2023 hasn’t been for the weak.

We’re barely at the beginning of the year, and the tech space is already in for a challenging ride. With recent layoffs that not even superpower companies like Google, Microsoft, and Spotify have been able to avoid, startup investors everywhere are increasing the pressure to cut costs and downsize. 

While layoffs are now the norm, they aren’t the only way companies are trying to reduce their spending. Tech stack spending is also on the chopping block and teams need to be more careful than ever when considering which tools and resources to keep and which ones ultimately need to go. 

Cutting costs by reducing the number of SaaS tools can prove to be difficult and uncomfortable for teams and companies, especially remote tech startups that can’t afford sub-par team collaboration and communication. Why? Software boosts efficiency and productivity, reduces manual work through automation, and helps organizations become more agile. So, making sure you have the right SaaS tools in place during uncertain financial times is crucial to maintaining efficiency while not overspending. 

Here, we’ll be discussing and recommending three essential SaaS collaboration and communication tools startups can use while navigating a turbulent 2023. These tools won’t break the bank, and they’ll help you in your efforts to scale whatever your role is. Each tool listed ranks high on our scale for compatibility, accessibility, integrations, pricing, and security.

Asana, for easy team collaboration

If you’re looking for a way to organize and manage your team's projects with complete status visibility, then Asana is the place to start (it’s also one of the tools Sastrify customers save BIG on). Asana is an online project management tool that helps teams stay organized, collaborate effectively, and get work done faster. It provides users with the tools they need to plan tasks, assign responsibilities, track progress, and communicate in real-time. With Asana’s intuitive interface and powerful features like task dependencies and timeline view, teams can easily keep their projects on track.

Asana makes it easy for everyone on the team to stay connected no matter where they are located or what device they use. Plus it integrates seamlessly with other popular apps like Slack so you can stay up-to-date without having to switch between multiple programs.

Asana comes with multiple plans and pricing options starting at the free Basic plan (for up to 15 people) and then moving on to Premium, Business, and Enterprise. No matter what your need is or how large your team is, Asana will have a plan that is well-aligned with your needs and goals. 

Finally, Asana has taken up broad measures to safeguard customer data with SOC2-compliant data centers, firewall implementations, and a wide range of other safeguards and procedures. 

You might also be interested in this global study on remote work by Asana.

Slack, for better team communication

Slack is a popular workplace collaboration tool that helps teams stay connected and organized. It allows users to create custom team-wide or direct communication channels, share documents, and access other integrative features such as video calling. Slack also features bots and customized workspaces to make working remotely easier than ever before.

Companies and startups love using Slack because of the seamless and speedy communication (unlike traditional email), the option to create custom channels for team communication, the ability to share documents, images, and attachments easily (even with drag and drop functionality), customizable workspace creation, and much more. Slack boasts spam and phishing-free security features, the ability to integrate with over 2,400 apps, transparent and searchable content that anyone part of a channel can find, enhanced flexibility, and automated workflow setups. 

As remote working becomes the norm for tech startups around the world, having a tool built for remote team collaboration is critical. Now, you can feel connected to your team no matter where you are located or what device you use. Plus, teams can enjoy streamlined collaboration with other popular apps like Asana.

Communication and collaboration are key for scaling and successful startups. And as more and more teams are jumping on the remote bandwagon, email, and limited communication tools simply won’t do the trick. That’s why we recommend Slack as your ideal team communication tool. 

Once again, Slack offers flexible pricing options starting with the limited Free plan. The Pro plan is available for startups and smaller teams and includes all the benefits you get in the Free plan such as unlimited message history, apps, and integrations. Lastly, a personalized, Enterprise Grid plan is also available for larger, complex enterprises. 

You might also be interested in: the benefits of using Slack Connect.

Grammarly, for error-free communication

First impressions, are all about how you write. The days of making unnecessary grammar mistakes are a thing of the past with Grammarly.

Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps users quickly and easily check for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other writing errors. With Grammarly, you can be sure that your writing is always accurate and free from mistakes. It also suggests improvements in structure and style to make your writing more effective and engaging with your audience.

The benefits of Grammarly include its accuracy and ease of use. It uses advanced technology to detect even the most subtle grammar mistakes, so you can be sure that your work is always correct. Grammarly also provides a range of helpful features like suggestions on how to improve sentence structure or word choice as well as comprehensive explanations that make it easy to understand why specific edits are suggested. 

Another great benefit of using Grammarly is its ability to help users become better writers over time. As you continue to use Grammarly for checking grammar and spelling errors, it will provide personalized feedback on how you can improve your writing skills. You’ll also get insights into areas where you need improvement so you can focus your efforts on honing those particular areas.

Finally, Grammarly makes it easy for teams to collaborate without worrying about consistency in their communications. Users can easily share documents with others in their team while knowing that any potential errors have been caught by the program's editor feature. This ensures that everyone’s messages are consistent and professional each time they communicate, making collaboration smoother and more efficient!

Whether you’re in sales, marketing, customer experience, or basically any other role, Grammarly will empower the way you communicate with others. Now, you can write your next customer email and newsletter with peace of mind knowing that it will be more engaging while helping you ‘’cut the fluff!’’ 

Grammarly offers a Free plan that comes with basic grammar-checking and editing functionalities. Grammarly’s Premium plan for individuals helps people and teams hone in on perfecting tone, clarity, and vocabulary. The Business plan for teams, businesses, and enterprises includes everything in Premium plus exciting features such as the use of a Style Guide, analytics dashboard, and snippet use for saving time. 

Get the best out of your SaaS contract negotiations with Sastrify

With thousands of SaaS tools to consider, purchase, and manage, it’s easy to fall behind - especially when it comes to negotiating renewals. Without the proper knowledge, skills, processes, and experience, negotiating the best SaaS contract terms can be a huge drain on both time and money – two things a lot of companies can’t afford in the current economic climate. Solutions like Sastrify are carefully designed to help you manage your SaaS stack and negotiate the best renewals ahead of time, ensuring your entire SaaS buying journey is as simple and hassle-free as can be.

If you’re only just exploring some of the tools mentioned above or are evaluating if you should renew, Sastrify’s dedicated team of SaaS experts can support you with your software contracts and guarantee the best negotiations so each member of your team can stay focused on what they do best. 

Get a fair price on your SaaS agreements and save thousands with our free Savings Calculator.