is and what it has to offer. A Slack workspace provides many features that are compacted into lists to make the product somewhat easier-to-use. Some of these features that user favorites are: 

• Creating reminders 
• Browsing channels
• Full file browser view

However, there are some design issues with Slack that do make the product somewhat annoying to use. These issues are switching between workspaces, receiving notifications, and shared channels/workspaces. Switching between workspaces is problematic because it can sometimes confuse which workspace users need to be in, and there are too many clicks involved to get to another workspace.

Receiving notifications is complicated because users often have to decode the message to find where the new message is located and which workspace the message is sent.

Finally, shared channels/workspaces can be problematic when sharing sensitive information. After implementing shared channels, everyone from workspace A and everyone from workspace B will be privy to seeing all the sent messages. There are some solutions to shared channels, such as direct messaging or making a new channel, but that involves extra steps and confusion.  

The problems that Slack faces, AirSend fixes. Instead of having various workspaces, AirSend offers one workspace with multiple channels. Users can work with internal and external clients without ever having to switch to another workspace. The elimination of extra workspaces makes it less confusing and easier-to-use.

Secondly, AirSend notifications let you know where your message is posted and in which channel. Slack lets you see what message and which channel, but not which workspace. Finally, unlike Slack, AirSend offers read receipts, which is perfect for active conversations.

We provide an in-depth analysis of a Slack workspace, what they offer, and the problems users face when using the product. We also included an alternative solution- AirSend. AirSend solves the issues that Slack has yet to solve. To see more Slack vs. AirSend, check out our last post: Slack Connect vs. AirSend. 

I’m sure as you all know, we are heavy users of AirSend. With industries turning to a remote work solution, users must have a reliable working digital chat/workspace. Today, we are going to list nine super easy AirSend tips to help with remote work. 

Create an Announcement Channel

With all the hubbub going around, and everyone staying home, it isn’t easy to keep in the loop. That is why we feel it is vital to have an announcement channel. All employees can gather the latest updates on an announcement channel and partake in chatting with other employees. 

Create a Status Report Channel

Status reports allow for everyone in the company to see what their colleagues are doing. AirSend features markdown language, which makes status reports look neat, organized, and professional. At AirSend, our employees contribute status reports every week- that way, everyone knows what existing, and upcoming projects are happening.

Implement Task Tracking

AirSend features built-in task tracking. With our task tracking system, users can

• Assign specific tasks
• Set reminders
• Include a description
• Establish what kind of task it is (coming soon)
• Set due dates

As you are all aware, setting tasks gives everyone in the channel an idea of what everyone is doing. Additionally, setting up tasks serves as a great weekly planner for what everyone will be doing. 

Create Custom Folders and Files

My favorite feature with AirSend is that the tool does not require a third-party file-sharing system. Instead, AirSend offers a complete built-in file storage system. Users can create, organize, and move custom folders. Users can also upload and move files around. In addition to having a full folder/file view in each channel, AirSend features a centralized view of ALL files and folders from each channel. From this all-in-one view, users can see/organize current and deleted files and folders. Finally, each user receives 100GB of free file storage.

Organize your Wiki

Think of your wiki as a giant notebook or inner web editor. Your wiki is the first thing members will see on your channel. This wiki summarizes what the channel is. Furthermore, when editing the wiki, employees have full access to creating and uploading files and folders. Like a notebook, users can easily view all files with a click of a button. You can edit the wiki using markdown language, which makes the display professional and organized. Finally, users can link local files or external URLs within the wiki, making getting to the destination more accessible and faster.

Have a Meeting Anytime, Anywhere

Having a digital workspace cannot only rely on asynchronous communication. In a remote work environment, workspaces must offer both asynchronous and synchronous communication. AirSend offers built-in web conferencing as a form of synchronous communication. Instead of hosting a meeting via texting, hosting a meeting through audio and video conferencing allows work to get done ten times faster. Simply because conferencing through audio and video allows getting the message across quicker. 

