How Can We Master Remote Communication?

What is Remote Communication?  

Remote communication allows the company to have employees from different locations and communicate with them and work together as a team. To make this as easy as possible, various tools can be used to solve even difficult tasks together as a team. Meetings and information can be shared over the internet and collaboration can be done online without employees being in the same office. 

Why Should Companies Support Remote Work? 

Remote work has become a trend in today’s world. Because new technologies have greatly simplified the processes, large and small companies can now use remote workers to be more successful and continue to grow. Through this type of work, companies get the chance to hire professionals from all over the world. Different employees can work on the same project from different locations.  

However, hiring remote workers requires the right strategy. Technologies need to be used and communication still needs to be kept simple and effective. If you have a good strategy in place, employees in different locations can work together as a team and contribute to the success of the company.  

Types of Remote Communication  

There are two types of remote communication:

1. Synchronous Communication
   • It is about all members of the team being online at the same time.
   • For example, this is true for Zoom or Video Calls, Virtual Meetings, or Microsoft Team Calls.
2. Asynchronous Communication
   • Not all members participate at the same time.
   • For example, working with project management apps, wikis, or Microsoft Team Chats.  

How Remote Teams Communicate  

Through various technologies, companies, no matter what size, can enable their employees to work remotely. And that has some advantages. However, communication also becomes more difficult as you have to consider time zones and language barriers.

3 Communication Tools for This:   

Advances in technology allow team members to stay connected via video chats or instant messaging. But which tools are these anyway?  

1. Microsoft Teams 
   • With Teams you can schedule appointments, exchange files, send messages and also hold video conferences. It’s a good idea to use it if you already use other Microsoft applications like Outlook or OneNote anyway. This makes collaboration easier. 
2. Slack  
   • The instant messaging tool provides the team with the ability to organize conversations and make communication as effective as possible. Information can be searched in the archive. In addition, file sharing enables optimal collaboration in real-time. 
3. Asana 
   • Asana is a cloud-based project management and the a task tool. It can be used to plan, organize and track tasks. It has all the features that are important for agile teams. For example, boards and timelines. It provides simple project and sprint plans. Asana lets you track progress by providing real-time status updates, reports, and more. Project plans, files, and feedback encourage team collaboration. You can also set goals and priorities for tasks.  

Check out our blog post 15 agile collaboration tools for remote teams for even more tools.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Remote Communication

Advantages 

1. Better Flexibility  
   • The tools allow teams to communicate and work flexibly across time zones. You don’t have to wait until someone is available to share important information 
2. Availability  
   • With remote communication, you don’t have to go through the hassle of finding a common place to meet. Participants can join the meeting on their laptops from any location. In addition, meetings can be recorded for those who could not attend the meeting.  
3. Easy to Stay Connected  
   • Staying connected with your teammates couldn’t be easier. If you want to ask a quick question or work together on a document, you can easily connect with co-workers or supervisors 

Disadvantages  

1. Always Stay in Touch  
   • If members don’t keep in touch through Daily Meetings or specific meetings, collaboration can drift apart and effectiveness and productivity can suffer.  
2. More Distractions  
   • If emails or messages keep coming in, it can hurt productivity when working remotely.  
3. Dependence on Technology  
   • With remote communication, a lot depends on functioning technology. If something is not working, it could interrupt communication for some time. 

Do’s and Do Not’s of Remote Communication

Do’s

• Consistent communication  
• Create a communication policy  
• Maintain contacts  
• Adapt new methods and strategies  

Do Not’s

• Don’t ignore employee opinions and criticisms  
• Don’t get stuck in one-way communication  
• Do not lose empathy