What Tools should SMBs use for remote work or hybrid teams?

[hazlcooper]

I’m trying to figure out what tools SMBs actually use to manage remote or hybrid teams. There are tons of options out there, but I want to know what works in real life, not just what’s hyped up.


If you’ve got experience with this, could you share what tools helped or didn’t help your team? Any recommendations or warnings would be awesome.

 

[kornas7]

Honestly, for SMBs it’s less about chasing the “best” tool and more about finding something your team will actually use every day. In my last company, we tried going all-in with fancy setups (Slack + Notion + Jira), and people just stopped checking half of them . What worked best for us was keeping it simple: Slack for quick chats, Trello for project tracking, and Google Drive for docs. Some of my friends swear by Asana because it’s easy to onboard new folks, while others like ClickUp if they need everything in one place.

One tip from experience: don’t overload your team with too many platforms. Stick to 2–3 core tools, make sure everyone is comfortable with them, and you’ll get way better results than chasing every “hot” SaaS out there.

 

[harrygreen90]

For communication, Slack is still the go-to for most SMBs I've worked with because it keeps conversations organized by channels and integrates with basically everything. Some teams prefer Discord if they're more casual or tech-focused, and it's free with better voice channels. For video calls, Zoom is reliable but Google Meet works fine if you're already using Google Workspace and want to save money. Microsoft Teams makes sense if you're all-in on the Microsoft ecosystem, but it can feel bloated for smaller teams.
Project management really depends on your workflow. Trello or Asana work great for simpler task tracking and are intuitive enough that everyone actually uses them. Monday.com looks fancier but can get expensive quickly. For file sharing, Google Drive or Dropbox are standard - just pick whichever one your team is already comfortable with. The biggest mistake I see SMBs make is adopting too many tools at once. Start with the basics like communication, video calls, and one project management tool, then add more only when you have a specific problem to solve. Also, whatever you choose, make sure everyone actually gets trained on it properly, because the fanciest tool is useless if half your team doesn't know how to use it or just ignores it.

 

[saifr25sd]

Slack for communication and hubstaff for tracking

 

[davidpoll2890]

AI has created its own craze these days, and honestly, for SMBs, these tools are amazing. Why? They can simplify remote connections, collaboration, and communication while promoting hybrid work culture, like Microsoft 365.

It is more like a productivity tool because it takes care of your communication like Slack via MS Teams, where you can chat, text, and even video call. So, you get all the stuff that you need for virtual meetings or connections. For collaboration also, Google Workspace-like tools are outstanding, where you can co-edit files, share docs, keep projects, and move everything smoothly.

For sure, security is a major concern. But when you smartly pair these tools with VPNs and multi-factor authentication, you can be at peace. It's safe.