Four ways to work better when collaborating remotely

As the world grows accustomed to working remotely, here are four tips to make virtual collaborating more efficient and productive.

Collaborating

If you’re reading this article, it’s because you have realized that you and your team may continue to work remotely for the next few months. With this, that means a lot more phone calls, virtual meetings, and an endless amount of scheduled collaboration.

Whether you’re new to the group or have taken the responsibility to lead the pack, you want to know the best ways on how to work from anywhere efficiently.

The main goal of collaborating is to produce new ideas and innovative solutions that meet or even surpass business objectives. It should be fun, easy, and straight to the point. Not dreadful and time-consuming. Here are four ways to help you achieve that.

Set an agenda.

If you’ve been tasked with the opportunity to be the ‘person-in-charge,’ preparation is vital.

Your teammates must have a single vision ahead of them to achieve. Start your agenda by understanding the goals of the project. Create an outline, followed by a timeline, and set a hard deadline. The plan will allow your team to remain on the same page and hold each team member accountable.

If you’re new to the team and is taking direction, show up with fresh ideas stemmed from research, and provide progress reports that will contribute to the project’s advancement.

Create an inclusive environment for all opinions to be heard.

Team members need to know that they can voice their opinions without the fear of being judged.

When a team promotes creativity and fosters innovation, employees are more inclined to develop new concepts and become more prone to growing a sense of loyalty to the company.

It is essential to respect the fact that people come from all walks of life and encounter different experiences that contribute to the expertise that they presently provide.

Optimize your collaboration tool and ensure you’re using the right one.

If you’re juggling multiple software apps to send out various documents, a direct message, or to video conference, it’s time to switch to a different platform.

Studies have shown that when you give individuals the proper tools to achieve outputs, they are more likely to succeed.

Microsoft Teams allows team members to share files, screen share, hold virtual meetings, and use all of your Office 365 apps within one ecosystem.

If you need to make phone calls through your business phone number, look no further. You can integrate SmartChoice’ award-winning business phone solution that allows you to incorporate your existing phone number to make calls from one platform.

Be frank with your expectations. But also practice sensitivity.

There is no doubt that these are challenging times. When the pressure is high, and goals need to be met, it is essential to remember that your teammates are humans and not robots.

Set expectations ahead of time and create a plan before implementing a process.

If a fellow employee is experiencing a life event that may be disrupting their workflow, reach out to them, and have a side conversation with him/her. Ask what you can do as a colleague to ease their workload and let them know that you are there to support them. A little support goes a long way, and you never know when you may need the same in the future.

SmartChoice is a technology company based out of New York City that provides an unsurpassable level of expertise and support with a unique portfolio of solutions, including UCAAS, collaboration services, dedicated contact center, managed security, infrastructure, and software and analytics. It has grown to become one of the largest Hosted PBX/SIP providers in North America and has won numerous awards for its advanced platform and proprietary network that delivers flexible, cost-effective services and facilitates enterprise-grade quality and reliability.

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