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Remote working used to be a perk or benefit that only came with snazzy tech startups or hip marketing agencies. But with the pandemic forcing most offices to close, many companies had to adapt quickly and implement remote work tools to keep their operations running despite the stay-at-home directives.

So now, remote work has become a necessity for many businesses, and it's only going to get more common as time goes on. A Forbes article shared some significant numbers concerning remote work and why it's here to stay:

  • First, 74% of professionals expect remote work to become standard practice.
  • Second, 97% of workers don’t want to return to the office full-time and prefer a hybrid set-up.
  • Finally, 61% of employees like being fully remote and like not to go to an office.

If companies want to continue being competitive, they have to treat remote working as a key part of their work practices rather than an afterthought. After all, according to TechRepublic, 81% of 4,000 surveyed respondents in 2020 would be more loyal to their organization if they offered flexible work options.

As businesses continue to adapt to the remote working environment, it's essential to ensure that employees have access to the best technology for working remotely. By providing your teams with the resources and solutions they need, you’re empowering them to do their best work.

Good work from home software is essential to ensure mindful productivity during work hours while still giving them time to have fulfilling lives outside of work. The key is to give them the tools they need for success at work, but also the space to create a positive work-life balance.

So, how can you ensure your remote teams stay connected in a healthy and productive way?

The Best Tools for Working Remotely

Many options are available in the market, but the problem is that many work from home tools were designed around face-to-face interaction.

This design may hinder employees’ and teams’ efforts to work remotely effectively because it forces them to adapt to a workflow not suited for their current circumstances.

To help sift through the ever-growing market of apps for work, here is a list of some of the best remote work tools available.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing apps are essential software for working from home because they give teams much-needed face time to interact and connect with their colleagues.

With face-to-face meetings not possible or generally hard to coordinate due to distance or time zone differences, these apps give teams the chance to collaborate and communicate in real-time.

Zoom

Remote work tool Zoom

Zoom is an online platform for video conferencing, collaboration, and content sharing. It’s a lightweight and straightforward software that allows people to easily join meetings and calls.

Users can easily create webinars, live chats, screen-share presentations, and share files from their computer or mobile device. Note that an account with Zoom is needed to host and set up meetings.

Google Meet

remote work tools google meet

Google Meet is a virtual meeting platform developed by tech-giant Google. It's designed to let many people join the same virtual meeting and communicate with each other via various communication options - like video, audio, and chat.

The beauty of Google Meet is that it comes with a Google account, so there’s no need to create a separate account to hold online meetings.

Teams can get advanced features such as breakout rooms, saving meeting recording to Google Drive, intelligent noise canceling, and other useful conferencing features with a Google Workspace account.

Jitsi

Jitsi is an open-source video conferencing software. Multiparty video conferencing is possible through Jitsi’s Videobridge program. Videobridge allows users to run multiple video streams simultaneously from a single server. It’s suitable for building massively scalable multiparty video applications.

Since Jitsi’s efforts and development are commercially supported by 8x8, the developers do not require any subscription or payment to access its meeting and video conferencing features.

Remote work tools for messaging

Messaging apps are for communication or discussions that don’t need real-time collaboration or don’t need video-conferencing. This also leaves a paper trail of all meetings so that it’s easier for teams to get back to topics and other conversations.

Rock

remote work tools messaging rock

Rock is an all-in-one messaging app that enables remote teams to communicate seamlessly. The app allows users, both free and paid, to create spaces to easily discuss projects and topics in one place.

In addition, Rock allows unlimited invites into the spaces, allowing teams to easily communicate with anyone: internally and externally.

The app allows users to create 1:1 Spaces (like direct messages) and Group Spaces depending on the need. Each Space also comes with its own project management, note-taking, and file management suite to make project communications flow better.

Slack

What started as an internal messaging tool has become one of the most used workplace message software globally. When you think of working for a remote or distributed organization, more often than not, Slack is one of the communication tools in their arsenal.

Slack allows users to create channels, basically group chats for specific topics. In addition, the app has a robust network of integrations with other apps, which allow for improved features and functionality.

Slack has a free plan that provides limited message history, limited integrations, and 1:1 calls. However, if teams want access to the entire message history, go on group calls, and other advanced features, then Slack has several tiers of paid plans (paid per active user per month) depending on the business needs.

Discord

Discord is a chat app similar to Slack in its ability to create channels and organize conversations. However, its origins couldn’t be any different - Discord is primarily targeted towards gamers as it’s a lightweight audio and video call app that allows streaming.

What brings people beyond gaming to Discord is its accessibility and high customization options. Discord is free for the most part. You can create and join as many servers without shelling out a cent.

Their Nitro Benefits (equivalent to a paid plan) is at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year and give subscribers enhanced customization like personal profile and other perks like HD video for screen share and live streaming.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a messenger software that’s available on both mobile and desktop. It allows users to send messages and make calls over the internet. With WhatsApp, costs are significantly cheaper than traditional calls and SMS with a service provider.

With over 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp adoption within any team or organization will not be difficult. Aside from audio and video calls and texts, WhatsApp allows easy document sharing.

In addition, its end-to-end encryption makes discussing confidential information with the app secure. While it’s not specifically for business and internal team chatter, WhatsApp is still a good platform for real-time chat and messages. It’s also free so fees wouldn’t be a problem.

Telegram

Like WhatsApp, Telegram is a mobile and desktop messaging app that allows users to send messages and make calls over the internet.

Telegram differentiates itself from WhatsApp by focusing on security, encryption, and data privacy. However, in line with Telegram’s founders’ principles, the app will remain free, with some optional monetization options being rolled out in the future.

Work From Home Tools Focused On File Storage

Gone are days of manually printing documents and filing them in folders in metal cabinets. In the digital age, file management and storage files happen in the cloud, where one can access their files any time, any place.

Google Drive

Google Drive is one of the top file hosting services available today. It allows users to save files online and access them anywhere from smartphones, tablets, or computers. Google Drive also makes file sharing easier as anyone can access those files or folders provided that they have the link and the appropriate permissions.

Google Drive is integrated within the Google Suite ecosystem. 15GB of Google Drive storage comes with every free Google account. If users or teams need more, extra storage is available. Google Workspace accounts also give extended Drive capacity.

Dropbox

remote work tools dropbox

Dropbox is one of the most popular ways to share files online. It has been around since 2006 and continues to be updated regularly. Despite it being one of the forerunners of cloud storage, Dropbox is still widely used and is likely a better choice for file sharing online.

Dropbox also has a rich marketplace of integrations with other productivity apps, ensuring improved and synchronized processes within a team’s workspaces and cloud storage. Dropbox’s plan starts at $9.99 and already gives 2TB worth of storage.

For teams that need more storage and advanced features like API integration or teams management, Business plans start at $16.58/month.

OneDrive

OneDrive is an online file storage service offered by Microsoft that allows users to access their files from any device. Users can upload their documents, videos, images, and other types of files to OneDrive. In addition, the service provides file-sharing, automatic backups, and integrated version history, among other features.

Users can get up to 5GB of free OneDrive storage. Microsoft 365 has several pricing options for both home and business users. The paid OneDrive options start at 1TB of storage, so it’ll take a while before extra storage is needed.

Rock

remote work tools file storage rock

Rock allows for unlimited file storage with a limit of up to 10MBper file for free. On the other hand, users with PRO spaces can upload up to 50MB per file.

For bigger files, Rock also allows teams to integrate with cloud storage providers such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud so that users can easily link out files and integrate them within the app’s other functions.

Remote work tools for Project Management

Project management apps are essential remote work tools because they allow managers and individuals to create a clear task schedule. Teams should be able to easily see who is working on what, what needs to be done, and when tasks should be done.

This helps teams plan better, allocate resources more efficiently, and avoid problems before they occur.

Rock

remote work tools project management Rock

Rock is a powerful project management app that helps remote, distributed, and asynchronous teams work better. It’s an all-in-one tool that lets teams manage projects and collaborate with clients and stakeholders.

