Thanks to a boom in cloud technology, working remotely has never been easier and more possible.
Stats from our business communication report show that up to 38% of companies rely on team members who work remotely — and that was before all the coronavirus work-at-home initiatives kicked in.
Now, remote working will only grow in popularity as companies finally see the positives in this flexible work style. As surveys reveal, working remotely benefits both employees and employers alike.
So, we counted 17 remote work best practices every company should follow to benefit from virtual working environments.

17 Best practices for working remotely from home

• Communicate as much as possible with team members
• Check in regularly
• Find a good coffee shop or coworking space
• Create a good work environment in your home
• Keep normal work hours
• Get as much face time with coworkers as possible
• Choose a fast home Wi-Fi internet connection
• Invest in a good pair of headphones
• Establish a solid morning routine
• Ensure you have clear roles and responsibilities
• Be mindful of different time zones
• Use video calls, video conferencing, and collaboration tools
• Make time for team bonding and rapport building
• Be accountable and keep others accountable
• Ensure remote workers and team members feels included
• Mind your appearance on conference calls and video calls
• Follow a clear project management strategy

1) Communicate as much as possible with team members

Whether you’re in-person or working remotely, communication is crucial to running your business.
Without strong communication channels, simple breakdowns can quickly spiral into costly mistakes, which no one wants.
Keeping your team in constant communication as a whole ensures that nothing falls through the cracks or gets missed.
Fortunately, technology makes this task one of the easiest to keep up with.
Project managers can keep in touch with staff no matter their time zone or zip code. Nextiva’s cloud phone system makes this easy! Video conferencing, voice, chat, task management—Nextiva has it all.

However, as you’ll learn next, it also pays to strike the right balance here.
Constantly checking in can actually make it harder to get the job done.
That’s why it’s essential to establish how often you’ll communicate and how you plan to connect.
Read more: Working Remotely? Here’s How to Empower Your Team With Nextiva

2) Check in regularly 

Regular check-ins are great for establishing routines and ensuring that everyone knows what to expect.
This gives people enough notice to prepare valuable insight ahead of time, so they’re not caught off guard and scrambling before the meeting.
It’s also an ideal way to get project updates before deadlines are missed, or obstacles snowball into huge hiccups.
To put this into practice, create a consistent check-in schedule for the work day, week, or project.
This could be starting your Mondays with an early morning meeting so everyone is on the same page with what takes priority for the week and what they should be working on.
A few days later, let’s say on Wednesday, you can do a mid-week check-in to give everyone a chance to present their updates. Are they running on schedule, or did an unforeseeable event sideline them?
By getting this information early on, you can prepare for it and tackle the issue before it delays your projects.
Finally, towards the end of the week, you can meet once again to see if everyone was able to accomplish what was set forth at the beginning of the week.
If it wasn’t, you can make the necessary adjustments before the project veers too far off schedule.

3) Find a good coffee shop or coworking space

Successful remote workers also establish stable working spaces, even if these change throughout the week.
So they may set up shop at a home office most of the time. But they might leave Fridays open, for example, to work from a coffee shop or the library.
Some remote team members also choose to find coworking spaces in their neighborhoods. At these shared offices, freelancers and remote employees pay a monthly or per-use premium for desk space, internet access, and other amenities.
These spaces provide the steadiness of having a place to “work” and a community atmosphere that makes remote jobs less isolating. People get to mingle and network with an influx of different people using the space, which may also keep creativity levels high.
For the most part, it doesn’t matter where you work as a remote team. What matters is that you’re able to post up in that space, concentrate, and get the work done.
And successful remote teams know how to do that.
Still, others find that the best place to work remotely is actually right in their own home.

