By Mike Economou
Do not do all the heavy lifting yourself! Ohiya Networks is here to help!
Is Your Remote Team Effective? How to Meet the Challenges of Remote Working
As business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, many of us experienced some level of chaotic responses in the last few months. The rush to acclimatize to a new system at such short notice sent many businesses into disarray. Remote teams and the systems to facilitate this were, of course, high on our list of priorities. And they still are for many.
Large and small companies are now forced to handle the myriad of demands of a telecommuting workforce. Without a template, many are still winging it. They have not been able to put in place systems that connect employees, and to their clients and customers.
Though we have been in the business of helping companies operate remotely, we never expected it to become the new norm.
For at least the next few months, most businesses will be operating in an element alien to their operations. None more so than B2C service companies that have a high front-facing operation with clients. So, we understand the stress that you are facing, especially to develop solutions for internal and external operational efficiencies. So, as you stay safe during this crisis, we want to share with you how to get your remote teams up to peak productivity. This comes from our years of experience in the industry and knowing that some of you are even now still working hard at implementing solutions for now and the future.
Remote work – the new normal?
Most of us are concerned about the economic-related consequences of the pandemic. We have businesses to sustain. The livelihoods of anywhere from 20 to 250 employees to consider. We are responsible for devising the solutions that will see us not only survive this period but thrive and a part of that planning is setting up our remote teams.
Yes, we can always have meetings over one of the many apps and software – new and entrenched – in the market. But the increased use has certainly highlighted some of the security flaws that went unnoticed for years. Teleconferencing software are being tested to their limits. They are enduring stress tests that will make or break them. As we have seen, a lot of our staple teleconferencing platforms have been left wanting with security breaches rampant.
So, these models cannot work for managing a team and handling client or customer work. This is important for what’s to come for the next few months.
What we can expect for the next 3-6 months
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is predicting a sharp contraction of the global economy of -3 percent for 2020. They anticipate a growth rate in the regions of 5.8 percent in 2021 as economic activity normalizes. They expect this quick recovery in 2021 should we get the pandemic under control by the latter part of 2020. So, that is all dependent on what happens with our containment efforts.
“Normal” could be 4-6 months from now. Thus, the important thing is to position yourself now for the long-term. Not to look for short-term stopgap measures and then revert to “normal.”
Businesses have evaluated the new normal, and many are realizing even more benefits for growing their business with remote teams. But for some, this is the opposite. The shift to remote work, which was handled haphazardly by many, spells trouble for some businesses. They did not put in the right processes to meet their needs. Having been forced to transition to a remote working environment, they are still scrambling to put in place the appropriate systems.
Companies like HVAC, heating, and plumbing businesses and insurance and mortgage companies are still struggling to engage remote offices that complement their operations and those of their clients.
Understanding the remote work paradigm
Systems are standard. But no two business operates the same. So, configuring your business model in a remote setting is key to ensuring that you operate from a point of efficiency and high productivity.
What works for internal operational purposes may not be ideal for outward-facing communication and interactions. We know this from having developed the ideal work-from-home formula long before the rush in this pandemic. We have set up a host of businesses to operate full or near full remote with the tools tailored to their operations and industry.
Implementing remote teams for the current and next phase
At Ohiya Networks, we have worked with many businesses to transition to remote teams. So, we know how difficult it can be for a lot of companies to switch as quickly as the pandemic warranted. In this period, we want to help you to ensure that you are choosing the right systems for your business.
You have too much at stake to take this lightly. Plus, you would not have budgeted for the type of infrastructure requirements of some of these solutions. But it is a new paradigm. And physical infrastructure expansion is not the only way to empower your team to work remotely.
Ohiya Networks is an online browser-based solution that is secure and effective.
If you want to discuss how to get your team organized for inward and outward-facing engagement, let us talk. Schedule a demo of our remote working solutions. We will be happy to walk you through the options available to you, even if it turns out that we have to recommend another solution because of your business model.
Let us help you put your business at an advantage, because we know how difficult it is to transition and maintain peak performance. So, schedule a demo.