Users can create a spaces with mini-apps such as messages, topics, tasks, notes, files and meetings that allow teams to communicate and manage projects. The Tasks mini-app provides an actionable way to manage projects and gives team members different views to manage their work.

Users can also add an unlimited people to spaces. This way they can work with all the stakeholders and client accounts across their different projects.

Basecamp

Basecamp is a project management and team collaboration tool in one. The software lets users create boards for different teams and projects where each board is its self-contained repository for everything related to that project. The app aims to make remote working easier by lessening unnecessary meetings, decreasing micromanagement, and increasing productivity.

Basecamp has a free plan where users can experience the app with limited features. The free plan is best for individuals looking to get organized or those looking to try the tool out. As for a paid option, the company offers a $99/month flat rate regardless of the number of projects or users.

ClickUp

ClickUp is a cloud-based project management and collaboration tool that enables businesses to communicate and collaborate effectively. It allows users to create projects, assign tasks and send messages.

The app also provides dashboards that give real-time information on meaningful data with projects and ongoing work. In addition, ClickUp also has a rich bank of partner apps and integrations to make working easier for its users.

ClickUp has a free plan that allows users to create unlimited tasks and unlimited users. Unlimited's cheapest plan starts at $5/user/month if teams need more advanced features. After that, it goes up to $19/month for advanced business users and has custom pricing for Enterprise accounts.

Asana

Asana is a cloud-based integrated task management platform that provides a simple way for teams to organize their activities and track progress. It helps streamline work in organizations, giving team members a way to plan out multiple projects and tasks more efficiently.

The free plan comes with unlimited projects, tasks, and messages. However, it has a collaboration limit of up to 15 users. The paid plan starts at $10.99 per user per month. It includes adding more users or advanced features like Gantt charts.

Trello

Trello is an online task management application designed for individuals or teams. The Atlassian-owned software visualizes projects, quickly shows people assigned to specific tasks and allows for seamless collaboration between multiple users. The app uses the idea of Kanban boards to manage various projects and tasks easily.

Teams can quickly try out Trello’s project management capabilities through a free plan. The free plan comes with unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per Workspace, unlimited storage, and other cool features. Trello’s paid plan starts at $5 per user per month for more advanced features and improved visualization.

Note Taking and Documentation

Note apps help teams and individuals keep track of important information, whether taking down meeting minutes during a sprint call or meaningful feedback after a 1:1 with a manager or taking down information to share with the rest of the team.

Here are some of the most popular remote working tools for note taking and documentation currently available on the market.

Rock

remote work tools notes rock

Rock has a robust note-taking functionality that helps teams improve the way they share information and handle company knowledge. The Notes mini-app allows users to write down information in dedicated notes, easily accessible from every space.

Additionally, the Topics mini-app allows for in-depth discussion on one topic at a time. This allows for better documentation of messages, especially when it comes to more exhaustive discussions. This way, anyone looking for specific information can just open a topic instead of searching different chats.

remote work tools topics rock

Notion

Notion sees itself as an all-in-one workspace that helps teams stay organized by putting notes, tasks, to-dos, wikis, and databases in one place. The app also provides an easy-to-use interface using blocks, making it easier for users to create pages. In addition, Notion also provides a robust selection of app integrations, making it easy to put in with existing workflow.

For those interested in trying Notion, there’s a free plan that allows for unlimited pages, the ability to share for up to 5 guests, multi-device sync, and API access for custom integrations. Paid plans are available for improved features such as unlimited guests, unlimited file uploads, and more.

Evernote

Evernote is a cloud-based application that works and syncs on your smartphone and computer. The app allows you to take notes, to-dos, tasks, screenshots, audio notes, and other things to organize them into notebooks that you can later search through.

Evernote’s free plans easily allow for note-taking and synchronizing up to 2 devices. Users can also take advantage of its robust media support to upload or attach .pdfs, videos, images, and other documents. For those needing more features like increased monthly upload limits or integration to the calendar or exporting notes as PDF files, then paid plans are available.

Rock is an all-in-one remote work tool for teams

With remote working here to stay, it’s essential to be updated with some practical remote work tools.

Understandably, it can also be overwhelming when managers have to deal with searching the market to find software and platforms that would fit their specific business and process needs.

A good alternative is to consider an all-in-one platform that would empower teams to do their best by focusing on work instead of switching between remote working tools.

Rock is an all-in-one platform created for remote and distributed teams. The platform combines messaging with project management and notes. Teams can also connect third party cloud storage and videoconferencing software such as Google Drive, Google Meet, Zoom, Notion and more.

Rock has a free plan that allows teams and individuals to create unlimited spaces and invite unlimited people - both internal teammates and external stakeholders. In addition, teams can create unlimited tasks, notes, and topics. This means that anyone can enjoy Rock’s suite of productivity tools without paying.

You can import messages from Slack when switching to Rock so you don't lose any conversations. It is also possible to import tasks from Trello, Asana, ClickUp and Jira for free. This way you can switch from a project management platform without losing past documentation.

Try Rock for free now and see the difference an all-in-one app makes to your remote workflow.

Apr 18, 2022
September 24, 2023

17 Best Remote Work Tools to Maximize Your Productivity

Gitta Boros
Business Development @ Rock
5 min read

Help us spread the word and earn extra income by joining the Rock Affiliate Program! Monetize inviting your network and earn a reward when they upgrade to the PRO or TEAMS plans.

Read along to learn more about how the Affiliate Program works, whom the program is for, what benefits are included, and how to get started.

How does the Affiliate Program work?

The Affiliate Program is pretty straightforward. Once you sign up, we will provide you with a dedicated sign up link through which your clients, friends, audience or anyone else can join Rock. These accounts will then be connected to your link, and you will receive a commission if they end up upgrading to one of the paid plans in the future.

You also receive a dedicated discount code to share with your audience. This means that you can provide them with a lower price if they want to upgrade to a paid plan.

Who is the Rock Affiliate Program for?

Anyone is welcome to apply to the Affiliate Program. Joining is best suited for those who want to advocate for more asynchronous ways of working and believe in Rock’s philosophy for enabling anyone to work from anywhere. Common affiliates tend to be:

  • Companies or freelancers that often work with clients: The Affiliate Program can be a great opportunity to monetize inviting your clients to Rock. Additionally, if you onboard teams to Rock this could be a great way to increase the ROI of getting new teams started on Rock.
  • Social media & content experts: Do you interact with an audience that fits Rock well through podcasts, blogs, video, newsletters or other channels? Joining the Affiliate Program is a great way to teach your audience how Rock can bring value to their work and productivity with dedicated content and internal promotions.

What rewards does the Rock Affiliate Program offer?

The reward received depends on the plan purchased by the user who signed up with your link and the billing cycle. Upgrades are paid out once a month and are associated with new users that signed up with your link.

For every new upgraded user you receive:

  • 10% of a monthly plan on both PRO and TEAMS for the first year – That is up to over $100 per individual upgrade!
  • 20 % of an annual plan on both PRO and TEAMS for the first year – Up to over $300 per individual upgrade!

Affiliate Program do’s & don’ts

Whether you are new to working in a Affiliate Program or a seasoned pro, here are some basic pointers on what we expect from you.

When joining the Rock Affiliate Program DO:

  • Share your link with relevant audiences.
  • Use the brand and content resource guides we provide.
  • Ask our team any questions to help you supercharge your activities.

When joining the Affiliate Program DO NOT:

  • Spam audiences or post your link on web pages with illegal or adult content.
  • Use predatory or false advertising for getting people to the website.
  • Try to use fraudulent tactics to play the payout system.

How to sign up to the program

Applying to the program is easy. First, give us as much useful information as possible when filling out the form in this dedicated signup link. This way we can see whether you are a good match and whether collaborating can be beneficial to both sides.

After that we will reach out to you to discuss the program and your activities more in depth. This way we can discuss different ways to support you throughout your time with us in the Affiliate Program.

Do you have any questions about the Affiliate Program that are not listed in the Q&A? You are always welcome to reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space or send an email to partners@rock.so.

Questions and Answers

Is joining the Rock Affiliate Program FREE?

