Covid-19 has changed the way of working for the entire world. People are now comfortably working from home or from any remote locations that they wish. Basically, working remotely is now the new normal. And there is no denying that remote working can be better for both the employers and the employees.
If you try to figure out why remote working is better than working from the office, one of the first things you will encounter is asynchronous communication. This article offers an insight into the basics of asynchronous communication and some useful asynchronous communication tools.
What Is Asynchronous Communication?
Asynchronous communication, simply put, is communication that is not real-time but communicating whenever you can. It is a great strategy for remote employees because it allows them to communicate in their spare time without any immediate urgency.
However, asynchronous communication helps create a culture of inclusivity. When you focus on asynchronous communication as an employer, your teammates would know that they can reply as per their schedule and not immediately.
8 Effective Asynchronous Communication Tools in 2022:
Now that most employees are working remotely, asynchronous communication is gaining importance by the day. Most remotely working companies have now adopted asynchronous communication with their employees with the help of some tools. Here are some such tools that you can consider:
1. Hypercontext
The Hypercontext tool can help you manage your team meetings by combining the meetings into a single workflow. Using the Hypercontext workspace can give you the flexibility to communicate asynchronously.
Key Features of Hypercontext:
- Review and contribute to the shared agenda as per your flexibility
- Tackle the blockers and add them to the agenda to discuss in real-time.
- The next step feature can be used for working on the action items throughout the week.
- The progress can also be tracked against your business goals.
See Also: 5 Digital Tools to Stay Organized at Work
2. Loom
Loom is a top-rated video messaging platform that allows you to communicate via videos and messages. It allows you to record your screen so that you can demonstrate anything to your employees while also recording your messages.
Key Features of Loom:
- Recording of video messages on the screen
- Videos are accessible with auto transcription, which can be edited and reviewed later
- The video recordings can also be divided into relevant chapters so that your employees can easily skip the parts that are not relevant to them.
3. Yac
Yac is a voice and video message system that offers asynchronous verbal feedback. It is especially useful when you are not ready to jump into an instant call, yet you know that simply writing a message will not be enough.
Key Features of Yac:
- Supports interactive communication with the voice and video messaging
- Creates new updates in various private or public groups as per your schedule
4. 360Learning
360Learning is a learning management software that allows you to build internal expertise courses for your employees. It is an excellent tool useful for HR to deliver employee onboarding and training courses.
Key Features of 360Learning:
- Create courses as per employee expertise
- Allows employees to access training materials and track their progress
- Supports the employee’s career path and their skill developments
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5. Twist
Twist is a team communication app that is great for long-form communication within the network of team members. It also is an instant messaging app. The long-form messaging can help bring all the employees from different time zones to consolidate the emails and instant messaging.
Key Features of Twist:
- Use topic threads that are accessible to all the employees
- Catch up with all the conversation threads
6. Notion
Notion is an asynchronous communication tool that helps you plan and track the tasks you have for your employees. The Notion is a workspace that allows you to write notes, store documents and manage your overall project work. You can also tag specific team members for assigning tasks with Notion.
Key Features of Notion:
- Loaded with a template gallery that can help you in getting started with your team organization
- Gives access to team documents and write notes. You can review them as per your flexibility
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7. Gmail
Of course, how can you ignore Gmail as an asynchronous communication tool? Emailing is the most common asynchronous communication that the world uses already, and Gmail is the diamond in the crown. It is a must-have for any business, big or small.
Key Features of Gmail:
- Gmail comes integrated with Google Meet, Google Chat, Google Calendar, and a host of other features and inbuilt tools.
- Gmail allows a lot of add-ons too.
8. Toggl
Several asynchronous tools focus on communication, but few offer time tracking integration. Toggl is a great tool that can keep a close eye on the time that each employee spent working on various projects. This will help you optimize your work process and calculate the productivity of the employees individually.
Key Features of Toggl:
- Comes with advanced analytics and a simple interface that is easier to use
- Tracks the individual employee’s productivity and the time spent on each project.
Related: 10 Zoom Alternatives and Competitors
How Can Video Transcription Complement Asynchronous Communication Tools?
Adopting video transcription services to transcribe your conference calls, meetings, and training sessions will only make team collaboration easier and more effective for remotely working teams working across the world at different time zones. Transcripts can help the team better process information from the video and also simplify the process of searching for data.
Transcripts make the videos accessible to anyone unable to attend or access any meeting fully or partially. However, opt for a human-based transcription services provider for best results instead of using an app to generate transcripts. That’s because compared to transcription software, humans have a far better ability to understand complicated terms, colloquial phrases, and complex accents.
Using these asynchronous communication tools will help you enhance your team members’ productivity and promote collaboration. While it may not completely mimic real-time communication, it can make the interaction amongst the employees more meaningful, and they also help simplify the entire interaction somewhat.
