The emergency we are experiencing in these weeks due to the coronavirus also constitutes an economic and productivity problem. The "lockdown" imposed by the government, in our country as well as abroad, has brought the issue of Smart Working. At Pizero Design we have made Smart Working a flag since the beginning of our activity - working every day, since 2013, remotely with developers all over the world. So is it possible to do smart working efficiently and at zero cost (or almost)? It all depends on the needs and the size of the company. In the case of small teams the answer is definitely yes. So below I list the tricks and the smart working apps that have made our lives easier much simpler:

BYOD, Cloud or business laptop

The first difficulty encountered in doing Smart working is also the most difficult to overcome, if you are not prepared: How do I access company files? How can I allow my employees to work from home, without a computer? The answer is quite obvious: adopt a BYOD (Bring your own device) policy, that is, allow employees to work with their own PC, even in "normal" times. The question is not trivial, and brings with it a whole series of problems related to security.

An alternative solution, for those who cannot or do not want to have their employees work with their own PC, is to prioritise the purchase of laptops. Unless you're a video editor, or work with software that requires a lot of power, desktop computers are generally to be avoided, even though they are more convenient for office use. But today it is possible to easily transform a laptop into a desktop computer by connecting it to a docking stations which in turn allows you to use it with an external monitor, keyboard and mouse, also having additional ports. In this way you get a real office workstation while maintaining portability: in case of need the laptop can be detached and taken everywhere. It's no coincidence that practically all computer scientists work with a laptop: can you imagine the satisfaction of working even on vacation?

An essential tool for any type of business today is represented by software that synchronizes work files with the cloud: Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive are all valid commercial choices, which we will not discuss today. With a cloud service, it is possible to access work files even from home, in some cases also obtaining the possibility of sharing and modifying documents and sending secure links to third parties who are not part of the company network.

If you need to synchronize a large amount of data on various devices but you are annoyed by paying a monthly license for each account, our advice is to use NextCloud: an open source software that installs on a Proprietary server and allows unlimited file synchronization on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. We have been using it with satisfaction for years, and with a few euros a month we have our own 400GB private cloud, maintaining full control over the data and with unlimited accounts!

Project management and task assignment app

How do you carry out a project that requires teamwork, without being able to interact "live"? There are several apps that promise to help you do it. Again, over the years, we have tried all types, starting from the simplest solutions up to complex (and expensive) products, only to discover that most of the functions offered were not usable, because they were inconvenient, or simply unnecessary. The only free app that we continue to use after all these years is Trello, a tool Loano train station extremely simple and flexible, which allows you to organize your work in virtual bulletin boards, lists and cards, a bit like having whiteboards with post-it notes on them, but much more powerful. In each card you can create reminders, upload files and set up checklists. Cards can be "assigned" to one or more team members. When a card is assigned to a team member, they receive a notification. When the tasks are done, the project manager checks that the directives have been followed and then the card can be moved, archived or deleted. Released in 2011, Trello has always remained free and includes a web version and excellent apps for iOS and Android. Definitely a great choice for a small team that doesn't need particularly complex features.

Another great tool is Asana. While it shares some basic concepts with Trello, Asana is a much more complex software, with extended functions designed to meet the needs of larger and more complex companies: among the standout features are a calendar function (useful for example for those who need to plan an editorial line), the management of remote teams, project deadlines, and much more. Nice, yes, but how much does it cost? The answer is... it depends. There is a free plan with limited functions, while the most interesting plans have a cost that varies between 11 and 25 euros per month for each user.

Whatsapp messages between employees? No thanks!

Whatsapp is undoubtedly a great invention, which first revolutionized the way of messaging with relatives and friends, but which is also profoundly changing professional life. Unfortunately, it is often not easy to separate the two things, with the risk of finding yourself glued to your cell phone during working hours, or vice versa receiving "unwanted" messages even outside the office. This is why we started using, a few months ago, Slack, which is much more than a messaging app: it is basically a fusion between Whatsapp and Twitter, as it allows you to interact and communicate with messages in real time, but also to create channels shared by multiple users using hashtags, make "mentions" and attach files, all using the browser's web interface, or one of the apps available for Windows, Mac, iOS or Android. Even in the case of Slack, a free plan, with a limit of 10.000 messages stored in the archive (over 10 messages, the oldest ones are lost). As in the case of Asana, Slack also offers numerous integrations with other products in order to further expand its functionality. The paid plans, on the other hand, start at just over 6 euros per month.