Yes, anyone can join the Rock Affiliate Program for free. There is no application or monthly membership cost.

Do you accept anyone to join the program?

We assess whether both parties can benefit from the affiliateship before accepting anyone. If we reject your application now you can always try applying again further down the road.

Do I receive rewards for free signups?

We are planning on introducing rewards for free signups sometime soon. Please apply to the program to further discuss free signup rewards with the team.

Can I leave the Affiliate Program at any time?

Yes, you can decide to leave the Affiliate Program at any point in time.

What resources does Rock provide to support me in the Affiliate Program?

We provide brand and content guidelines alongside a variety of marketing materials that you can use to promote Rock to your audience. You can also discuss dedicated or shared content with the team.

Apr 15, 2022
November 22, 2022

We Are Live! Everything You Should Know About the Rock Affiliate Program

Announcements
Kacper Neuman
Partnerships & Communities @Rock
5 min read

With Rock, we're building the front-end for any team and a big part of this is to integrate with as many other apps out there so you don't need to switch between different apps to get work done.

In the latest release we have a handful of super useful integrations now available on Rock:

  • Notion - you can now add Notion to the Files mini-app in a space. This makes it easy to find all your Notion docs together with all your other cloud files and makes it easy to attach Notion docs to specific tasks.
  • Loom - you can now easily send asynchronous videos/screen recording using Rock. This works in addition to the synchronous video meetings through Zoom, Google Meet, and Jitsi we already supported.
  • Slack import - stop slacking, and start rocking is now even easier. You can import all your Slack messages into Rock so you don't need to be worried about losing any messages. Best of all, you can know get rid of those irritating Slack limitations.

We also have a bunch of other features that will make your more productive and grab back control of your day-to-day work:

  • Activity panel - activities are now organized by space so you can more easily triage and follow up on messages, task updates, and more.
  • Improved team management (TEAMS) - easily add, remove, and suspend users across your entire domain on the TEAMS plan.

More details on all of these shiny new features below.

Notion integration with Files and Tasks mini-apps

You can now add Notion to the Files mini-app in a space and attach Notion docs to tasks in Rock.To get started, check out the following steps:

  1. Go to the Files mini-app in any space
  2. Select the (+) button and then select Notion
  3. Go through the linking process to connect Notion to Rock
  4. Select specific folders or documents to be added to a space
  5. All your Notion docs will now be displayed in the Files mini-app and will show up as an attachment option on any task in this space.

Loom integration for async video sharing

You can now easily send asynchronous videos/screen recording using Rock with Loom. To get started, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure to have the Loom extension for your browser installed (download)
  2. Select the video camera icon at the bottom of any space
  3. Select Loom and go through the steps to use Loom with your browser
  4. Once the Loom video is recorded, you can easily share this in the space by adding the URL to a message, task, note, or topic.

Activity Panel - group by space and filter by unread or by mentions

Keeping up with updates on Rock is now a lot easier with the improved activity panel. Updates are now organized by space so you can quickly triage, and follow up on specific activities.

Spaces in the activity panel are sorted by recent updates with the most current one being displayed on top of the list. Expand the space dropdown to go through the latest updates in that particular space.You can now also filter the activities in two important ways:

  • Only mentions: Only see activities where you have been directly mentioned in the panel.
  • Only unread: When selected, notifications are cleared out of the panel after reading them. If you still need to find them back you can always turn off the toggle for all past notifications to appear.

Tasks that are due on that day will also appear in the Activity Panel so you are quickly reminded of work that has an upcoming deadline. Available on web, desktop, and mobile apps.

Note: updates in the activity panel are not connected to system notifications. Read more about notification management in this dedicated help guide.

Import from Slack

You can now import messages from Slack into Rock spaces. This makes it easier to stop slacking as you don't have to go back and forth to find past conversations hidden away in Slack.

The import from Slack feature also allows you to quickly invite new people to Rock and have spaces set up with all your past communications. This is only available on web & desktop.

Better member management on TEAMS - Add, remove, and suspend users from different spaces in one go

If you want to add add, remove, and suspend users across your domain up till now it's been a lot of manual work as you've needed to do this for each space and each user.

With improved member management (available only on the TEAMS plan), you can now do all these things in bulk so adding, removing, and suspending users becomes a breeze:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Select Domain Admin and then Members
  3. Use the checkboxes in front of each user to create a group of users you want to perform an action on.
  4. Once at least one user is selected you will see options to Add to spaces, Remove, or Suspend.

Improvements to the mobile app (iOS/Android)

The features above are also available on the mobile apps. For a full list of mobile features, see below:

  • Notion integration in the Files mini-app
  • Send multiple attachments in one chat message
  • Move chat messages into comments for tasks, notes or topics with Tap to Organize
  • Filter by assignee on calendar view
  • PRO plan: iCal integration for the Tasks mini-app
  • Various bug fixes and improvements

Download the mobile app

If you have any questions or suggestions you are always welcome to ping us in the Rock Support and Updates space.

Mar 31, 2022
September 24, 2023

Product Update: Import from Slack, Notion & Loom support, and easily add people using TEAMS.

Announcements
Kenzo Fong
CEO & founder
5 min read

The world is rapidly changing with the future of work embracing remote work, hybrid offices and distributed teams. This has led to the widespread search for fast, flexible and reliable remote work tools.

To settle debate, we created an overall comparison of the most popular team communication tools: WhatsApp vs Slack vs Rock.

WhatsApp vs Slack vs Rock - A Quick Rundown

You may already know about WhatsApp. More likely than not, you've already used it to communicate with your team, friends and family.

WhatsApp was initially designed for personal (more informal) communication. Nevertheless, many companies have still adopted WhatsApp to send messages to their customers or communicate among team members.

Slack on the other hand is a business communication tool used by corporate teams, usually bigger in size. The app is more often used in business environments, with fewer informal conversations compared to WhatsApp.

Last but not least, Rock is an all-in-one communication tool that alongside messaging also provides built-in task and note functionality. What makes Rock stand out is the combination of messaging with tasks, notes, files and meetings in one place.Let’s jump right into the comparison.

WhatsApp vs slack vs rock

A variety of interfaces - WhatsApp vs Slack vs Rock

WhatsApp has a clean and elegant design that makes it easy to use for personal communication. There is virtually no learning curve. Recent chats can easily be retrieved, and any team member can be found with a simple search.

WhatsApp’s simplicity can be key for small teams, but as more chats are opened it can quickly become confusing.

Rock and Slack, unlike WhatsApp, are particularly designed for business communication, so they include additional buttons for advanced functionality. Think of integrations, advanced team management features and functionality aimed at getting work done.

WhatsApp, Slack and Rock are all cross-platform and mobile-friendly, allowing your team to communicate just as effectively outside of the office as they can inside.

slack vs WhatsApp interface

Rock is the only platform that also provides collaboration functionality through native task management and note functionality. Task and note management functionality in every space allow teams to get work done more easily.

Set base in one tool with all-in-one messaging functionality. Notifications and reminders apply to both your messaging and project management allowing you to quickly jump between priorities.

Conversation management across platforms

WhatsApp excels at the basics of messaging. There is also a universal search option available to retrieve anything from messages to contacts. Additionally, the reply and forward options, file sharing and other features are all easy to use.

Rock, Slack and WhatsApp all allow you to mute spaces/channels or the tool completely so team members can stay focused or disconnect when necessary. Message reactions are also present in all three options. WhatsApp provides 6 options whereas Slack and Rock offer hundreds.

Both Rock and Slack incorporate workspaces into their functionality. This allows teams to quickly add new people to multiple spaces without sending individual invites. The chat interface looks similar on all three tools, with straightforward navigation throughout the different functionality.

Rock is a WhatsApp alternative excels in conversation add-ons – replying, editing, deleting, setting aside messages, and a unique “Tap to Organize” feature that converts messages into tasks, notes or comments.