4) Create a good work environment in your home

Coffee shops and co-working spaces are excellent places for working outside of the house. However, many remote workers find they’re loaded with distractions, most of which you can’t plan for.
So while they work well on occasion, it’s often better to carve out a permanent workspace in your home, one that you can optimize for productivity.
Even if you don’t have the room for a dedicated office space, you can still create a pleasant work environment that helps you become more productive.
For example, you can move your office to a quiet part of your house, preferably away from the kitchen or your main TV area. This may help you avoid temptations like all-day snacking and browsing the latest episodes.
On top of that, having a dedicated desk, as opposed to your kitchen table, allows you to keep your workspace free of clutter, so when you sit down to work, you can do so ASAP.
Try to position your office views so you can look out the window. This will give your eyes a much-needed break from your screen.
Lastly, if you find that your home office is on the loud side, you can invest in high-quality headphones to help drown out the noise — more on this later.

5) Keep normal work hours

Successful remote teams hold regular working hours, even if these are slightly adjusted to fit each person’s time zone.
For best results, try to have at least some of the work hours overlap with a majority of the team. This helps all parties involved easily stay within reach.
Rather than someone reaching out and waiting to hear back the next day, your team can get a hold of each other in real-time whenever possible.
Having a consistent schedule also ensures that everyone knows when they can reach each other. Everyone will know when someone is available and when they plan to be offline.
These steps are fantastic for ensuring there are no lags in communication and that everyone is available to get in touch. This simple step will save a lot of communication headaches.
When you establish regular remote business hours and add them to your remote work policy, it also helps your team set firm work-life boundaries.

6) Get as much face time with coworkers as possible

On top of having a consistent schedule, it’s also a good idea to weave in face-to-face communications as well.
This brings the human connection into remote work, and it also helps to put a face to the name, so to speak.
So instead of seeing coworkers as just a name and static image, they can actually get to know the real person behind the screen.
Doing this also makes the job feel less isolating, and more like everyone is part of a bigger team, which goes a long way when it comes to working remotely.
When you decide to do your daily or weekly check-ins, consider making them face-to-face virtual ones. Then watch as your team comes together as a whole and gets to know each other.
You may find that not all of your employees can do this every time, but it’s worth it even for the few times it does happen.
Read more: Telecommuting Technology: The Essential Toolkit for Remote Work

7) Get a fast home Wi-Fi internet connection

Having a reliable internet connection is definitely the first step when it comes to working remotely, but it isn’t the only one.
Speed should also be considered to ensure there aren’t any frustrating lags as you try to send large files or video chat with your team members.
There’s nothing more bothersome than having to wait for your remote workers to catch up. So having a fast WiFi connection ensures you don’t have to waste time waiting around.
This is another reason why many remote workers choose to work at home rather than at the coffee shop or co-working space. They can control the internet speed and don’t have to worry about ten other people hogging the bandwidth.
Have your team invest in a high-quality modem and an internet provider that allows for the fastest speeds possible. Then you won’t have to worry about internet delays dragging your business down.
Read more: What is Wi-Fi Calling & How Does It Affect Your Phone Calls?

8) Invest in a good pair of headphones

As mentioned at the end of the fourth working remotely best practice, headphones are an essential tool for remote workers.
Whether at home or in a busy cafe, headsets can make all the difference in how focused and productive you are during work.
Not only can they help your team zone into what they’re working on, but they’re also ideal for tuning out all of the noisy distractions surrounding them.
Headphones are also perfect for communicating on video chats since they make it much easier to hear what’s going on during the call.
However, one thing to note with headphones is that they work well for the person on the call, but they do not help tune out the background noise for everyone else.
For example, if your remote workers use them at a busy coffee shop, they may be able to drown out the background noise for themselves, but their mic will still pick it up for your team on the other end.
It’s important to let your team know this so they don’t unknowingly make the call louder and more distracting by holding it in a busy location.