Collaborate with Internal/External Clients with Email

AirSend offers a text-to-email feature. This means that users who already have an AirSend account can send messages from AirSend, and the client will receive it to their email. Clients and team members can also send messages and share files to AirSend using their email. The other major plus is that clients do not need an AirSend account. AirSend users need to add the external client’s email address to the AirSend channel. After adding the client’s email address, the AirSend user and external client can communicate and share files using AirSend and email. The external client does not need an AirSend account to get work done. 

AirSend for GSuite

AirSend’s Gsuite extension is the same concept as using AirSend’s email feature. The difference is that it is a Gsuite extension. The AirSend add-on for Gmail helps you keep and organize important information by allowing you to easily send important emails and email attachments to your AirSend Channels. You can add a message to the email as well. This extension helps when email chains get too long, would like to share an article sent to your email and plan meetings. Here is how the add-on works: 

• Start by installing the AirSend for Gmail Add-On.
• Open any email and click on the AirSend icon on the right-hand side of your Gmail inbox.
• Choose the AirSend Channel you want to forward the email.
• Add a message and check the “Include email attachments” box if applicable.
• Click send, and you’re good to go!

Setup your Workspace

It is efficient to create a personal workspace within the same tool you use to conduct team/client collaboration. Within your workspace, you can create and manage your tasks, store important files, and customize your wiki to maximize workflow. You can even copy and paste essential articles to refer to for later.

Summary

Some of these tips are quick and easy to implement for a remote work setting. Other tips are meatier, geared towards helping you think about the foundations you’ll need for a distributed workforce.

We recently wrote about the “Top Android Apps for Voice and Video Calls,” and now it is time to write about our five favorite team chap apps for iOS for remote work in 2020. 

As we also previously mentioned, we need smartphones to communicate efficiently. However, having a bare-bone smartphone is not enough to get by. We need apps that range from workflow, organization, planning, and of course, communication. Here are five team chat apps for iOS for remote work in 2020. 

AirSend

AirSend brings everything you need to get work done into a single, elegant workspace. No more switching between apps. Send messages, share and organize files, and complete actions all in one place so that you can focus on what you do best. AirSend’s iOS app features:

• Voice and video calling
• Task management
• File organization/sharing 
• Wiki management
• Send messages

AirSend voice/video calling is unlimited across all plans. Further, AirSend offers a push-to-start calling feature. Having a voice and video call feature in addition to workflow management features makes getting work done faster.

Kakao

Kakao is an easy-to-use and straightforward messenger app. Workers can enjoy unlimited free calls with fellow Kakao users. Further, employees can: 

• Chat from anywhere
• Send up to 100 MB files
• Set chat room transparency
• Voice/video calls on PC
• Voice filters
• Live talks
• Calendars 
• Animated emoticons and pretty themes
• And a whole lot more

Additionally, Kakao works amazing across all types of platforms. Kakao is one of those underground chat apps that not a lot of private industries know. But once discovered, Kakao can be an entertaining app to use. 

Slack

I’m sure as you and the rest of the world know, Slack is the heavy-weight champion of team communication. Slack features: 

• File sharing
• Video and Audio Calls
• Collaboration with internal and external partners
• Integrations
• Channel organization

The great thing about Slack is its prominent, powerful integration system. Workers can integrate over 500 apps to help maximize productivity. The bad thing about Slack, however, is that it costs money to get the premium features. Most private industries are on Slack’s free plan, which includes limited features and functionality. If you are looking for an excellent Slack alternative that is also free, check out our “Top 7 Free Slack Alternatives.” 

Twist

Twist is a chat platform built by an internationally distributed team at Doist. Ideally, Twist makes it much easier to keep track of a conversation and refer back to it later. They also target remote teamwork, making it suitable for an organized communication hub, share updates, and keep track of messages after several years. Some unique features to Twist are:

• Structured channels
• Threads
• Direct messaging
• Status updates
• Company-wide transparency

Some highlights to Twist is the organization of threads to keep discussions in order. Organized threads are helpful for companies that have a lot of employees. Unlike most other chat platforms, Twist lets you disconnect to focus on your work. It is similar to a “do not disturb” mode that you would find on your iPhone. 