You can also @mention anything in your different work spaces, including people, tasks, notes, files, and even tasks and notes from other spaces!

slack vs WhatsApp vs rock conversations

What apps can you integrate? WhatsApp vs Slack vs Rock

WhatsApp is primarily used for personal messaging and does not support third-party apps. This might be a dealbreaker for you if you require integrations in your day-to-day work.

Rock and Slack, on the other hand, integrate well with a wide range of third-party business tools to help with various tasks for efficient business communication.

Google Drive, for example, is tightly integrated with Rock and can be viewed from within the app. If you are a Google Workspace user, this integration will allow you to keep your documents organized and accessible at all times.

Both Rock and Slack support third-party integrations. Team members can add context to conversations by sharing files from Google Drive, Design materials from Adobe Creative Cloud, or even hosting Zoom meetings.

Video & voice conferencing options across platforms

WhatsApp makes audio and video calling quick and easy, but there is one catch – it is only available on mobile devices. This is fine if your team is constantly on the move, but Rock and Slack provide more robust cross-platform video and voice conferencing possibilities for business communication.

There are certain benefits of cross-platform video and audio calls like screen sharing that can help you make your point more effectively. Seamlessly integrate Zoom, Google Meet and Jitsi with Rock. Meanwhile, the free Slack plan doesn’t offer Zoom integrations.

Now, let’s talk about voice messages. When your team is on the go or you need to quickly share an idea, WhatsApp voice messages come in handy.

Rock and WhatsApp both allow you to speed up voice messages, which can come in handy when listening to longer form messages. Meanwhile, Slack has a more basic audio message feature that does not allow for speeding up messages yet.

Who has the best pricing options? WhatsApp vs Slack vs Rock

It's difficult to argue with a price tag that says "free". All you need is a phone number and data connection to get started with WhatsApp. Everything else is, well, free.

You’d assume WhatsApp wins right away in the pricing category, but that might not fully be the case. Even though Rock has a paid plan, its free version surpasses WhatsApp in terms of communicating and collaborating with team members.

Rock's Free plan provides:

  1. Unlimited users, messages, uploads, one-on-one & group spaces and meetings.
  2. Collaboration functionality including tasks, notes, checklists, board view and more in every space.
  3. Free integrations to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud and Smartsheet. Share as many files as you want and pick and choose which storage provider to use besides Rock.
  4. Create cross-organizational spaces. Invite anyone from any email domain, or just a phone number.

Meanwhile, the cost of Slack is a major reason why more and more businesses are looking for alternatives. It does have a free version, but it might be a bit more limiting. The free version of Slack includes:

  1. One workspace, limited message search (up to 10,000 messages), unlimited channels, and one-on-one video calls are all unlimited. Group video calls are only available in the paid version.
  2. For shared files, 5GB of file storage is provided, with limited Google Drive integrations.
  3. Cross organization messaging is not available under the free plan.
  4. Up to ten service integrations are possible. A paid plan, which starts at $6.67/user/month, is required for more integrations.

An important difference between the paid plans of Slack and Rock: per user pricing. On Slack you pay for every user that you want to upgrade. Meanwhile, on Rock it is based on spaces with advanced functionality. This means that you pay for functionality, not team size.

So what’s special about Rock?

There are hundreds of business communications tools available, what makes Rock better?

If you have been following the article thus far, you may have noticed that Rock is not just a business communication tool. A starting business, organization, team, freelancer or individual gets all the functionality they need in one place.

Rock is a Slack alternative who's free plan provides a great entry point for all the businesses who want an all-in-one tool to supercharge their growth. Teams get all the tools necessary to get work done with messaging + tasks in one place.

Rock vs Whatsapp vs Slack - Who’s the winner?

Every team or business, no matter how big or small, requires a business communication tool to keep team collaborations running smoothly.

WhatsApp is easy to use but not powerful enough to actually get work done. You have to switch between tools to manage projects as you can’t create tasks, notes, or add integrations.

Slack has been the top business communication tool since its launch. Despite its widespread popularity there are still a lot limitations when it comes to project management. Task management and note taking are something still not available. This leads many teams to seek a solution that provides more all-in-one functionality.

Rock provides all communication and messaging functionality in one place. In addition to that you can also seamlessly collaborate with team members by having your tasks and notes in the same spaces you are having conversations. Get started today, for free.

Mar 25, 2022
September 24, 2023

WhatsApp vs Slack vs Rock: Top Work From Home Tools Compared

Nicolaas Spijker
Editorial @ Rock
5 min read

From the team that brought you @mention anything, you can now @mention everywhere! In addition to doing this in messages and comments, you can now @mention tasks, notes, topics, and attachments in task and note descriptions and a bunch of other places.

This release also includes new features and improvements such as importing tasks from Trello, Asana, ClickUp andJira, Quick Settings, major notifications improvements, bulk adding/removing users on the TEAMS plan (mobile only), and lots and lots more.

@Mention Everywhere

Collaboration on Rock has become even more connected with @mention in the description of tasks, notes, and topics. Seamlessly reference tasks, notes, topics, across different spaces with this powerful mentioning feature.

Include important information, add relevant context and truly connect the work you are doing across projects. Curious to try it out? The only thing you have to do is write an @ in the description of any task, note or topic to get started.

As an example – if you use the Notes mini-app to share a meeting agenda, you can now not just add the agenda but also specific tasks that you want to discuss during the meeting. Another thing you can now do is create a task that @ mentions another task in the description.

Just a couple of examples of what Rock does to bring order to chaos.

Import from Asana, Jira and ClickUp

Switching tools? You can now take your tasks with you. Import tasks from other tools to any new or already existing space on Rock.

In addition to importing task boards from Trello, it is now also possible to bring over tasks from Asana, Jira, and ClickUp. This way you don't have to lose past documentation and work, while seamlessly continuing with what you were working on.

Quick Settings ⚙️

Switch in seconds between accounts, light or dark mode, the mute notifications panel and your contacts with quick settings! You can access the panel by pressing your user image in the top left corner of your screen.

Looking for the expanded settings panel? You can still access it by selecting 'Settings'.

Authenticate with your phone number on web and desktop

We have added phone numbers as a way to authenticate your login on web and desktop. This way you enter your account with just your phone in addition to the already existing email codes or third party authentication through Google, Apple, and others.

If you currently only have an email validated account, you can add a phone number to your account by going to user settings, my profile, adding a phone number and saving it.

When logging in, select 'you can also continue with phone number' under login to toggle between phone number and email authentication. By doing this you will always have a backup in case you don't have access to email or your phone but still want to log in.

Notification improvements

We have further improved the notification experience since our last product release with improvements to how blue dots highlight updates in a space, notifications on mobile, and some changes to the notification panel in your user settings.

Improved blue dot behavior: We have improved blue dot behavior across spaces and the different mini-apps so you can more easily catch up with changes or updates relevant to your work.

Notification settings improvementsThe notification settings are more structured and we have added a few new options that you can toggle regarding your notifications. You can now more easily manage:

  • System notifications: Device alerts for new activities on mobile, web or desktop.
  • Email notifications: Dedicated emails that notify you about activities or due dates on Rock.
  • Updates: Product releases and marketing updates from the Rock Team.

You can access the notification panel by going to your user settings and then selecting 'Notifications'.

Search improvements

We have improved search to find more relevant results across messages, notes, topics and tasks.

Mobile improvements

We have also made some changes to the mobile app that should make it easier to work across mini-apps and have people join you on Rock. If you're on the TEAMS plan – you can now easily add, suspend, and remove multiple users in one go saving you a lot of time.

@mention

  • Use @ mentions in task and note descriptions so you can easily reference and link to other items on Rock

Inviting people

  • Invite users to a space with a phone number
  • Import users with phone numbers to make it easier to invite others

TEAMS plan

  • Bulk add, remove, and suspend users with the TEAMS plan

Other

  • Improved notifications settings for tasks, notes, and topics
  • Various bug fixes and improvements
  • Reply to comments in tasks and notes

Download the mobile app for free

Questions about this product release? Reach out to us in the 'Rock Support and Updates’ space. We support most major languages and try to respond as soon as we can.

