Recently, more companies have moved to remote work, and many have noticed significant benefits. For example, 82% of workers report lower stress levels when telecommuting, and companies are more productive while incurring fewer expenses. However, without the right tools, working remotely can hinder a company’s overall collaboration levels and cause a disconnect. Fortunately, there are measures that a company can take to promote remote work collaboration.
Create Designated Collaboration Spaces
When working remote, collegues must learn to communicate solely through technology. It is important that they have all the resources necessary and are knowledgeable of how to communicate within each platform.
Communicating via email is best for more in-depth conversations. This is also often the best way to communicate with someone outside of the user’s organization.
Chat
Many leading collaboration tools include a chat feature. This allows users to communicate quickly within their organization. These are used best for urgent questions that need immediate attention. Chat is not the place to ask complicated, drawn out questions.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing is a great tool for meeting with a team within an organization or with potential clients. Visual meetings allow for users to have access to visual cues and to gain better understanding on a topic or question. Many video conference tools offer screen-sharing, allowing the user to present demos or answer questions in a how-to manor. Users can also record video meetings and save them for future use.
VoIP
VoIP allows users to make and receive external phone calls. This tool is ideal for users who often make or receive calls outside the organization, like sales, customer service and executives. VoIP also works for clients and third parties that prefer calls to video conferences. With VoIP, the third party dials or receives the call with their phone, just like a regular phone call.
Managing Remote Meetings
Studies have shown that workers are more productive and output is more efficient when teams collaborate. In order to do this, teams need to be empowered with the right project management tools. The best options will have the ability to segment conversations based on the task. This will keep conversations organized and ensure that there is no overlap or confusion.
When managing a remote meeting, it is crucial to identify a designated leader who will control the agenda of the meeting. This prevents the possibility of “cross-talk”, where participants talk over one another. This can often be distracting and derail the focus of the meeting. The meeting participants should also have a general agenda of what should be discussed.
Working With Collaboration Specialists
At Custom Computer Specialists, it is our job to lead organizations in the right direction. We have created a remote work guide that will walk you through the necessary steps an organization should take to successfully work remote. Download it today to bolster your remote work setup.