Freelancer’s Best Friend for Collaboration and Communication: The Cloud

While it's still essential, a stable internet connection isn't the only thing a modern freelancer needs to succeed. Working from anywhere is one of the lifestyle's many draws, and the cloud is instrumental in realizing it!

Think of the cloud as a catch-all term for a growing number of services you can access online without needing powerful hardware or a local install. Leveraging them can make the difference between falling behind and building up a successful freelance career.

Here are some benefits the cloud offers when working with clients, teams, and other freelancers.


Organization and Scheduling

Organization and Scheduling

Some freelance gigs are one-off tasks; others are projects that can span years and involve countless responsibilities. Cloud services help you make sense of everything by organizing everything into logical chunks.

You can use them to break down assignments into more manageable tasks, track their progress, and inform clients or other team members once you do your part.

Having an online business schedule works wonders when coordinating meetings. Certain cloud apps take that schedule and compare it to your clients’. When they detect that free time overlaps, they offer several meeting possibilities to make it convenient for everyone.

Email communication is still an important part of a freelancer's workday. Cloud services help streamline it by letting you decide when to post scheduled emails or follow-ups. You can also choose windows during the day when your inbox receives emails. That ensures you always have enough time to review your most important mail. It also helps a lot in preventing clutter.


General Communication and Collaboration

You might be working from home or on a beach, but freelancing is far from a solitary activity. The cloud is exceptionally good at connecting people and allowing for real-time communication.

Several well-known business chat apps let you keep in touch with an entire team or create smaller workspaces for more focused communication. The pandemic caused a boom in video conferencing, which is also here to stay. Video conferencing lets you have productive one-on-one chats or take part in meetings while being half the world away.


Project Management

Knowing who's responsible for what is crucial to seeing projects through if you work with others. Project management apps are a godsend for accountability. They can accomplish much more, though.

Essential project management tools involve lists or boards with tasks. These can have different priorities and team members assigned to them. While the most advanced apps have a more comprehensive approach, they can replace several specialized services. These services include time tracking, deadlines, document collaboration, and more.


File Storage and Sharing

Sooner or later, you may need to share important documents or files immediately. Keeping a single version of a file on your laptop doesn’t cut it anymore. Luckily, the cloud is the perfect place to store files you and your client need access to 24/7.

There are now too many online storage providers to count, and many of us use more than one. Better yet, fierce competition means you can store terabytes of data for peanuts.

Any serious cloud storage provider encrypts your data, so security shouldn’t be an issue. You may create public, individual, and timed links to files or folders. That way, you can control who can access and securely share your files.


Work-Specific Tools

Work-Specific Tools

Freelancing encompasses many niches, all with specific collaboration challenges. There's a good chance a cloud-based service exists to help, no matter how exotic yours may be.

For example, developers can use cloud tools to post code for others to review. Such tools make it a snap to keep track of revisions and ask other knowledgeable users for help.

Designers extensively use cloud services to create site or UI mockups and edit graphics. The most sophisticated online cloud-based design tools are well-known rival industry standard programs. They make working with others easier if you're only involved in part of the design process.

Writers benefit from platforms that analyze their text. These can help them set the right tone, avoid grammar mistakes, or write in a way that will reach the most readers.


Networking and Career Advancement

A freelancer is their product, so marketing yourself is crucial for your prospects. Cloud services have become instrumental in connecting freelancers and clients.

Moreover, they're helpful when creating or updating your CV or portfolio. Some even aid you in reaching out to clients directly by streamlining proposal creation.


Conclusion

The cloud has become a major force in shaping the online workspace. Embracing it should be a no-brainer after getting to know the advantages.

Best of all, the ones we listed above just scratch the surface! Harnessing the possibilities will boost your productivity on current projects while setting you up for success with future ones.

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