Leading and collaborating using online tools

WORK AND COLLABORATE PRODUCTIVELY

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Introduction
1. How it can help 2. What tools are available? 3. Our top tips

Introduction to 'Leading and collaborating using online tools'

Today, people work in so many different places. We might start our week in the office. The next day, we could be calling suppliers from home or writing a proposal from a café.

Online tools help us do all of this. With these tools, we can work effectively wherever we are. We use them to keep in touch with our teams and others. They also help us keep track of tasks and projects.

In this lesson, we’ll explore how these online tools can help you lead your team and work with others. You’ll find out how different tools can help you manage tasks and work together. We also have top tips on how to get the most out of these tools.

79%

Of workers use online collaboration tools for work.

Gartner Opens in a new tab

1 in 4

Work from both home and their workplace.

Office for National Statistics Opens in a new tab

78%

Of hybrid workers say it gives them a better work/life balance.

Office for National Statistics Opens in a new tab

What you'll learn

  • How to use these tools to work well, no matter where you are.
  • Tips to make the most of online tools.
  • How these tools can help with the challenges of remote working.
  • Ways to lead your team effectively.

How long it takes

10 minutes

Chapter 1 - How it can help

How it can help

Chapter 1

How long it takes

1 minute

The way we work right now

Do you work from an office all the time? Many people don’t. If you’re self-employed, you’re more than twice as likely to work from home as your employed friends.

Some of us don’t have an office. Others work from home to save travel time and costs. We call this hybrid working – when we spend some time working from home, or somewhere other than our workplace.


When you’re away from your office, you need a way to stay in touch with your team, your clients and your suppliers. This is just one reason for using online tools.

Even if you’re in the office, it’s not always easy to hold meetings. Making meeting arrangements and travelling can take up much of your time. ‘Virtual’ meetings using online tools can save you time and money.

 

Online tools can help you:

Build relationships

Through video calling platforms.

Keep everyone in the loop

With real-time collaboration tools.

Plan and track your work

With task and project management tools.

Introduction - Leading and collaborating using online tools
Chapter 2 - What tools are available?

What tools are available?

Chapter 2

How long it takes

6 minutes

Pick the tools that work for you

You’ll want to pick the right tool for the job. Some tools can handle many tasks, while others are good for specific areas. We’ll focus on those that help you to lead and work together with others.

 

We’ll look at tools to help you with:

Communication

Collaboration

Project management

Communication tools

These tools help you connect with others. This could be informal chats with your business partner, team meetings or video calls with clients or suppliers. So before you decide which tool to use, think about who you need to connect with, and how.

 

Here are some tools that might help. Select each one to find out more.

  • Mainly a messaging app, you can use this tool on your laptop or mobile device. It also integrates with other apps. If you have a small team, the free version may be a good option. Bear in mind that this version has limits on file size and video calls. Want to use it to message people outside your own organisation? You'll need the paid-for Slack Connect option.

  • Like Slack, you can use this to connect with your team. Options include messaging and video calls. There's a lot more to Teams, and we'll mention it in more detail in the Collaboration section. Full of features, many large businesses use Teams.

  • You can send instant messages and hold video calls with this free app. Most people use it from their phones, though there are web and desktop apps too. It works best for informal chats and 1-to-1 video calls. For group video calls, the group size limits are lower than Zoom, Teams or Slack. You can't schedule your WhatsApp calls either. On the plus side, end-to-end encryption makes it a secure way to message others.

  • Just like Slack and Teams, you can use Zoom for instant messages and video calls. The people you're calling don't need to download Zoom on their device. It's easy to book and host meetings with others outside your business, too.

    Unlike Teams, Zoom focuses just on communication. It has many features, even with the free version. If you use the free plan, you can hold meetings with up to 100 people for up to 40 minutes.

  • Like Teams, Google Meet is part of a wider range of Google tools. So if you use Gmail you may decide to try this one out. Its free version gives you video calls up to an hour. There's also more cloud storage on their free plan compared with Zoom.

  • There are many other virtual meeting and instant messaging apps.

    These include:

    • Webex – This virtual meetings tool has a reputation for good security.
    • Twist – An app that’s useful for less urgent messages or teams working in different time zones.

Collaboration tools

These are the tools that are going to help you work together with others. So just as you did with the communication tools, take a moment to think about how you do this. Love to brainstorm? Do you plan with a spreadsheet or post-its? Think also about who you collaborate with.

Some tools work better when everyone’s in the same organisation. Others don’t have these limits.

Let’s look at a few examples now. You may recognise some from the Communication section. It’s worthwhile seeing if these meet your needs for both functions. If so, this could make things cheaper and easier for you.

  • Do you use Word, Excel or PowerPoint? Then you may already have this. If you use these apps but don’t have 365, it may be worth looking at. This cloud-based platform makes it easier to store and save your documents and files. It also has useful collaboration tools built in. We’ve talked about one already – Teams.