Feb 23, 2022
November 22, 2022

Product Update: @ mention everywhere, import tasks, quick settings

Announcements
Kenzo Fong
CEO & founder
5 min read

Rock is building a rapidly growing productivity platform that enables anyone to work from anywhere. We are looking for an experienced web developer with proven experience building web applications. You will be part of a globally distributed team which is headquartered in San Francisco, but with people in over 10 countries.

We are looking for an experienced web/database/high-load backend developer. You will be responsible for the server side of our collaboration application, e.g. architecting the public APIs and internal structures, planning for scalability, release engineering and deployment.

Responsibilities

  • Participate in the entire application lifecycle, focusing on architecture and coding
  • Designing public APIs for the requested functionality
  • Accomplishing new functionality with unit and functional tests
  • Planning and writing data migrations for seamless upgrades
  • Collaborating with Front End to clarify API designs and make sure all edge cases are considered in the API design
  • Reviewing the code of other back-end developers

Requirements

  • 5+ years of back-end programming
  • Experience with programming web or network server applications in Golang, Node.js, Rust or Python, including parallel/concurrent programming patterns
  • Experience with git (and particularly Github) workflow
  • Excellent analytical and time management skills
  • Teamwork skills with a problem-solving attitude

Preferred

  • DevOps experience with AWS infrastructure (set up, automation, and maintenance).
  • Experience with database design, both SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and document-style databases..
  • Familiarity with front-end technologies, ranging from basic HTML/CSS/JS to frameworks like Vue.js and Flutter.
  • Experience with data analytics tools like Clickhouse and Grafana.

Contact

If interested send your resume plus a link to your Github portfolio to jobs@rock.so

Feb 21, 2022
November 22, 2022

Full-time Role: Backend engineer

Announcements
Kenzo Fong
CEO & founder
5 min read

ClickUp vs Monday.com vs Rock are some of the most popular project management options available right now. Project management software allows you to complete work by tracking activities through tasks, files and messages. This way teams can stay connected and get work done in time.

All three can be used for a wide variety of projects, from freelancing to marketing, software development, and recruitment activities.

In this article we will discuss everything you need to know: from interface to functionality, integrations and pricing. By the end you should know which platform is right for managing and completing your different projects.

ClickUp vs Monday.com vs Rock: A Quick Overview

ClickUp is a one-stop project management tool designed to customize the project management experience with as many features as possible. The tool is well known for having a large set of different features applicable to a variety of projects.

Monday.com enables teams to create workflow apps in minutes to manage processes, projects, and day-to-day operations. Monday.com focuses on managing tasks by following timelines and deadlines.

Rock is an all-in-one project and team management tool. Rock focuses on providing a more asynchronous workflow experience. The platform allows teams to document information and switch between messages, tasks, notes and files depending on urgency and priority of an activity.

ClickUp vs Monday.com vs Rock

Conversations And Messaging

Communication between team members is crucial for bringing your projects to the finish line. Especially during recent times, where online communication has become a cornerstone for collaborating as teams switch to hybrid or remote work models.

When it comes to team messaging functionality, we'll start with ClickUp and Monday.com. They are both out of the running as they don't fully support in-app messaging or have very limited chat functionality.

Meanwhile, on Rock you can effortlessly communicate with messages in unlimited 1:1 and groups spaces. Rock's free version does not put limits on your team messaging with unlimited messages, topics, space search, polls, audio messaging, and so much more!

Rock also allows cross-organizational messaging, which makes it easy to collaborate between clients, partners, freelancers, and volunteers.

Task Management Functionality

Using task management alongside messages is an effective way to get work done. Tasks are a more organized way of communicating and reduce the number of notifications you receive compared to messages.

Rock, ClickUp and Monday.com all provide full-fledged task management functionality with task cards, descriptions, assignees, labels, deadlines, attachments and more!

ClickUp is known for having a wide variety of features in their app. While many enjoy having this vast functionality, it can become an overwhelming experience with hidden features or workflows that are too complex for clients, partners or freelancers.

Monday.com has a very visual approach towards tasks in a board. Nevertheless, you have to enter a page and search or filter by your name to find your tasks. It can sometimes also be frustrating to find all tasks you are assigned to across projects as there is currently no main search or filter option available.

Rock is a ClickUp alternative that allows for seamless task management where you can easily add anyone to work with you on any project: team members, clients, partners, freelancers, and even volunteers.

Finding tasks you are assigned to across spaces is also made easy with the "My tasks" panel. Where you can filter for all tasks you are assigned to, created or following across multiple projects.

clickup vs Monday.com tasks alternative

Interface Comparison - ClickUp vs Monday.com vs Rock

Interfaces are important to take into account when comparing Monday vs ClickUp and Rock. Complexity, feature availability and general organization are important factors for your day-to-day project management.

ClickUp’s interface provides a feature set that works with a variety of spaces, dashboards and docs. In the task management functionality you can switch between list, board or other added views.

Note that many of the additional views are part of the paid plan. Because of the large number of different features, many teams find ClickUp to be overwhelming at the beginning.

Monday.com's interface is designed specifically with creative teams in mind. Unlike many of the popular project management tools out there, Monday.com is not a task or file manager but is a time-based calendar and a to-do list app.

On Rock you get a simple window that starts with the spaces heavily integrated with mini-apps in the side widgets which includes tasks, notes, and files to promote more asynchronous ways of working and managing projects, while using messaging to speed up team communication.

Clickup vs Monday.com alternative platform Rock

Interfaces should be easy to manage. While ClickUp and Monday.com include vast functionality, this can also come at a loss. Finding features, stored information or your different tasks can get complicated for you or your team as new elements are added to your workflow.

Rock starts out with an easy set of features, which more advanced teams can customize as they become more familiar with the tool. This prevents Rock from becoming an overwhelming experience at first while allowing you to better customize your projects when really needed.

The simple features and all-in-one offering also allows you to include partners, freelancers, volunteers or anyone else outside of your organization in your different project spaces.

Integrated Apps

There are several things you must keep track of while working on a task or assignment. Switching between platforms can take away precious time from you and distrupt your work and overall productivity.

All three apps integrate well with a wide range of third-party business tools to allow you to connect a variety of tools to your task management. This way you don't have to constantly switch tabs and manage different platforms.

Slack, Github, Zoom, Toggl, Harvest, Zendesk, Salesforce, Trello, Microsoft Teams, HubSpot, and other services are all integrated well with ClickUp and Monday.com.

Rock was created to provide an all-in-one way of getting work done. It aims to provide a place where teams can accomplish all work within the app itself. You can send messages, create tasks or notes and store files without the need of a third party app.

Nevertheless, when really needed, Rock also integrates with your favorite tools. Seamlessly start meetings with Zoom, Google Meet or Jitsi from the Meeting mini-app. You can also access files from cloud providers such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Onedrive, Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud and smartsheet. All for free.

Rock vs ClickUp vs Monday.com Pricing

It is important for any tool to fit your budget and grow with your team. Comparing ClickUp vs Monday com might get tricky as their pricing pages vary widely.

Here's a breakdown of features included in the free plans of ClickUp, Monday.com and Rock.

ClickUp’s Free plan provides:

  • 5 spaces for creating tasks and starting video calls
  • 1 team with a maximum of 5 guests
  • Integrations with Slack, Github, Zoom, etc. An intergration with Google Drive is only available in the paid plan.
  • The Pro version starts at $5/user per month.
clickup vs Monday pricing from clickup

Monday.com’s Free plan provides:

  • Create spaces for your team with a maximum of 4 members in a team.
  • Free integrations to Google Drive, Dropbox, Zendesk, Salesforce, Trello, etc.
  • Create unlimited tasks, spaces, project boards, checklists.
  • The Pro version starts from $48/month.
Clickup vs Monday.com - Monday pricing

Rock's Free plan provides:

  • Free integrations to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Smartsheet. Share as many files as you want and pick and choose which storage provider to use besides Rock.
  • Collaboration functionality includes tasks, notes, checklists, board view, and more in every space.
  • Create cross-organization spaces with Rock’s free plan. Set up as many spaces as you want for free and invite anyone to join you in them.
  • PRO starts at $4.99 for 10 PRO spaces, which provide additional functionality such as automations, custom fields and sprints that you can share with anyone in- and outside of your organization.