9) Establish a solid morning routine

The best remote workers stick to a regular work schedule and follow a morning routine similar to what they use to follow when working in an office.
While they get to trade in the commute for a workout or time with the kids, they still make it a point to get up, get dressed, and start their days on-schedule.
They don’t waste their mornings in their pajamas browsing Google news stories or watching TV.
So encourage your team members to establish a solid morning routine, and you’ll find that their productivity goes way up.
Nudge your team members into spending their mornings on tasks that will help improve their day, such as working out, meditating, or journaling.
Doing these activities at the start of the day creates positive momentum that’s carried throughout. An early morning habit also ensures that these health-promoting activities aren’t pushed aside after a long and exhausting day.
You can also mention that the sooner they get their work done, the more personal time they can weave into their schedule.

10) Ensure you have clear roles and responsibilities

Typically with in-house team members, everyone knows — or at least should know — what to work on and who’s responsible for what.
This same advice should carry over to your remote team members as well. We’d argue that it’s even more important. Managing a virtual team isn’t hard when you have unambiguous roles and responsibilities.
That’s because this crucial step ensures that everyone knows what they’re responsible for, and they can be held accountable for it.
Without clear roles and responsibilities, items tend to slip through the cracks, and the answer as to why that happened is, “I didn’t realize that was my responsibility.”
Avoid getting to that point and dropping the ball by spelling out these roles and responsibilities in your weekly check-ins. You’ll have fewer surprises and missed tasks later on.
Be sure to encourage your team to ask questions at this point to clear up any confusion.

11) Be mindful of different time zones

In addition to setting regular hours, it’s also crucial that your team understands that everyone’s time zones may be different.
If someone is 12 hours ahead, for example, they could be sleeping when you send your message. And if you don’t pay close attention to this and bombard them with more than one message, you could unknowingly disturb them.
While you could set Do Not Disturb features, it’s smart to give your team an idea of everyone’s time differences and the schedule that they work.
This gives you a better chance of catching them while they’re working instead of sleeping.
It also helps to give you an advantage. If someone works ahead of your time zone, you can give them work earlier, and it will be done before you even check-in the next morning.
Having your team’s time zones and the schedule that they work handy and visible ensures that your team can work cohesively during regular work hours, whatever those look like.

12) Use video calls and collaboration tools

There are a few tools you can use to help your team stay in touch. Instead of only communicating through impersonal phone calls, you can switch to video conferencing where people can actually see each other.
The Nextiva app, for example, lets you:

1. Make and receive calls
2. Have a built-in directory of contacts
3. Instant message and chat
4. See team members’ statuses
5. Create a virtual meeting room in an instant
6. Set up audio and video conferencing
7. Share and store files
8. Manage tasks and calendars

Read more: Remote Office Phone Systems: Features, Costs, and Benefits

13) Make time for team bonding and rapport building

So far, we’ve talked a lot about how to get work done remotely, but that’s not the only thing that should be on your mind.
While it will make up the majority of your team’s time, it’s also a good idea to weave in some personal time where everyone can get to know each other.
This helps to foster a solid company culture, and it creates that team bonding experience that’s often hard to do when everyone works out of the office.
Spending just 5-10 minutes per day catching up is enough to build a bond and a team that lasts longer than most do in-person.
Try to hold short meetings (between 10-15 minutes long) where your teammates touch base with each other. Regularly schedule these face-to-face meetings so people can really get to know each other and discuss situations on a deeper level.
Maybe once a month or so, try to get the whole team together for a bonding experience — such as joining a virtual escape room. These allow everyone to tackle a non-work related activity — and have fun — as a group.

14) Be accountable and keep others accountable

In tip number 10, we talked about having clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Besides keeping everyone organized on their tasks, it also creates accountability.
So let’s talk about how to do that.
Using your project management software, make sure you “assign” tasks to each person so there are no gray areas as to who is working on what.
You should do this in two ways:

1. Add that person to the task card
2. Send them a direct message (usually @theirname) on the card via a comment

This gives people two ways to receive the update. It also helps to clearly delineate who is responsible for what.
On your end, make sure you upload everything your team needs to succeed on this card. This is how you’ll be held accountable to them.
So before you assign a task, double-check that you’ve given them all of the information they need to get started and succeed.
If you don’t have everything they need just yet, make sure you give them an exact date as to when they can expect it, so they’re not stuck in limbo. If you can’t get this information by that date, let them know ahead of time so it doesn’t continue to slow them down.