    Working on a design, proposal or budget with others? You can do all this together, at the same time. It’s also somewhere to store and share your work. Other collaboration tools include Whiteboard. You and your team can use this in a Teams call just as you might use a physical whiteboard together in a room.

  • Just like Microsoft 365, this is a set of tools that work together.

    With it, you can:

    • Stay organised with team calendars.
    • Hold video meetings and remote events.
    • Edit shared documents in real time.
    • Store, share and access team resources from anywhere - even offline.
    • Coordinate project plans and schedules.

  • You may not feel that one of the large platforms is right for you. Perhaps you have other tools that meet your needs. Maybe you’re just looking for an easy way to share ideas or plan with others. This is easier when you’re all in the same room. When you’re in different places, you may need a tool to help.

     

    Here are a few tools that might help:

     

    Mind-mapping and whiteboard tools

    Share and co-create with tools like Ayoa and Mural.

    Other creative collaboration tools

    Want to design with others? Try tools like Miro and Lucidspark.

    File sharing apps

    Tools like Dropbox and WeTransfer let you share your files with others for free.

Project management tools

These can be simple or sophisticated. You may just need a cloud-based to-do list that you can check and update anywhere on any device. Maybe you’re looking for something more, to plan large projects or manage team tasks.

Once again, the key is to think about what you need before you look at tools that could help.

It's completely transformed how we work. We now have really easy access to information, we can set deadlines, checklists and tasks online, so as a team we all know where we are on projects and there’s no confusion.

Jessica Cooney, The Sovini Group

The large platforms: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace

You've seen these in our earlier sections. They are multi-purpose and include tools to help manage tasks and projects.

 

Microsoft 365 has:

  • To Do – Useful for personal task management.
  • The Tasks app in Teams – Just like To Do, but for teams.
  • Project – For larger projects or team management tasks.
  • Planner – A lighter project management tool that can work with To Do and Tasks.

 

Google doesn’t have tools to manage large projects, but its Tasks and Calendar apps can help you track and plan tasks.

 

Other project management tools

You may want something else for your business. Think about what’s important to you.

 

Do you need something that:

Is easy to use

Tools like Trello may work for small teams and simple projects.

Can break down complex projects

For example, Asana has a range of project views.

Has visual appeal

Look for clear design from tools like Monday.com.

Chapter 1 - How it can help you
Chapter 3 - Our top tips

Our top tips

Chapter 3

How long it takes

3 minutes

Starting to use these tools

Once you’ve picked your tools, you’ll want to get the most out of them. This means letting other people know what they are and how you plan to use them.

Think about what you and others need before you start using these tools. This may be training, or a good enough internet connection. Some tools may work with both mobile and desktop versions but are harder to see or use on phones. So think about where and when you’ll need to use the tools. This will help you work out which device you’ll need for that task.

 

Our top tips for a smooth introduction:

  • Agree with your team the tools you’ll use and what you’ll use them for.
  • Give yourself and others time to learn how to use these tools.
  • Set goals and agendas for virtual meetings.
  • Think about why you’re having this meeting and why virtual is best for it.
  • Set the time and manage it well.
  • Keep meetings short (and don’t have too many of them).
  • Set rules around the use of webcams and microphones.
  • Be mindful of bandwidth or Wi-Fi constraints.
  • Make the most of non-verbal options like chat, polls, emojis/reactions etc.

Leading hybrid or remote teams

Leading a hybrid or remote team can be hard. When your team works in the same place, it's easier to spot any issues they each face. Plus, you can support them in a natural and informal way. So if your team is remote, you do need to put more work into communication at all levels.

 

This might include:

Short daily catch-ups

To set tasks, check progress and understand issues to follow up.

Weekly meetings

To update plans, celebrate progress and look ahead at the next week.

Longer workshops

Taking place less often to help the team plan and innovate further into the future.

Social and fun events

Like ‘coffee break’ chats, quiz sessions, ‘happy hours’ or ‘pizza parties’.

 

Some ideas for hybrid teams:

  • Make it clear how and when you expect updates.
  • Be available for online chats and support.
  • Ask how people are feeling, and what they’re thinking.

We connect daily through a WhatsApp group, set up twice-weekly team meetings and even diarise coffee and cake catch-ups over Zoom where we talk about anything but work!

Miranda Evans, Disability Wales

Next steps

You have a few ideas on the types of tools available now. With these and our top tips, you’re ready to get the benefits of them.

 

Steps to leading and collaborating online:

Step 1

Define your needs

What do you want these tools to help with? Think about where they could save you time, money or just make life easier.

Step 2

Research tools

Take time to explore and learn how to use the tools. Make the most of free trials and other ways to try and save.

Step 3

Start to use them!

Support your team or others who will also use these tools. Keep exploring online support and forums for help.

Related learning links

Using online communication tools effectively

View lesson

Increase productivity at work

View lesson

Microsoft 365 video tutorials

View lesson
Chapter 2 - What tools are available?

Want to learn more?

There are many more lessons to help you work and collaborate online.

Go to this topic Work and collaborate productively

 

Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 20th November 2025.

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