Member Article

Using technology to improve remote team performance

Communication is key. It is a phrase that remains true no matter what industry you work in but when it comes to customer service it is one that reigns above all others. So, with hybrid working here to stay, how can you utilise technology to keep everyone in contact?

Using digital platforms, and especially with the rise of cloud-based SaaS, keeping all your employees in one place is no longer necessary. Even without a global pandemic, a move towards working from home was already evident, spurred by an increasingly technological workplace.

Zoom and Google Workspaces have become commonplace, while more specialised services like the platform provided for contact centres by Playvox have helped bring the office home. All of which help to bring more communication between hybrid teams no matter where they are located.

Remote working and location-based services

If you create an efficient communication channel for remote employees, costs associated with your business can be cut and employees receive greater flexibility.

To begin with, seek to implement a range of communication channels, just as you do for customers. Video calls, phone calls, email, live chats all have their place for internal communication, particularly for global companies working across different time zones. Having each option helps keep all agents engaged and reachable.

Previously, these channels were not at the stage they are today which could have resulted in remote workers feeling isolated, lacking motivation or encouragement from managers.

Utilising technology in communications

What employees need does not change based on their working location. So, how should you use technology to keep agents working to their potential? Here are a few ideas:

• Keep in contact at all times - Just checking in on progress and offering help throughout the day can keep an employee motivated to drive forwards.
• Create a culture of togetherness - Using either group calls for remote workers or setting one-to-one time with each employee. Celebrate victories together, share rewards, and work to build a better workspace.
• Offer some leeway on wait times (internally) - For global companies not every employee will be working simultaneously. Determine which communication channel is best suited for their time zone and set limits on when replies should be expected.
• Use digital platforms to promote wellbeing - It can be easy to slouch on the couch all day working from home. Instead, use technology to promote a healthy work/life balance mentally and physically.
• Use communication tools to motivate and reward employees for great outcomes, allow peers to recognise each other and encourage virtual coffee breaks to meet others

Technology in business has come a long way since the days of floppy discs and dial-up internet. Today many employees across different industries could operate from home with relative ease and the non-stop development of new tech continues to change how we communicate with remote workers, making life easier for the employees, and more productive for the employers.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lee Cottle .