While features and integrations are important in a project management tool, it is also critical that the solution your team chooses is within your budget.

Rock, ClickUp and Monday.com all offer free plans, but if you want to collaborate with as many people as you want in and outside of your organization and create unlimited spaces, Rock is the only option that truly provides this for free.

So which tool works best for you?

The future of work requires online collaboration solutions that are compatible with new work styles such as remote work, hybrid offices, and distributed teams.

Comparing ClickUp vs Monday.com makes sense when looking for tools that mostly fit the office environment. Meanwhile, if this have changed, then project management tools like Rock can be a better fit as they help teams adapt to these new work styles.

Monday.com and ClickUp could be a good solution for you if you are only looking for task management. Monday.com works great if you want to only visualize your tasks and don't need to work much across projects. ClickUp is great if you are looking for a very specific feature that you can't find anywhere else or if you want maximized customizability.

Meanwhile, Rock fits you best if you are looking for an all-in-one solution for your online communication and collaboration. Rock offers full-fledged functionality across the board with messages, tasks, notes, files and meetings in one place.

Rock focuses on urgency and productivity. Teams get a better grip on the work that needs to be done while encouraging better documentation and fewer notifications. The platform also allows you to invite anyone, in- and outside of your organization to come collaborate with you. Get started today, for free!

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Jan 15, 2022
September 24, 2023

ClickUp vs Monday.com vs Rock: Project Management Tools Compared

Nicolaas Spijker
Editorial @ Rock
5 min read

Ready to rock the new year? We're kicking off the new year with a ton of updates that are on top of everybody's wishlist: 1) dark mode 2) Calendar view 3) better notifications! Find out more below:

Improved notifications

Major improvements and changes have been made to the notification experience on web, desktop and mobile. The new notification system should make it easier to keep up with new tasks, notes, and topics as well as comments.

Some of the biggest changes are blue dots on the mini-apps, an easy way to see all updated objects, and activities grouped by space on mobile.

Blue dots

The Chat, Tasks, Topics, and Notes mini-apps now display blue dots when there are updates. This way you can more easily check where changes have been made, or when new tasks, notes, or topics have been created.

"Updated" filter

You can now filter Tasks, Notes and Topics to just show updated objects so you don't need to guess what has been updated. This way you can quickly catch up on the latest changes or discussions.

Activity notifications grouped by space (Mobile)

Notifications on the mobile ? Activity Panel are now organized by space. When clicking on a space you can see each individual update for more detailed information.

The Activity panel also has two new filters which can be accessed from the three dots in the top right corner: Only Mentions, and Only Unread activities.

Dark mode

Switch between light and dark mode on web and desktop! This highly requested feature soothes the eyes and makes it easier to focus.

Manage your Dark Mode settings through your user settings. Press your user image (top left corner) to access the panel and toggle between Dark and Light Mode. By default, Rock follows whatever you have set up on your computer.

Easter egg: Try pressing 'Rock' in the bottom left corner of your web or desktop interface 5 times quickly and see what happens!

Calendar view

You can now also access Calendar View on web and desktop (note: this was already available on mobile). Keep track of important deadlines and milestones within your space by visualizing start and due dates on the calendar view.

You can also Create new tasks or Edit existing tasks. The task filtering experience in Calendar View works in a similar way as the Board and List views. Filter by label, Assignees, and more to manage your workflow and keep projects running.

My Tasks Calendar view

We have also added a Calendar View to the 'My Tasks' panel. This allows you to view all tasks you are assigned to, have created and/or are following by start and due date.

Tasks can be created, edited and filtered from the Calendar View. Filter tasks by space(s) they were created in, due date, last time updated, priority or assignee status and manage or follow up on tasks across spaces.

The same emojis everywhere

Emojis are different on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS which can be confusing and leads to a different emoji experience for every user. To fix this, we have updated the emoji library on web and desktop to Twemojis, so everyone sees exactly the emoji you shared and nothing gets lost in translation.

Cleaner & more organized space view on web ✨

Each space now looks a lot cleaner, organized, and has a ton of improvements that make it easier to read messages. The new space view allows you to more quickly switch between mini-apps and makes it easier to access Search, Activities and Settings.

You can now also unmute spaces by pressing the Mute bell that appears when muting a space.

Improvements to mobile

In addition to some of the updates mentioned above this product release is mainly focused on improving the notification experience alongside some other small improvements. In addition to just your email, you can now also sign up and log in with your phone number.

Notifications

  • Added more ways to customize your Notification preferences through ⚙️ Settings.
  • Blue dots on different mini-apps so you can quickly see updates, comments, and other changes.
  • ✨ Highlighting of updated tasks and notes so you can easily see what has changed.
  • Activities are now grouped by spaces in the Activity panel, so you it's easier to go through all your updates.

Tasks ✅

  • Filter tasks by Assignees in the Tasks mini-app

Other ➕

  • Add your phone number to Rock instead or in addition to an email address so you have another way of getting into your account.
  • Other small improvements and bug fixes

Download the mobile app for free

Questions about this product release? Reach out to us in the 'Rock Customer Support’ space. We support most major languages and try to respond as soon as we can.

Jan 11, 2022
November 22, 2022

Product Update: Improved Notifications Plus Dark Mode and Calendar View for Web & Desktop

Announcements
Kenzo Fong
CEO & founder
5 min read

Instead of having multiple discussions and threads in chat use the brand new Topics mini-app to organize your conversations. Topics are more asynchronous, more organized, and allow you to bring order to the chaos of chat.

This release also includes new features and improvements such as attaching cloud files to tasks and notes, importingtask boards from Trello and signing in with more identity providers.

Topics mini app

Organize your conversations with the brand new Topics mini-app. Topics were added to solve three issues that are often associated with heavy messaging:

- More structured discussions: Having multiple long messaging threads in spaces can quickly get confusing. Topics allow you to organize your discussions in one place so you can catch up with relevant conversations more quickly.

- Documenting information: When discussing things it can get tricky to find important information especially if it's lost in a pile of other chat messages. Topics solve this issue by providing a single place where team members can go to find relevant information & background on specific topics.

- Notification overload: Receiving notifications for messages that are not directly relevant to you can be distracting. By organizing specific conversations into topics, notifications will only come to those who are following and taking part in the discussion.

You can create new topics or move existing messages into a topic with Tap to Organize. Check out the dedicated product guide for more information!

Attach cloud files to tasks and notes ☁️

If you have files on Figma, Adobe, Dropbox, or other cloud services, you can now easily attach these to specific tasks and notes instead of having to copy paste URLs.

Attach a design file on Figma to a product design task in a space and make a creative review easier, or add a spreadsheet on Google Drive to a data analysis task to make sure everyone has access to the latest. Just one more way to bring everything together in one space!

You can access the feature by selecting Add attachment under every task or note.

In addition to third party cloud files that you had previously linked to a space, you can also attach any file that has been previously shared in the space.

Import from Trello

Move entire projects from Trello to Rock with a task import feature, available in every space.You can access import from Trello in the main view of the Tasks mini-app, or in the Import section in your My Account panel.

For more information on how to import your tasks from Trello you can check out this dedicated product guide.

New identity providers ‍‍

Create an account and access Rock from more third party applications. We have added Apple, Github and Gitlab in addition to the already existing Sign in with Google option. This should make it easier to make an account on Rock and log in faster when re-entering or logging in from a new device.Fear not if your current provider is not in the list, we are planning on adding Facebook and Microsoft very soon.

Updates to mobile

We also made some changes to the mobile app. Check out the list below for a brief summary on the latest mobile changes.

Files mini-app

  • Attach cloud files to tasks & notes: Documents from linked cloud storage providers in the Files Mini-app can now be added as an attachment. This way you can more easily connect your different cloud files to your task and note workflow.
  • Figma integration: share and access relevant design files with this new integration for mobile in the Files mini-app.

