DocuWare’s Top 3 Collaboration Tools for Remote Teams

Remote and hybrid working is great for employee flexibility and widening your potential talent pool. But when your team is scattered across locations, simple tasks become complicated.

Nearly half of UK professionals (44%) work from home at least part of the time, and 78% of these say they prefer hybrid working to a fully remote arrangement. Yet, without the right support, home working can quickly become frustrating, as it’s hard to communicate with colleagues, access critical documents and sign off time-sensitive tasks. 

Digital collaboration tools, including DocuWare’s Mobile App, Digital Forms and Electronic Signature Solution, create smooth, automated processes that work wherever your team wants to be. 

Table of contents

• Why collaboration tools are essential for remote teams
• Benefits of digital collaboration tools for remote and hybrid teams 
• Top 3 collaboration tools for remote/hybrid workers
• DocuWare Mobile App
• DocuWare Forms
• DocuWare Electronic Signature Solution 
• Moving forward with the right tools 

Why collaboration tools are essential for remote teams

Hybrid work models – where employees split their time between office-based and remote work – come with unique challenges. Without proper digital tools, employees may struggle to keep up with tasks, communicate with colleagues and collaborate effectively from different locations. 

Almost half (48%) of professionals say hybrid set ups make it harder to work with others, while 1 in 10 find it slower to complete tasks. 

Equipping teams with integrated, mobile-first devices ensures a seamless experience, reducing the friction among a distributed workforce.  

Work Smarter: 7 common blockers and how to address them. 

Benefits of digital collaboration tools for remote and hybrid teams

Access and share information securely

• Users can search, retrieve and modify documents stored in document management systems 

• Workflow management tools mean users can receive alerts and act on tasks such as approvals and reviewing documents

• Mobile collaboration tools encourage task tracking and approvals to maintain momentum across distributed teams

Easier communication and collaboration 

• Employees stay informed in real time, no matter where they are

• Easy for team members to track progress and collaborate on shared projects

• Mobile collaboration tools close the communication gap with features such as push notifications, mobile chat and workflow alerts

• Sales and finance teams can use electronic signatures to finalise contracts, NDAs and invoice approvals without in-person meetings

Greater productivity and efficiency 

• With cloud access, employees can work on the go or from home without relying on VPNs or local servers
• Teams can search, review and edit documents instantly from any location, avoiding bottlenecks caused by manual handoffs
• Digital collaboration tools ensure continuity and eliminate downtime, particularly for field staff or employees traveling for business

Higher employee morale and engagement 

• Digital tools reduce administrative overheads, enabling employees to focus on higher-value tasks
• Professionals spend less time duplicating work and more time contributing meaningfully to team goals
• Collaboration creates a sense of ownership and drives higher engagement

Top 3 collaboration tools for remote/hybrid workers

When selecting collaboration tools for distributed teams, it's crucial to choose solutions that address the core challenges of remote work: from document accessibility to seamless communication and workflow continuity. 

These three DocuWare tools have been specifically designed to empower hybrid teams with flexibility and functionality – whether they're in the office, at home or on the move.

1. DocuWare Mobile App

The DocuWare Mobile App provides secure access to your document management system from any device. Ideal for hybrid teams, it supports real-time access to documents, workflows and task approvals from virtually anywhere. 

Key features of DocuWare Mobile App: 

• Push notifications keep team members instantly informed of urgent workflow tasks and approvals
• Documents can be captured and uploaded directly via smartphone camera, which is perfect for field workers and travelling employees 

• Digital stamps and index field updates ensure document versions stay current and auditable

The Mobile App enables field teams, salespeople who travel to customer sites, and other remote staff to approve urgent requests, submit expense reports, or retrieve contracts instantly. 

For example, a project manager at a job site can access change orders and approve updated plans on the spot, avoiding the delays that would occur if they waited to return to the office. 

2. DocuWare Forms 

DocuWare Forms’ user-friendly forms designer makes it easy to create web-based forms without programming skills. 

Published forms can be opened, filled in and submitted from any device. It eliminates time spent deciphering messy handwriting, and you can be sure the data is right because you’ve shifted data entry to the information source. 

By merging electronic forms with digital workflows, your team can automatically trigger follow-ups, manage escalations and issue notifications based on whether the form has been submitted. 

Key features of DocuWare Forms:

• Branded, dynamic forms created using drag-and-drop tools with no coding required
• Automated data collection, as inputs are validated and uploaded directly to the system, reducing data entry errors
• Forms automatically trigger workflows, such as approvals or forwarding documents to the right employee
• All submitted data is encrypted and stored securely, helping meet compliance requirements

With DocuWare Forms, process owners are notified when a form has been submitted and have visibility into automated workflows that kick off the next step in the process.

3. DocuWare Electronic Signature Solution

DocuWare’s electronic signature solution simplifies approvals by enabling digital signing within the document management system. This eliminates the need to print, mail, or physically meet to obtain signatures. 

A digital signature can verify that a document is genuine and unaltered and confirm the identity of the originator and signer; something that so-called “wet signatures” can’t do with certainty. 

In many cases, advanced and qualified electronic signatures are legally binding and compliant with global standards. 

Key features of DocuWare Electronic Signature Solution:

• Simple digital signatures tracked by an audit trail or timestamp
• Qualified and advanced signatures are protected by encrypted key that is only available to the signer
• Time and cost savings – electronic signatures speed up signature collection, reducing printing and postage costs and minimising administrative overheads 
• Signatures can be fully integrated into existing DocuWare workflows, ensuring consistent archiving and instant, permissioned access

Moving forward with the right tools

As hybrid work becomes the new normal, businesses must adopt digital tools that empower remote collaboration, increase productivity and maintain compliance. 

DocuWare’s solutions — DocuWare Mobile App, DocuWare Forms and electronic signatures — help companies stay agile and connected. 

By investing in the right technology, organisations can build a resilient hybrid workforce equipped for long-term success. 

Take the next step. Request a free demo or read more on how digital tools can transform your business.