A con to Twist is that in their free package, they do not offer as much compared to other team chat apps for iOS. Twist gets the primary job done, but if you are looking for more usage in a free tool, Twist may not be ideal. 

Chanty

Chanty is a simple AI-powered tool. One of Chanty’s big selling points is that they keep a balance between features and usability, hence the simple and easy-to-use design. Chanty features: 

• Task management
• Unlimited messages
• Audio and Video calling (in the paid version)
• Organization with Teambook
• Pin message and ‘@’ mentions
• Code snippets with dev-friendly formatting

While Chanty is an excellent team chat and collaboration tool, they are not ideal for large teams. There is a limit of 10 users and 10 GB of storage per team in their free plan. Finally, while the web UI is impressive, the design layout in iOS is a little lacking. Still, if you are more of a feature-focus type of worker, Chanty may be worth a shot. 

Building community is important for every brand, business, or creative. Whether the concept behind Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans is true or not, successful enterprises gather and engage people.

Traditionally, people have used tools like Facebook Groups or Discord to organize and engage with their community members. But if you’ve ever been in a Facebook group or Discord server, you know there are huge downsides to using these platforms. Especially if you are trying to run a professional group or program.

This blog post is going to discuss the downsides of Facebook Groups and Discord and then show you how AirSend’s unique tools and organization can help when it comes to community building.

Limitations of Facebook Groups and Discord

All of the limitations of Facebook Groups and Discord fall into one of two categories: lack of organization or lack of professionalism.

Lack of Organization

Social platforms like Facebook and Discord are fun and addicting due to their immediacy. New posts pop up on your feed, then disappear. There’s always something fresh and interesting to look at. The same features that make these platforms fun make them unsuitable for building a professional community.

The only way to organize evergreen content is to pin posts, but that isn’t enough for most professional communities. Where do you put the PDF worksheets that every new member should get? How do you make sure everyone sees your new video before it gets lost in the sea of other posts and messages?

The inability to control what your members see, when they see it, and provide permanent access to essential content are the greatest limitations of Facebook Groups and Discord.

Lack of Professionalism

The other limitation is the lack of a professional feel and experience. Facebook groups and Discord servers are great for a variety of groups: book clubs, friend groups that want to stay connected after graduation, and gamers, to name a few. But when it comes to professional communities, the user interface and features may give people the impression of being too casual.

AirSend for Professional Communities

This is where AirSend comes in. With AirSend, you can create public and private Channels to accommodate any professional community.

Within these Channels, you can still send and receive messages just like with Groups and Discord. But features like the Wiki and file organization system (see below) make organizing and accessing content easy for you and your community members.

And finally, as you can see, the AirSend interface is simple and professional, unlike Groups and Discord.

Ready to Try AirSend?

If you’re itching to ditch Facebook Groups and want to see how easy it can be to run your professional community using AirSend – sign up for your free account here.

Have more questions? Ask them here.

Recently we released a video on how to make video and audio calls with AirSend. In this blog post, we are going to list the step-by-step process. There are two ways to start a call with AirSend. Let’s begin with our favorite and simple way. 

Hitting the Phone Icon

To instantly start a call, hit the phone icon located at the top of the screen next to the people icon.

In AirSend, to join a call, there will be a link in the channel for users to click on to take them to the meeting automatically.

The second way to start a call is through slash commands.

Slash Commands

There are many features to our slash commands. One of which is, of course, calling. Type “/” for the list of options to appear.

And as always, we like to keep things simple. So, of course, it is only natural to have a clean and straightforward calling interface. When you are in a conference call, you have the option to: 

• View your settings
  • Profile
  • Notifications
  • Audio and Video
  • Password
• Mute/Unmute
• Webcam 
• Screen sharing
• Maximize calling screen
• Built-in chat

Now, we know this sounds like a lot, and it is. But we have taken these features and implemented them into a clean design where everything is easy to find. 

