Business Startups

Top 3 Ways to Boost Productivity in Virtual Teams

Flora Harvey

Being physically surrounded by people helps you excel in an office setting. You can approach a desk and check in or enquire with someone there. You can immediately gather the team to discuss any issues if they arise.

These same dynamics are ineffective with virtual staff. Scheduling something as simple as meetings may need efficient rostering software. Virtual meetings may need more than just PPTs. 

So, here are three practical techniques to increase virtual team productivity.

Emphasise on Communication

Effective communication is the foundation of successful cooperation, excellent ideation, and strong team engagement. It is vital for remote teams that depend on regular sharing to stay in tune and work more effectively together.

It would help if you struck an appropriate balance, though, since things can spiral out of hand. 

After all, excessive cross-channel communication may have the opposite impact on what you’re trying to achieve. Additionally, communicating for the sake of sharing can result in an information overload, harming performance and decision-making.

You can try the following:

  • Tools– Choose one corporate chat software that supports several conversation categories for various teams and objectives rather than using multiple business chat applications.
  • Parameters– Establish essential parameters, including communication frequency, channels, goals, and the appropriate times for each. Additionally, be sure you inform all team members of all rules and maintain track of everything.

Use the Right Tools

Instead of relying just on email chains and communications, the entire team must have a tool to discuss work and collaborate. 

The ability to monitor progress and manage workflow, given the temporal and geographic disparities, is one of the most significant issues faced by remote teams. 

To facilitate team coordination and collaboration, cloud-based project management tools are an excellent choice. Everyone can access everything organised adequately on a single portal to stay in touch with the entire team.

Consider thinking about rostering your team’s tasks using software that takes their leaves, engagements and workload into account. 

These tools can give you a comprehensive picture of how your staff uses their time. 

Use cloud contact centre technologies if you have a sales team to manage data like total calls made and average call duration while enabling your staff to conduct calls from a distance.

Build a Positive Work Culture

Sustaining a passion for the corporate culture and mission outside the typical workspace is one of the biggest obstacles to productive remote employment. As a result, it’s crucial to emphasise important cultural principles and ensure the team can adjust to them remotely.

You can engage the following:

  • Flexi Hours– Companies could establish flexible work schedules to support better individual work balance, which is a significant factor in increased productivity.
  • Perks– Offer significant rewards for physical and mental well-being to encourage employee happiness and, in turn, boost output.
  • Diversity and Inclusion– Create procedures and practices that uphold vital business principles to reawaken employee involvement and dedication to shared objectives.

These are the few primary ways you can build a positive culture for productivity. One can always analyse and improvise. 

To Summarise

Remote working and virtual teams are now snowballing, not only in Australia but across the globe. Running a company in Sydney with your employees in the U.S. can be easier if you focus on productive habits. 

Remember, as an HR manager or Founder; you do more than just rostering a busy schedule. Try creating a productive culture!

Now that you know the top three ways to boost productivity among virtual teams, use them. Analyse your team’s needs. Understand the gap and develop a plan using these strategies to fix it.