Not so long ago, companies that depended upon remote workers or incorporated them into their organization faced numerous challenges. Today, business culture is shifting from individuals in field locations (typically sales executives or inspectors) being an exception to on-site employees. An increasing number of companies now allow – or even encourage – employees to work at home or other off-site locations.
But why is remote working on the rise, and what has made it possible?
The answers to these questions are simple.
Remote working offers several benefits to both employers and employees. Technological advancements – especially in the cloud computing vertical – have made it possible. With a work management system and customer relationship management (CRM) solution, employers can easily manage their remote workers and teams, both in terms of work management and data management. When you have technology in place, you can communicate and collaborate with your remote teams as if they were there with you in your office.
But before we get into how technology helps remote workers do their jobs, let us first learn the benefits of remote working.
The benefits of remote teams
Here are some of the major benefits of remote teams, according to Remote.com:
- Flexible working hours increases job satisfaction, with 46% of employees saying work-life balance is important to remain happy.
- Millennials prefer flexible working hours over a high salary. Many to stay with a flexible employer even if offered a higher-paying job.
- Most HR professionals and leaders agree that flexible work programs help increase employee satisfaction – with about 70% HR professionals who participated in a WorkplaceTrends survey indicating they use flexible working programs as a recruiting and retention incentive.
- Flexible working programs not only increases job satisfaction, but also boost productivity and have a positive influence on recruiting operations. Flexibility programs also enhance creativity, and it also makes employee management easier. Freedom and autonomy keep employees motivated, which helps improve their performance.
- Remote working is a cost-effective option. Employing telecommuting professionals can significantly reduce your overhead costs. Flexibility also reduces turnover substantially.
- Flexible work can help increase your revenues.
- Remote working can also help increase loyalty. Employees these days can turn down a promotion or quit a job due to a lack of flexible work options.
- Flexible work options help attract more talent and offer greater growth opportunities.
- Remote working also improves communication and collaboration. Remote employees tend to work harder to create a friendly and cooperative environment.
Communication is the key to success
When it comes to remote working, here are some best practices that can help you manage your distributed teams:
Establish a bond of friendship, trust and empathy with your remote team members – It helps make collaboration easier.
Pair them up – In the software development industry, pair programming is one of the best practices for improved productivity. When two individuals work together to develop a code, it is referred to as pair programming. It has been observed that pair programming not only improves productivity, but it also helps them make fewer mistakes and design better code. The benefits of pairing up are not only limited to the software industry, but it is also beneficial in other verticals.
Further, when people are paired up, they tend to communicate more effectively. They also tend to share problems and solutions instead of hiding things from each other. And, when this happens, it increases the information flow and team alignment. Since pairing up improves communication, employees begin to enjoy and trust each other. Provide a common purpose and recognize each person’s contribution.
Empower your team members – Let them work freely and don’t escalate matters so that they can concentrate on their work.
Encourage communication – You should ensure that there is frequent and regular communication within the team. You can improve communication within your team by integrating them into the team’s communication channels.
But the bottom line in managing remote teams is to ensure that all your customer issues are addressed in time.
Make sure your customer issues are addressed
You can use remote teams to provide 24/7 work. Your team can be on the job around the clock. It can significantly improve your customer service, technical support and sales function on a global level. When you have teams located in one country, you will have to close your office after usual office hours or hire a night shift to cater to the needs of your customers. But when you have a remote team elsewhere, your remote employees can handle customer queries when people in your country are off-duty.
What you need is a CRM system. A cloud-based CRM structure can simplify your job by allowing you to store all of your data in one central place. Everyone, regardless of their geographic location, can seamlessly access the same data. From customer and sales contacts to technical support, your team members – including your remote workers – can quickly address any issue.
If a cloud CRM solution is what you are looking for, we have you covered. You can start using eZnet CRM to solve your customer issues. It is cloud software for small businesses that helps you minimize your costs to improve your profit margins.
With eZnet CRM in place, you get a customized dashboard that streamlines your navigation. You also get real-time ticket modules so that you can diagnose and resolve the problem. Also, you get email integration and analytical reporting tools that help improve your team’s performance and decrease your overhead costs. Contact us to learn more and get started with a free 30-day trial to be confident that eZnet CRM is the right choice.
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