The Collaboration Tools That Power Our Remote Team

At Ofri, we've been fully remote for over a decade - back when "remote work" still raised eyebrows at dinner parties. Over time, we've built a setup that keeps us connected, organized, and productive. 

Here are the tools that have become the backbone of our remote operations:

Slack: Our Communication Hub

Slack is where our daily conversations happen. We organize discussions into channels based on projects or topics, which makes it easy to find information later.

For quick check-ins, we use bots to automate daily standups. Automated standups save time on meetings. Huddles allow for spontaneous voice chats when typing isn't enough.

Each team member's local time is visible in Slack. Coordinating across different time zones becomes much easier when we know who's likely to be online or offline.

We can also set reminders on any message. Being "in the zone" and not wanting interruptions is common during deep work. You can tell Slack to remind you about a message tomorrow or in two hours, so you stay focused now, but don't forget to follow up later. 

Another cool thing that helps us stay connected on a more personal level are our coffee chats. We use the Slack Donut bot to automatically pair people in the team for a 30-minute virtual chat. They help us get to know each other better and bring back some of the casual vibe you’d normally get by bumping into someone at the coffee machine in the office.

Confluence: Centralized Documentation

Confluence serves as our main repository for company knowledge. It's where we document processes, decisions, and project plans.

Multiple people can edit documents simultaneously on the platform. Collaboration becomes straightforward with real-time editing. We organize everything into clear spaces and hierarchies. Finding information becomes simple with our organized structure.

Google Meet: Reliable Video Meetings

For face-to-face interactions, we use Google Meet. It integrates with our calendars, which simplifies scheduling.

Stable video and audio quality work well even with participants in different regions. Screen sharing proves useful for presentations, and the AI-powered transcription feature helps us keep accurate records of our meetings.

Recording meetings is another helpful feature. Team members who couldn't attend can catch up later.

Trello: Visual Project Management

Trello helps us keep track of our work. We use boards and cards to represent tasks and projects. Clear visual overviews help everyone understand project status at a glance.

Our setup allows team members from different departments to collaborate effectively. We customize workflows to fit each team's needs and integrate Trello with other tools we use. For example, we connect Trello to Slack, so release notifications automatically appear when we push new features to production. These integrations create a cohesive work environment.

Google Drive: File Storage and Sharing

For storing and sharing files, we rely on Google Drive. Various documents live here, ranging from article drafts to media assets.

Controlling who has access to specific files and folders ensures that information is shared appropriately and securely. Integration with other tools in our stack makes collaboration seamless.

Conclusion

By thoughtfully integrating these tools into our daily operations, we've created a digital workspace that supports our remote work model. They help us communicate effectively, manage projects efficiently, and maintain a strong company culture, regardless of where we're located.