{"id":5725,"date":"2019-09-22T07:34:06","date_gmt":"2019-09-22T07:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.binfire.com\/blog\/?p=5725"},"modified":"2019-09-22T07:34:06","modified_gmt":"2019-09-22T07:34:06","slug":"make-collaboration-remote-teams-easier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.binfire.com\/blog\/make-collaboration-remote-teams-easier\/","title":{"rendered":"How to improve Remote Teams Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remote teams were seen as a fad some time ago but it\u2019s quickly becoming popular in businesses today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remote work is not only a trend in plucky startups and agile Silicon Valley businesses; the practice is picking up steam in enterprises and large organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to hire 3,000 remote workers<\/a> for its customer service department (it had just hired 5,000 back in 2017).<\/span><\/p>\n

GitHub\u2019s workforce is 60% remote<\/a> while some organizations take the extreme approach of going fully remote.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that remote teams will soon be an essential part of many businesses\u2019 operational strategy as organizations look to cut costs as efficiently as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Challenge of Collaboration in Remote Teams<\/span><\/h2>\n

Despite the glitz and glamour of remote teams, businesses face the challenge of ensuring their workers can actually <\/em>work and collaborate<\/strong> with each other efficiently.<\/span><\/p>\n

A study by Buffer concluded that 17% of remote workers cite collaboration as the biggest challenge<\/a> in their work-life, with 8% saying different time zones are a concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

Distance, varying time zones, and availability <\/strong>are just some of the factors businesses need to consider when managing remote teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, a product manager may need to discuss matters with a developer who is based in another continent. How can they find the right time to call with such a massive gap in time zones?<\/span><\/p>\n

Not solving these problems leads to poor collaboration<\/strong> which negatively affects work performance, leading to revenue and profit loss in organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, how can businesses improve productivity in remote teams by making collaboration easier and smoother?<\/span><\/p>\n

Make Use of Cloud-based Collaboration Tools<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the office, team members can knock on the doors or desks of their colleagues to discuss work-related issues\u2014the same cannot be said for remote teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Companies need<\/em> to leverage technology to improve the productivity of remote teams. <\/strong>Tools like Google Docs and Skype get the basics right but businesses need more than just basic applications.<\/span><\/p>\n

The easiest way to empower remote teams is to invest in a collaboration platform<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Collaboration platforms are designed to give employees the tools and processes they need to work with each other effectively, from providing communication channels to managing tasks between team members.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of relying on everything through piles of emails and unread Skype chats, collaboration software puts all work-related info in one place<\/strong> to make it easier for remote workers to keep track of their tasks and connect with their colleagues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Binfire\u2019s live chat and message board features allow remote team members to communicate with each other effectively in real-time<\/strong>, thus boosting collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also provide secure content management tools<\/a> for team members to access work files and documents easily<\/strong> when<\/em> they need them.<\/span><\/p>\n

When shopping for collaboration software, be sure to check if it\u2019s powered by the cloud.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloud-based software is ideal for remote teams<\/strong> as they can work anytime, anywhere and have their progress synced to the cloud for other employees to work on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from easing collaboration, cloud software provides security and transparency<\/a> \u2014 two things lacking in remote teams \u2014 to businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloud providers like Amazon spend a huge<\/em> chunk of their budget on security to ensure the data and operations of their customers are kept safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, businesses can be assured that cloud-based collaboration tools are more secure, suffer less downtime, and costs them less money<\/strong>, all while improving collaboration in remote teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Establish a Communication Standard<\/span><\/h2>\n

A common problem in remote teams is having little to no idea of how team members should communicate with one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without a well-defined communication standard<\/strong>, they will never be able to collaborate effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine being a project manager in a team where every member has different preferences as to how he or she would like to communicate \u2014 it would be a nightmare to manage!<\/span><\/p>\n

At the minimum, remote teams should ask themselves these questions:<\/span><\/p>\n