My favorite feature of AirSend’s voice and video call is the built-in chat. Because AirSend voice and video calls are built into the platform, it is easy to host meetings while also chatting in other channels- which is fantastic for multitasking. While chatting, you will have a grey bar located at the top with all your calling features, so you can talk in a meeting while messaging potential partners/clients. Think of these two features as a two-in-one combo. 

Below is the full video of how to make audio and video calls with AirSend. 

Do you ever wish to host your online community? Perhaps you are a Discord user, and you find that the platform is not meeting all your needs? Well, now you can stop worrying. Today, we will list five of our favorite online community platforms that are an alternative to Discord.  Also, check out our other favorite alternatives for Discord for workflow management. Without further ado, let’s begin with our list of Discord community alternatives. 

1. Tribe

Tribe is a community platform that offers widgets and apps. Create a stand-alone or integrated community website. Enable your users to connect and discuss under your brand. Users can follow, ask questions, start discussions, upvote, comment, and share content. Essentially, Tribe is a cloud-based platform that features all types of social configurations needed to run your community. These social configurations are, but not limited to: 

• Activity feed
• Analytics 
• User management
• Virtual currencies
• Onboarding 
• Compliance
• Public/private access

In addition to their social configurations, Tribe has many apps that can seamlessly integrate with your business tool. Some tools that the platform integrates with are:

• Slack
• Zapier
• HubSpot
• Google Analytics
• Webhooks
• Messenger

Pricing

As you can probably imagine, Tribe is a fantastic community platform. For people looking for all the bells and whistles that Discord has, but better, Tribe is an excellent alternative. However, unlike Discord, Tribe isn’t necessarily free. Below is a list of their current plans. 

• Free: Includes free apps for individuals and small communities
  • Custom domain
  • Theme control
  • Groups or sub-communities 
  • 500 members 
  • Community support
• Plus: Essential apps and tools for small businesses and startups 
  • $85/monthly
  • All the benefits of the free plan
  • Unlimited members
  • White label
  • Plus apps
  • API access 
  • Email support
• Premium: Administration apps and tools for brands and companies
  • $249/monthly
  • Plus features included 
  • SSO (single sign-on)
  • Advanced Analytics 
  • Premium apps
  • Staging environment 
  • Chat support
• Enterprise: For large businesses or those in regulated industries
  • Contact sales for pricing
  • Premium features 
  • Custom apps
  • Enterprise apps
  • 24/7 support

Ultimately, Tribe is excellent for professional and nonprofessional communities. The platform gives all like-minded individuals a space to connect through the benefit of their work tool and beyond. And speaking of community tools that work well with business tools, AirSend is our next platform.

2. AirSend

Unlike Tribe, which requires integration to your preferred business tool, AirSend is an all-in-one business and community platform. AirSend allows users to get work done while also interacting with their community simultaneously. You can find out more about how AirSend is a great work tool by visiting our homepage, but now let’s talk about the community element AirSend offers. 

One of the things we like to preach is simplicity. In contrast to Discord, an altogether complex tool, AirSend is a simplistic community platform that is great for those looking for an easy-to-use community with not too many bells and whistles attached. Additionally, with community platforms heavily loaded with features, like Tribe and Discord, it can take an immense amount of time to set up your community before any actual members join. With AirSend, it takes two minutes. 

AirSend public channel features: 

• Role management
• Audio and video calling
• Task management 
• File/Folder organization 
• Note tracking
• Slash command
• Mute notifications
• Read receipts 
• User management 

Our platform offers a clean and new perspective on holistic communities. Community owners have control of who is allowed into their community- which means no more trolls. Further, we offer a reasonable price. 