Whatsapp messages with customers? Absolutely!

What we said above about Whatsapp obviously does not concern customers: since today half the world's communications pass through there, it would be a mistake not to give a potential customer the opportunity to contact us through a service they are comfortable with. But how can we separate private and professional life? Because the risk, in this case, is to find ourselves having to respond to requests of all kinds at any time, day or night, week or weekend! Well, for this there are two solutions: either you get a company cell phone, or you simply install Whatsapp for Business.

Whatsapp for business is a special version of the Whatsapp app, which however also allows you to register with a landline number. This way you can register using the telephone number of your shop, switchboard or office, and manage messages in an extremely convenient way from your PC (using Whatsapp Web) or directly from your mobile phone, using the dedicated App. To complete the Whatsapp solution for your company, we also suggest you install a "send us a message" widget on your website, like the one we have. This way, customers who use a smartphone can write to you directly by pressing a button, quickly and easily. Is it time to retire contact forms? (damn spam!).

And the Meetings?

Let's face it, meetings are often boring. Sometimes necessary, much more often superfluous and sometimes infinitely long! When you need to interact directly and immediately, however, messaging apps are no longer enough. Sometimes you need to talk to each other, see each other, and maybe share a screen. To do these things, today, there are many, many apps. Here are some of the most popular choices:

Hangouts Meet It is the Premium version of Hangouts, and it has been made free by Google following the COVID-19 epidemic, in order to to ease remote work. Meet lets you hold meetings with up to 100 participants (10 with video), and integrates seamlessly with other Google products, from Calendar to Gmail.

Another excellent free (or rather, freemium) solution is zoom meeting, a very comprehensive app that promises meetings for up to 100 participants with crystal-clear audio and HD video. PC magazine called Zoom's performance "stellar," so it's probably worth checking out. As I wrote earlier, the app uses a freemium model, so you can use it for free but with some limitations (the most important being the length of group meetings, maximum 40 minutes - but we don't consider this a limitation, but a feature 😂),

Among the paid alternatives, however, the one that stands out is Join.me, a simple and immediate video meeting system. It does not require downloading any software - the organizer creates the meeting and sends an invitation link, while guests simply click on the link to join the session. You can talk in real time, write messages, and the organizer can share the screen.

Our choice, out of necessity, still often falls on Skype or Whatsapp: it's an essential app, it works, but above all everyone knows it. It takes longer, sometimes, to tell the customer "look, there's this other app that we think works better, it's more modern, and it doesn't require downloading anything" rather than saying "Ok, add to it: skype id pizerodesign"

Time tracking - how to track the time spent at work by your employees

One of the biggest challenges for those managing remote workers is making sure the person is actually working. Of course, no one should deny themselves a coffee break, but it is undeniable that remote working could be open to possible abuses, especially when collaborators are paid based on actual hours worked, a method that is extremely widespread abroad (not in Italy, who knows why...)

Jokes aside, a valid solution and completely free is the one offered by top trackers, an app available both on the browser and as a standalone app for Mac and Windows whose operation is very simple and effective: the project manager creates a project and invites one or more team members, who will activate the "tracking" functions every time they start working. The software then monitors the worker's activity at predefined intervals, acquiring screenshots from the screen and monitoring mouse and keyboard activity, while respecting the worker's privacy (for example, the screenshot of a window "unrelated" to the work window is obscured, and does not record the text typed on the keyboard). If the activity is suspended (for example because the worker is on break) the software pause the timer and resumes only when the activity starts again. At the end of each session the app processes a complete report that can be analyzed by the project manager, and provides an exact calculation of the actual working time and the compensation due.

To conclude

In addition to the various Apps listed in this article, there are also Suites, or "all-in-one" software; these are generally solutions paid that promise to replace the entire office with a software solution. Are they valid? Are they worth the price? We have not tried them and cannot express an opinion: but the good news is that some of these solutions are currently available for free. The Italian Government has in fact set up a website (Digital Solidarity) which contains dozens of "free" offers from Italian companies, to help companies in difficulty in the time of crisis. Among these there are also various solutions for Smart Working. Our advice? Take advantage of it, but check the conditions, and above all keep an eye on the costs once the promotional period.

Did you find the article interesting? If you have any questions or want to know more about Smart Working, contact us