Tasks mini-app

  • Better filtering for board view in the Tasks mini-app.

Messaging

  • Parse web links without https:// or www. for a better link-sharing experience.
  • Convert conversations into Topics.
  • Changed the message threads to overlapping avatars.
  • [PRO space] Allow mentioning specific space bot to pull information.

Other

  • Sign up to Rock with new identity providers: Apple, Github, and Gitlab.
  • Blocking contacts in 1:1 space is made easier.
  • Many bug fixes and improvements.
  • If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback about Rock or this release you are always welcome to reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space or send an email to hello@rock.so

Download the mobile app for free

If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback about Rock or this release you are always welcome to reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space or send an email to hello@rock.so

Dec 23, 2021
November 22, 2022

Product Update: Topics mini-app, Attach Cloud Files, And More!

Announcements
Kenzo Fong
CEO & founder
5 min read

Remote communication becomes a real challenge for teams when done incorrectly. Get work done across timezones and geographical regions by increasing your understanding of remote communication methods.

Many teams move to remote work without updating their communication styles and expectations. Without adjustments, communication becomes ineffective. This causes stress, wastes time, and makes it harder for teams to get work done.

Knowing the “do’s” and “don’ts” of good communication in remote work is key to successfully adapting to changes in the workplace. Avoiding the “don’ts” and implementing the “do’s” helps your team collaborate easier and use communication strategies that work.

Shift your remote communication methods to something that works

You communicate and get work done differently when working remotely. Move to workflows that are more fitting for remote environments by leaving old habits behind.

Don’t: Work the same way that you did in the office. With remote work, you can’t always expect a direct answer or quick review from a team member. With added flexibility in your work schedule, you can optimize your schedule to best fit your projects, collaborators, and personal life. Since remote work lets you work at your own pace, schedule your day so you can get the most out of it.

Do: Share relevant information and be transparent. Remote work environments can be isolating so remember to be upfront about your feelings, workload, and experiences with team members. Being transparent can give everyone a better understanding of your workday.

Sharing information with your team

Nobody likes never-ending searches for important information or constantly having to reach out to team members to stay informed. Share updates, details and decisions in more effective to keep everyone involved and up to date.

Don’t: Over-rely on emails for communication. Long and messy email threads can get confusing quickly. Big email chains can also make it harder to document information, establish next steps, and include new people. Important details are easily available with shared documentation. No need to search through your inbox or schedule a meeting if information is easily accessible.

remote communication methods email overload

Do: Document as much as you can. Reliable and thorough documentation helps everyone stay in the loop. Team members and external partners can check the progress of projects or reference information without needing to be in touch all the time. When documentation is thorough, you can make sure that processes are in place for a range of different scenarios. Team members will also be able to find what they need when they need it.

Setting effective virtual meetings

Save meetings for the conversations that matter most. Being fatigued by never-ending Zoom meetings doesn't do your teams' productivity any good. Applying virtual meeting best practices can be a good start to fixing this.

Don’t: Schedule too many meetings. Virtual meetings, like their face-to-face counterparts, are time-consuming and unproductive when there are too many. Find other ways to keep other team members in the loop that don’t require them to spend valuable time in front of cameras.

Do: Set goals for meetings. Start meetings by outlining the goals that the meeting should achieve. Examples of meeting goals could be making a decision after a discussion or getting feedback on a project. Use one of our meeting agenda examples to get quickly get started. Reevaluate if a meeting is needed or not if you're having a hard time coming up with goals.

Trust is the foundation to effective remote work

Working remotely does not mean that nothing is getting done. Invasive surveillance strategies, micromanagement and continuous check-ups do your communication more harm than good.

Don’t: Bombard team members with constant messages. Messaging can be a quick way to get answers, but you should use more asynchronous work methods of communication and collaboration. With features and tools like task management, note taking, or files can be easy ways to update your team.

Do: Trust your team. To set expectations, note what goals you want to achieve and what projects you want to complete in a set time frame. Make sure that your team is empowered with tools that make it easier to do their work.

With remote work tools, you can track output (like tasks completed) as a metric instead of the number of hours worked. You can keep an eye on progress and get helpful high-level overviews without micromanaging team members.

remote communication with task statuses

Culture at the forefront of your communication

There are plenty of ways to encourage a healthy company culture, even with remote communication. While you might not see each other face-to-face there are still a lot of other ways to get in touch with, and stay connected to your team.

Don’t: Forget about the importance of good work culture. Working remotely doesn’t mean that your team can’t get to know each other. Find activities that connect team members, no matter where they are. These activities should give team members a chance to get to know each other better. Both asynchronous and synchronous ways of communication can be valuable for creating a supportive work culture.

Do: Celebrate victories. To help your team grow and stay engaged, make sure your team gets recognition for a job well done! Giving feedback is key to maintaining a supportive environment and will give you a chance to hear your team members’ thoughts and reactions.

remote communication celebrate victories

Effective remote communication requires an adjustment from traditional communication styles. You're not in the office anyone, so the way you get work done can't stay the same.

When you keep these “do’s” and “don’ts” in mind, you and your team can cut down on stress, misunderstandings, and inefficient practices. That way, your communication can focus on what matters and boosts your productivity instead of bogging you down.

Dec 4, 2021
November 22, 2022

Effective Remote Communication With Your Team: Do's and Don'ts

Nicolaas Spijker
Editorial @ Rock
5 min read

In the spring of 2020, it seemed like workplaces (and everything else) changed overnight. Offices were empty and workers logged into work from spare bedrooms and kitchen tables. Even though it seemed sudden, the shift to remote work and distributed work opened the path to the future of work.

Remote work has been on the rise even before the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated that shift. Now, more workers are enjoying elements of the "future of work" like more flexibility, independence, and productivity. It’s also clear that remote work is here to stay.

As a result of the move to remote work, we can expect to see more changes in the future of work trends that will make workers’ lives better.

Here are ten things that highlight what the future of work actually looks like:

1. A workplace that works for you

Instead of commuting to an office every day, remote work lets workers and teams choose what fits them best. Workers can leave exhausting commutes and high rent behind. When you’re not tied to a desk, you can complete your work from anywhere. Your office could be poolside, in a coffee shop, or at your kitchen table.

If you and your team need an in-person brainstorming session, you can schedule time for working from a shared workplace while still keeping the rest of the week for remote work.

Regardless of where you do your work, you’ll be better able to build a way of working that is best for you.

2. Working hours that fit you & your life

Remote work can give you more say over your work schedule. Instead of working a 9-to-5 workday, you can choose the hours that are the best fit for you. For example, if you are a morning person, you can start work earlier in the day since you’ll spend less time commuting. If you do your best work later in the day or at night, you can have a later start and stay logged on after your team members are done for the day.

Both early birds and night owls will (finally) have the chance to work the hours they enjoy the most. By adjusting your hours to be a better fit for your life, you can make more time for your family, friends, and hobbies.

3. More flexibility in communication

A key benefit of remote work is getting work done without being constantly connected to people. You can work independently and still have a team to reach out to for questions and discussions.While many of today’s tools are focused on synchronous (real-time) work, we know that remote and distributed teams need more flexibility.

Rock built a productivity platform for distributed teams and any changes in the future of work. It’s also one of the first tools to feature both synchronous and asynchronous communication styles in one place.

future of work tool Rock

Synchronous communication, like meetings, calls, or messaging, is real-time. Asynchronous communication, like task boards, lets someone respond when it’s convenient for them. With a tool that gives you both communication styles, you can focus on work without worrying that you’re out of the loop.

4. Fewer meetings

The future of work reserves meetings to when strictly necessary. People can move towards relying on asynchronous work that is heavy on documentation to get work done. This allows remote workers to stay connected and informed without having to sit through too many meetings.

Instead of having a meeting to decide who gets which assignment, tasks and projects can be assigned through a task board. Task management is a great alternative to continuous meetings, as everyone can give updates that can be retrieved later on.

future of work meetings

5. Focusing on tasks, not punching a timecard

Because remote work is asynchronous by default, the focus of work shifts to achieving results instead of clocking in for a certain amount of time. The future of work is more results-oriented.