Pricing

Currently, we are running a promotion. If you sign up now before October 15, 2020, you will get AirSend Pro free on us for one whole year. Public channel features are available across all plans

• Free: 
  • Unlimited channels and members
  • Unlimited message history 
  • 15 GB file storage, 30 MB file size
  • Unlimited voice, video calls, and screen sharing
• AirSend Pro: Free for a year
  • Initially $4 per user/month
  • Everything in the free plan
  • 100 GB file storage
  • No file size limit
  • Custom branded channels
• AirSend Business: Coming soon 
  • Initially $7 per user/month
  • Active Directory authentication
  • Data residency 
  • 24/7 support with four hour response time
  • Data governance 

In summation, AirSend is a great community tool to connect business partners and like-minded individuals in a clean and holistic environment. Another great tool that is great for professionals and nonprofessionals alike is Influitive.

3. Influitive

Influitive allows you to build a community of advocates and invite your customers, developers, partners, and employees to complete challenges, referrals, product reviews, and social media posts. As they complete these personalized challenges, they earn points, badge, and levels to redeem professional perks and privileges. Yes, Influitive is built on gamification, which in its own right, genius. The platform is a fantastic choice for businesses who want to build up customer loyalty through a community. 

Influitive is: 

• Engaging by design
• Optimized for real value
• Built upon personalized experiences. 

As Influitive preaches, “Whether you want to generate more leads and references, drive more customer success, or even improve future products through direct customer feedback, Influitive has got you covered,” (Advocatehub Overview). Additionally, the platform integrated with the most popular API and marketing automation systems, such as: 

• Salesforce
• Zapier
• HubSpot
• Marketo
• Eloqua
• Tango Card
• Gravy
• Sendoso
• TrustRadius

Now that we’ve seen the features, what is the price? 

Pricing

Influitive offers three packages. 

• Professional: Essential functionality
  • Advocacy and Engagement 
  • Discussions and Moderation 
  • Data collection and Reporting
  • Personalization and Targeting 
  • ROI Analytics
• Corporate: Robust functionality 
  • Everything in the Professional package 
  • Journey Management 
  • Knowledge Base
  • Multilingual Support
  • Premium Branding 
  • Premium Pre-built Content 
• Enterprise: Complete Platform 
  • Everything in the Corporate package
  • Multi-Program Management
  • Premium Support
  • Enterprise Security

Ultimately, Influitive is a perfect community tool for businesses to amplify their customer loyalty through gamification and incentives- i.e., referrals and reviews. The platform is ideal for mobilizing customer advocates to help grow your business. Drive value through a thriving community. Up next on our list is a community platform that is perfect for casual communities- Viber.

4. Viber

We listed Viber as one of our top Android apps for voice and video calls. But, did you know Viber also offers a community platform? Creating a community with Viber means you get the whole BLT sandwich. 

• Unlimited members 
• Endless growth possibilities
• Admin controls
• Privacy
• Moderate discussions
• Engage new members
• Manage conversations
• Delete unwanted messages
• Ban users
• Invite link
• Safe chat

Viber is a super easy-to-use. Similar to AirSend, Viber doesn’t include all the bells and whistles. Instead, they have features that are important to host a community. Additionally, Viber is free, which is a massive benefit for those starting their community. In terms of calling international, it is $5.99/monthly. Speaking of which, hosting international calls is cool. Imagine also creating a community via international. Minus the time difference, I would imagine hosting a global community would be neat. Finally, we list one of the most known community platforms known to be an excellent alternative to Discord- Reddit. 

5. Reddit

I’m pretty sure I can spare you the in-depth explanation of what Reddit is and how it works but indulge me. Reddit is an online public forum where thousands of communities form and where millions of members conglomerate. The UX is relatively simple- upvote or downvote a particular post, comment, and gain karma. Reddit is also a great news outlet voiced by public opinion.

Most people join Reddit to connect with others through communities. However, if you are an extensive Reddit user, you know the platform can be rigorous. Communities have rules that members must follow- and this isn’t necessarily bad. Having strict rules on Reddit is one reason why the platform is so great. Of course, you will have trolls, but communities have this unspoken rule of not tolerating users who go against community rules. Because of the ironclad rule system, Reddit keeps relatively sane communities where members visit to converse and participate. 

