The spread of COVID-19 has brought about significant changes to our lives, including how we work. For the purpose of social distancing, many companies are making the switch to working from home. With so many virtual collaboration tools available on the market, creating a digital workflow has never been easier. However, some companies are struggling to adapt to the new context, especially with regard to the coordination of team members to optimize productivity. If you are looking to create a digital workflow during work from home, read on to find out how to best equip your remote team with these three important components: team, tools, and processes.
Remote Team Management
Managing virtual teams can be a challenging task since team members who are used to face-to-face discussions can no longer hold conversations from across their desks. Discussions will now have to be done online, even those issues which require an immediate response. How soon each issue comes a conclusion is subjected to how soon each team member reads and replies to their messages. As such, it is important to promote accountability and communication. While team members may not see each other in real life, teambuilding activities can still be done virtually to cultivate strong interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, remote teams have the best performance when they have a high level of individual ownership and trust. To build a culture of strong communication and transparency, companies should implement compulsory weekly and monthly updates within and across teams. You can also come up with a series of communication etiquette that works for the team.
Remote Working Tools
Employing the right tools that meet your company’s remote work needs is an essential step in creating a digital workflow. Besides the usual business tools, you will need tools that are designed to facilitate remote work:
- Communication tools (e.g., email client, chat, and video conferencing)
- Task management tools (e.g., project tracking and work allocation)
- Collaboration tools (e.g., document management solutions)
- Workflow automation tools (e.g., leave application and meeting scheduler)
Remote Working Processes
All companies have business processes in place, but with employees working from home, existing processes must be adapted to address the limitations of remote collaboration. With the help of effective communication between team members and digital workflow tools, you can adjust your business processes so that your company can operate smoothly in this trying period of COVID-19. Start by drawing a detailed roadmap of your existing workflows to identify any repetitive steps, bottleneck, or pain point. These are the points in your processes where you can work on to improve productivity.
If you need help creating an effective digital workflow for your company while your employees are working from home, you are at the right place. Ameritechnology provides a wide range of services and products that can be tailored to meet your unique virtual collaboration needs through our consulting arrangements. Contact us today to let us know how we can help you.