People can focus on achieving results rather than worrying about if you’ve been logged on for the right amount of time. This allows everyone to get more work done while being less stuck to time slots.

6. A shift to a more collaborative culture

While working remotely, email can be an ineffective communication method that makes it hard to connect with enough people.

Remote work tools are often better suited for teams that work across timezones and geographical regions. They make it easier to work with team members and external partners. With a variety of communication options, you can choose what works best for the task at hand.

future of work collaborate

7. More job opportunities & fewer geographic limits

The nature of remote work means opportunities are not limited to expensive cities. Anyone can apply for jobs, no matter where they live.

You’ll have more options that don’t require you to relocate or spend a lot of time away from family. With more accessible work opportunities, you’ll be better able to pursue your passions and career.

8. The future of work has reliable documentation

With remote workers and distributed teams, the future of work will rely heavily on documentation. Documentation makes it easier to see the work that you’ve completed. You’ll be able to get a high-level view of everything you’ve accomplished with tools like task boards and notes.

Task boards, notes, and shared Google Drive folders will help you make sure that none of your work gets missed. Documentation features also make sure that important details don’t fall through the cracks. With a better overview of what you’re working on, you can get the satisfaction of crossing things off your to-do list with tasks completed in a monthly sprint.

future of work documentation

9. More opportunities for continued education & development

Online courses, seminars, and development opportunities have only gotten more popular during the pandemic. As these growth and development options have become more widespread, they’ve also gained more respect in corporate environments.

With a flexible schedule, you can pick up new skills and develop your existing talents to grow more and reach your future goals.

10. Less stress

Asynchronous working styles make it easier for you to disconnect from work. You can spend a lot more time of the future of work from home. This means that you can turn off your devices and grab a coffee, work out, or chat with family and friends during work breaks.

Because asynchronous working styles don’t rely on real-time interactions, work tasks are often better defined. With clear direction and communication, you’re less likely to get burnt out.

The future of work looks bright

Remote work has enabled a huge number of people to enjoy a more flexible and productive workday. Changes like this offer a positive outlook for the future of work. As workplaces continue to evolve, it’s critical to have tools that you can rely on.

With Rock, remote workers have a productivity platform they can rely on to keep their work organized and streamlined.

Nov 24, 2021
November 22, 2022

The Future of Work: 10 Changes to Look Forward to

Nicolaas Spijker
Editorial @ Rock
5 min read

The TEAMS plan is now officially available to everyone! With the TEAMS plan you can more easily work with people across your domain, manage different members across spaces, and up- or downgrade PRO spaces.

We're also making inviting people and collaborating on Rock a lot easier with Invite by Link, Figma integration in the Files mini-app and Calendar View for tasks, (mobile only, web & desktop coming soon)!

TEAMS plan

Work more closely with your team and centrally manage team members across spaces. The TEAMS plan gives you everything in PRO and more. It is now possible to claim a corporate domain and assign manager status to users within your domain allowing them to create their own PRO spaces.

This allows you to better control who has access to your corporate spaces and makes it easier to allow managers to upgrade spaces. The TEAMS plan continues to offer seamless collaboration and communication with users outside of your team, as you can invite them to join any space.

The TEAMS plan starts at just $24.99 per month for 5 managers and unlimited free users!

Note: the TEAMS plan is currently only accessible for accounts registered under a private domain. Gmail and other accounts can not yet upgrade to teams, but we plan on adding this in the near future.

You can follow the steps in this product guide if you are interested in upgrading your plan to TEAMS or learn more about the plan.

Invite by link

Skip sending emails and invite anyone to join a space on Rock through invite links. Invite by link makes it easier to get larger teams and/or communities to move to Rock as you can easily share these links through email, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps.

When you create a new space you will automatically get the invite link after you've created a space. For existing spaces, you can access the invite by link feature by going to space settings and selecting Invitation Links.

This option is only visible for users with member or admin status, not guests.

Note: the invite by link panel will also not be accessible for members if an admin disables the feature in the space.Members and admins can share their own links to invite new users to join them in a space.

It is not possible to invite people to join as admin directly, but you can always upgrade their status once they join the space if you are an admin yourself. There are a few options in the panel:

  • Copying the link: You can copy a link either by pressing the "Copy link" button or selecting the URL and saving it.
  • Reset my link: You can reset your own link, so any existing link you have shared in the past will stop working
  • Reset all invite links (admin only): Reset all the links from people in the space, so any already shared link stops working.

Figma integration

It is now possible to integrate Figma with the Files mini-app. Access designs, discuss your workflow, and keep your different projects better organized with relevant files in every space.

The integration works for both free and premium Figma accounts, and you can decide to add a whole project, or just a page depending on what is relevant to the space. Note that users still have to be given access in Figma before being able to edit the different files.

Google Meet integration‍‍

Start an audio or video call through Google Meets to discuss anything with your team. Available in every space so your team can easily jump on a meeting if needed.

When you start a meeting in a space an event is automatically added to your Google Calendar. This way you can more easily manage your different activities throughout the day.

Calendar view on mobile

You ask, we deliver! If you are using the mobile version of Rock you can now visualize your tasks with a shiny new calendar view on mobile. This makes it easier to know when tasks need to be completed and what your day, week, or month looks like.

You can access the calendar view in both the Tasks mini-app within a space and the My Tasks panel by pressing change view in the top right corner and selecting Calendar. You can also decide whether you want to show completed (in a list with a checkmark) and archived tasks.

Using Rock on web or desktop? Stay tuned to the upcoming releases, the team is working hard on adding the calendar view to all devices. ⏰ In the meantime you can already get familiar with the view on mobile.

More detailed tasks and notes objects in chat

When you create or @ mention a task or note, we're now showing more details about each object so you don't always need to open the task or note.For tasks, you are now able to see the following fields:

  • Space: useful when cross-space mentioning tasks, the first visible field is the icon of the space where the task is present.
  • Number and title: defining the main title of the task and its number.
  • Assignee(s): shares who is working on the task.
  • List: defines what list of your tasks mini-app the task is.

Notes now also give a lot more relevant information. When creating or @mentioning a note, you get the following details:

  • Space: useful when cross-space mentioning note, the first visible field is the space where the note is present.
  • Note Title and number: First line of information in a note
  • Date of creation: the day and time the note was created.
  • User: the user who created the note.
  • Overview: summary of information in the note.

Upgrades to Desktop

We have added a bunch of changes specific to the desktop app. You can access the added features by going to your desktop settings, selecting preferences and adding one of them:

  • Automatically launch at login: You can now launch the desktop app as soon as you restart your computer. This way you don't have to search across apps and can directly start communicating and collaborating with your team members.
  • Notification count in badge: Stay updated on the number of new notifications received in the app. A number will now display in the desktop app icon in the bottom right corner.
  • Tray mode: Add Rock to your menu bar so you can more easily find the app if you are working with a lot of different applications at the same time.

Upgrades to mobile

Besides the Calendar view in the Tasks mini-app there have also been some other changes and improvements to the mobile version of Rock. Check out the summary for what's new and download the mobile app:

General

  • Tap to Organize on mobile – tap and select any number of messages and turn these into tasks, notes, or comments allowing you to organize and clean up your chat log.
  • Contact list import - easily import all your contacts into Rock and make it easier to invite people to a space.
  • Bug fixes and speed improvements.
  • Deleting a space has been improved.

Messaging improvements

  • Richer event messages for new tasks and notes
  • Improved readability of messages
  • Web links are created automatically without http://

Tasks mini-app ✅

  • Calendar view in tasks mini-app
  • Calendar view in 'My Tasks'

Teams plan

  • Upgrade your account to teams, add managers, manage users across spaces.

Download the mobile app for free

Questions about this product release? Reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space. We support most major languages and try to respond as soon as we can.

Nov 4, 2021
November 22, 2022

Product Update: Teams Plan, Invite by Link, Calendar View and more!

Announcements
Kenzo Fong
CEO & founder
5 min read
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