However, Reddit is not a great community tool for those wanting to engage with their members more or build relationships with others. Yes, it is a community platform but is a community platform joined by like-minded strangers. To some, this is great, but for others, it’s not. For users, trying to establish a conversation can be challenging with Reddit because of the number of updated posts. Additionally, trying to build/advertise your community on Reddit is extremely difficult. 

Summary

Here is a list of our five favorite Discord alternative community platforms. We presented you with three community tools that are great with working with business tools and people. After the top three, we listed our two absolute favorites, which are great for casual communities. Each community has something to offer. It is only a matter of figuring out which one is best for you and your organization.

In our guide on remote work communication, we mentioned the importance of status reports to keep everyone on the same page. Here is an expansion of that. In this blog post, we’re going to talk about the importance of status reports in remote work, how to implement status reports, some tips on making status reports work for you, and how we do our status reports using AirSend.

Why Status Reports Are Important

In short, status reports keeps everyone in sync with each other and help keep you on track, both of which are increasingly important in a remote work setting.

As a team crosses a certain number of people it becomes harder to keep all people, groups, and teams in sync with each other. People working in one area or function might not be aware that it might impact or affect other areas inadvertently or there are other unknown ramifications of the work they are doing.

Distributing that information across everyone becomes challenging. Using Team meetings etc. to communicate statuses become ineffective as it either takes too long or wastes time.

Status reports increase the visibility of the work you are doing and raise the overall profile and awareness of initiatives and new projects across the whole team. Also, status reports are a work journal for yourself and help you focus on what needs to be done every week and brings clarity and purpose.

How to Implement Status Reports

Like most things, consistency is key in successful implementation of status reports. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Have everyone on the team add their weekly status report to a set location. We use an AirSend Channel to collect ours.
• Make sure everyone sends status reports weekly (ideally at end of the day on Friday) to wrap up your week.
• For easy filtering, everyone should use the same subject keywords. For example, ‘status report w/e 7/14/2017‘ (‘status report’ is the keyword, w/e just says week ending and the week).
• Make sure everyone knows what to put in their reports, which brings us to:

What Status Reports Should Communicate

Status reports should communicate a few essential things:

• What you got done last week (Be as specific as you can, details are ok)
• What problems or challenges you overcame, and what problems you still face and are working on
• What you plan to accomplish or work on next week
• Any other information worth sharing (upcoming time off, achievements outside work, etc)

Additional Status Report Pointers

• Everyone needs to send out status reports
• Status reports are meant to communicate first, so make it readable and useful
• Sometimes, the simplest way is to keep adding notes on work done in the week and send it out at the end of the week. It becomes hard to remember all the things that were done at the end of the week.
• Sometimes, for certain work, it might be hard to write reports (for example for tech support which deals with 100s of emails in a week). In those cases, pick a sample of the most important or interesting problems that you worked on during the week. 
• Make the next week section a realistic plan of action for yourself. Please don’t dump your entire sprint action list there unless you really plan to complete it by then.
• Status reports are the #1 way to communicate the work you are doing and the progress you are making, so make sure to showcase the achievements and the tough problems you tracked and solved. This will include customer support sessions for specific problems and what happened there.
• If you learned something new this week please share that.
• If you are undergoing training, please share your training guide and the progress you made there.
• If you took courses outside, please share that.
• A status report is a communication and a showcase about you to the entire team, so take some pride in how it is crafted and how it is sent. 

Status Reports in AirSend

As mentioned before, we use a Weekly Status Reports Channel in AirSend to share our weekly status reports. This works well for us because it’s easy to format messages using Markdown and share images and other files in AirSend. Below are some actual screenshots of our status report Channel.

Messages and Attachments

Important Information in the Wiki

Task Tracking in Actions

We hope this was useful to you!

Until next time,

The AirSend Team

After the first smartphone came out, people started communicating through their phones. Communicating through a smartphone is an easy and effective way to get work done. However, having a bare-bone smartphone is not enough to get by today.

