9 Tips for Effective Cooperation with Remote Team
Working with a remote team is not that easy. Every employer always worries about the efficiency of the work, thinking about the performance of each employee. When all the developers are in the office, you can see what they are doing, you can come and ask about the current stage of the project, etc. Due to the easier communication working with the local team seems to be more productive. However, this is not always the case. If the working process is properly organized, you can benefit from outsourcing tasks and outstaffing. Here are some tips on how to make work with remote team effective.
Take care of your team
The fact that these employees are not directly in your office does not mean that they are less important. These are the same employees of your company, as well as local. Try to treat the remote team so that they really feel like a part of your company. This will raise the collective spirit and will have a good impact both on the efficiency of the work process and on the results of the project.
Set comprehensible tasks
With remote collaboration, it is very important to clearly formulate the task and set your expectations. If the task is not explicitly articulated, then the specialist will have a lot of questions. After all, it is important for a good employee to get a quality result. Due to a not so simple communication with a remote form of cooperation, further clarification can take time, which could go on completing the task. Or the employee can complete the task without asking any questions, but the result may differ from your expectations. Therefore, remember the rule: the better the task is set, the more accurate and faster the result will be.
Develop a communication strategy
Think about how to organize communication between you and your staff so that it is as efficient as possible for working on a project. Outstaffing companies often provide a project manager. This specialist can build the right and effective communication between the client and his remote team. You should also decide about how often and which type of reports you want to receive. For example, a team may prepare a report on completed tasks and results at the end of the week. Or, if the project requires it, reports can be prepared for each individual task as soon as it is completed. It all depends on the needs of the project.
Organize meetings
Do not neglect online meetings. You can organize a meeting with the project manager to discuss all the details and plan the project development steps. It is also very important to organize a general conference with the whole team. In addition to the fact that at such meetings new ideas may arise while discussing, they also help employees become more involved in the project and better understand goals and objectives. Such meetings are good for planning the work week and for motivating employees.
Coach your team
People who are working remote often feel distant. Your task is to help your employees fully integrate with your company. Schedule the video-call that will gather all your team together and hold a kind of coach session. Describe the employees your company’s values, mission, and principles, explain what it means to be the part of your team. This step will help remote workers to feel themselves a part of something important and get more engaged in your project and its goals achievement.
Be engaged in the project
If you want good results, you need to be engaged in project development. The more you are engaged, the more things you can control and influence. Keep in touch with the project manager and at least key developers. Thus you will be fully informed about the current stage of the project development and can discuss all the changes and features you want to be included in advance. Then the result will meet your expectations. Besides, try to answer as quickly as possible when the questions are about development process because your word matters most and the working process will be just stopped without your confirmation (loss of time, money and progress).
Take advantage of technology benefits
Nowadays there are many technologies that make remote communication process fast and easy. The only thing you need is to choose the necessary software and benefit from it. We prepared the most convenient and effective ones for different types of remote workflow:

  • Video-call platforms: Skype, Zoom
  • Apps for chats: Slack, Telegram
  • Task management tools: Jira, Asana, YouTrack
  • Services for keeping information: Atlassian Confluence, Google Drive
  • Time tracking software: Time Doctor, Yaware.TimeTracker
Stay focused on core goals
Remember that your employees working remotely can sometimes provide your business with unique sets of knowledge and skills that the local labor market may not have. Instead of being extremely strict and daily trying to control their time and efficiency, just give them the freedom in the choice of methods and opportunities for performing the task. Evaluate the results of their work, and while they get in touch and work effectively, stay focused on core goals and don’t waste your time on managing every little step of project development. Constant checking and monitoring will only become a source of unwanted stress and reduce your remote team productivity.
Trust your team
And of course one of the most important tips on how to build an effective workflow with a remote team is to trust your team. All relationships are based on trust, and the working relations are not the exception. Once people became part of your team, you should believe that they are performing. If there is no trust, such cooperation may be stressful for both parties. You will feel risk and start to bother your employees all the time making them feel pressure. It may adversely affect efficiency and motivation. Let your employees know that you trust them and what they do, and you’ll see how your business can benefit from such a motivated and dedicated team.

Working with a remote team is very beneficial for business. However, management is not that easy. Remembering these key points of cooperation with remote employees will help to build proper communication and effective workflow. Besides, Outstaffing Inc provides with high-skilled and experienced project managers who will lead the project development from the start till its successful implementation.
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