The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to embrace a business model that includes remote work for employees and contactless purchasing and customer service options to serve their clientele.
For many, the idea of a remote work or hybrid business model makes sense, allowing employees to be more collaborative and successful while lowering overhead costs such as real estate purchases or workspace rentals.
In fact, some companies such as Capital One, Aetna, and Adobe are making remote business work so well that they have created permanent work-from-home positions and plan on building a solid remotely located workforce in the years to come.
So, what elements must you consider when creating a strong remote business plan for your company?
Running a remote business successfully means creating the right atmosphere for connection, collaboration, and productivity.
Remote businesses are here to stay and fortunately, there is much technology available to support the creation — and proliferation — of these flexible work situations.
Let’s take a closer look at the basics of running a successful remote business.
The most important tool for the remote workplace is one that encourages safe, productive communication. Communication solutions such as interactive whiteboards, video cameras, and video conferencing tools can help employees stay connected with colleagues — and customers.
They can easily hold conferences, provide face-to-face customer service, or conduct remote interviews using simple, intuitive technology.
To ensure that all your employees have safe access to mission critical data regardless of geographical location, consider a document management solution and a cloud-based network.
A third-party managed services provider (MSP) can help design a secure infrastructure to assist you in keeping teams connected without sacrificing data security.
Now that you have tools in place, it is time to hire the right people to populate your remote business. Hiring workers for specific remote positions means the person you choose must be able to function with a minimal amount of oversight.
Look for candidates that are already tech-savvy and comfortable with the tools you have in place such as video conferencing, Skype, Zoom, project management software, or document management programs.
Conduct virtual interviews to see how they handle themselves on video and evaluate their communication skills during the interview and through emails or using other messaging tools.
Connection is more than just being able to video conference or setting up a workflow on Trello. It is also about building a corporate culture that encourages team building.
You can create interactive challenges for teams, hold digital brown-bag lunch-and-learns, or even host an online happy hour to allow your staff to form strong relationships and bonds that can encourage cooperation and collaboration.
Finally, make sure your teams have actionable goals to work toward. One simple way to do this is by setting a S.M.A.R.T. goal: That is, one which is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, and Relevant.
Alongside goals, you should have a deadline that aligns with your goals and your team’s abilities. And finally, be sure that your expectations are clear and communicated verbally and in writing.
As more companies turn to remote work or hybrid work situations to keep business running smoothly through the coronavirus crisis and beyond, there is an even greater need for cost-effective technologies to help remote teams stay connected with colleagues and customers alike.
At Edwards Business Systems (EBS), we not only have the tools you need to amplify productivity for your remote business, but we have industry professionals on staff to help you gain the connectivity you need while managing data security and compliance.
We offer communication solutions, video conferencing tools, document management solutions, and other technologies you need to work smarter in a remote environment.
And we provide ongoing assistance, management, troubleshooting, and maintenance through our managed network services to ensure your remote staff have the tools they need to succeed.
Help get your remote business off and running this year. Contact EBS today and discover how our wide range of technology tools and services can help you create a thriving remotely-based workplace for your staff and the clients you serve.