We need apps. Apps that range from workflow, organization, planning, and of course, communicating. In this blog post, we will be showing our favorite apps that are perfect for holding meetings; in other words, voice and video calling. Here are six of the best android apps for voice and video calls. 

1. AirSend

AirSend brings everything you need to get work done into a single, elegant workspace. No more switching between apps. Send messages, share and organize files, and complete actions all in one place so that you can focus on what you do best. AirSend’s Android app features:

• Voice and video calling
• Task management
• File organization/sharing 
• Wiki management
• Send messages

AirSend voice and video calling is unlimited across all plans. Further, AirSend offers a push-to-start calling feature. Having a voice and video call feature in addition to workflow management features makes getting work done faster.

2. Discord

Aside from AirSend, Discord is one of our favorite android apps for voice and video calls. With Discord, create a home for your communities and friends, where you can stay close and have fun over text, voice, and video. In addition to voice and video calling, Discord features:

• Bots
• Unlimited channels and servers
• Streaming

Though Discord is a powerful voice and video app, it is mainly designed for communities and not so much workflow. However, according to several reviews, the calling version via the android app sometimes cuts off after 20 minutes. On the upside, Discord’s app is easier to use than the desktop version. 

3. Google Duo

Google Duo is a high-quality video calling app. The biggest perk to Duo is that it is simple, fast, and easy to use. Duo features: 

• Group calling with up to 32 people
• Take photos while calling
• Send voice, video, and photos
• Make calls between android and iOS- share and join calls with a link

According to several reviews, the highlight to Duo is that users can leave personalized video messages to those who don’t pick up- like a voicemail, but better. Google Duo is a great way to hold conference calls on-the-go. It is also a convenient app for those who already use GSuite for their work.

4. Viber Messenger

Viber is a free, simple, fast, and most secure messaging and calling app. With Viber, you will have access to unlimited calls, endless texting, and high-quality video chat! Additionally, the android app allows you to make free international calls, send text messages, and open a group chat. Viber features: 

• Fully synced desktop and tablet apps
• Free audio and video calls
• Send free messages
• Self destruct messaging 
• Create Viber communities 

Unfortunately, Viber tends to lag quite often, especially after an update is made. There are also no read receipts. Finally, the app doesn’t show the real-time status of the person you are talking with unless you exit the chat and join again. Aside from the negatives, Viber is extremely user friendly. 

5. Workplace from Facebook

Workplace is a messaging app that connects everyone in your company. The app is specially designed for remote work. Workplace also features integrations from Microsoft, Google, and Dropbox. The app features: 

• Chat, voice, and video calls
• Create groups for team projects 
• Connect with desktop and mobile devices
• Share important updates in your groups via live video

Workplace often has connection issues. These connection issues can range from loading page errors and push notifications, not working. The neat thing about the app is that unlike regular Facebook, Workplace doesn’t bury important posts. 

6. Dingtone

Dingtone, a free calling app, allows you to make unlimited free phone calls and send free text messages to anyone. Dingtone also gives you a free number as a second line. Having a second line with a free number is great for dealing with clients, such as real estate agents. Dingtone features: 

• Free calls and texting
• International phone calls
• Voice to messaging- speak your message, and the app will type it out

Dingtone is a simple and fast app. The app shines, especially with users who have a terrible phone signal. Most users recommend using the free plan instead of paying.

You asked, so we provided.

The AirSend Team is proud to announce that you can now make voice and video calls with screensharing in AirSend Channels.

Need a team meeting or want to chat with a client? Just click the phone icon at the top of any Channel to start a call with the people in that Channel. During the call, you can easily mute / unmute yourself, turn video on / off, and start / stop screen-sharing.

We envision AirSend to be a collaborative tool where people can get work done all in one place, and the addition of voice and video calling brings us one stop closer to that goal.

Thank you for staying with us on this journey! Feel free to share any thoughts in the AirSend Feedback Channel.

Until next time,

The AirSend Team