With more and more businesses offering their employees the option or opportunity to work remotely, it’s important that processes are put in place in order to maximize efficiency by ensuring that processes are streamlined, consistent and easy to navigate.
Of course, in a remote working environment, the best way to keep a team connected is to utilize the broad range of online collaboration tools available to companies. A few from this list include:
- Monday
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Trello
Many of these online collaboration tools offer (limited) free versions, which might be ideal if your team is small - so there’s really no reason not to consider them.
Some of the key benefits of online platforms, like those mentioned above, are:
Cost savings
Streamlining doesn’t always have to refer to cost-saving, but that is the bottom line for just about every business out there. Online collaboration tools allow workers to communicate without the associated overheads of travel, workspace, and other associated resources.
A virtual meeting room can accommodate a huge number of participants for very little cost compared to hiring a conference room, putting on refreshments, etc.
There are also savings to be made due to improved efficacy, with projects being passed rapidly along a chain of interested parties, with little to no lost time in between.
Better overview
Having the ability to remotely check-in on the progress of multiple projects from anywhere, at any time, gives both you and your team the ability to keep tabs on their status and better manage their progression. The implementation of standard workflows also means that a project can be taken from start to finish without a manager needing to ensure that it doesn’t stall between teams.
Managers can easily establish the state of play by generating reports that concisely relay each project’s status, without having to contact each involved team.
Faster turnaround
Without temporal and geographical restrictions, projects can be progressed rapidly. Not only can team members meet more easily, but those working in different timezones can communicate easily, without the need to necessarily speak in real-time.
Streamlining remote businesses doesn’t all come down to team interactions though - It’s equally important that other processes, such as measuring the performance and success of marketing campaigns are as efficient as possible as well.
The utilization of online reporting tools, such as Facebook Measurement or Google Analytics, can give managers real insight into how well advertising campaigns are performing and what their audience reach is. Online statistics can really make a difference to both the success and the overall cost of future campaigns.
Collaboration, reporting, and analytical tools aside - Greater efficiency can also be achieved by simply improving team morale. It might seem cliché, but a good, motivational quote (delivered at the right time!) can improve remote worker mood and engagement, which in turn can lead to a higher standard of work and better compliance with processes.