15) Ensure remote workers and team members feel included

Another challenge with working remotely is that it can be a bit harder to make sure everyone feels included.
While everyone’s busy working on separate tasks at their own work stations miles apart from each other, it’s up to you to foster team spirit.
Encouragement and praise make a world of difference here.
So when you’re checking-in, scan your virtual chats and your directory to make sure you’re touching base with everyone on an even rotation. Don’t forget to also dole out even amounts of praise and recognition.
Just start at the top of your directory and work your way down. This is a simple way to make your rounds and ensure you haven’t forgotten about your less active employees.
After a few weeks, this will become routine and second nature. You won’t have any trouble including everyone — just give it some time and use this plan to get there.

16) Mind your appearance on conference calls

As the headline suggests, you should always treat your video calls and conference calls like you would an in-person meeting.
Don’t show up to a video call with disheveled hair and Cheetos dust on your face. Toss that slouchy sweatshirt that could pass for pajamas, and put some effort into your appearance.
This sets the tone for the rest of your team. It shows you’re treating remote work as a real business, not an after-school side gig.
It’s also a good idea to set this as a policy for your business. This way, everyone adheres to this rule and maintains a professional appearance when on calls.
While you may not be seeing clients on these calls, it still sets a professional tone you want your team to abide by, regardless of whether they’re casually working from home.
But this all starts with you and means you should lead the charge.
You may also want to let your team know that the background of their video calls should be kept neat and tidy, otherwise it could pose as a distraction.
If there’s a stack of dirty laundry in the background that’s about to topple over, you may find your team stares more at that than listens. Keep your background just as professional and well-groomed as your appearance, and you’ll be in good shape.
It’s usually best to post up in front of a plain wall instead of a window with high traffic or another distracting background.
Your choice in attire depends greatly on your industry and role. For instance, if you’re a legal professional, you will want to check out the advice found in this comprehensive guide for lawyers to work remotely from Clio.

17) Follow a clear project management strategy

And finally, just like you would with running your business in-person, your remote team needs to be able to follow a clear plan when it comes to the projects they’re working on.
A disorganized mess is a surefire way for the ball to be dropped and frustrations to arise.
Instead of getting to that point, use those project management tools we talked about earlier and make sure everyone on your team knows how to use them.
Your team should be able to jump right into those and know what’s going on and what needs to be done.
If you’re implementing new software, spend time at your next check-in explaining this new procedure and how everyone can use it.
Then, make sure to follow up in another meeting to guarantee everyone still understands how to use the software properly.
This simple plan will go a long way for keeping your projects running smoothly. It can also lead to less stress on your team, your business, and yourself.
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Remote teams are no longer a luxury. A virtual workforce is becoming the new normal, and adapting is essential if you want to hire the best people, build resilience, and grow your company.
Numbers confirm that remote teams are here to stay. Your future hires are expecting it. According to a survey conducted by Regus, nearly eight out of ten people would turn down a job that didn’t offer flexible working.
Businesses around the world are already moving to a remote office phone system, but there are more steps to scale your remote team.
But if you haven’t adapted to it yet, remote work is probably not just confusing, but intimidating. Perhaps you have questions such as:

• How will our teams communicate? On which channels?
• Will the work get done, and will we hit our goals?
• How will we maintain close relationships with each other?

These are normal questions to think about. If this is uncharted territory for you, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the pros and cons of telework, as well as the strategies and tools to help you succeed as a remote team.

• The Pros of Remote Teams
• The Cons of Remote Teams
• Best Practices for Remote Teams
• Top Tools for Remote Teams

The Pros of Remote teams

In the State of Remote Work Report, Owl Labs published the leading reasons why workers work remotely.

• Better work-life balance (91%)
• Increased productivity/better focus (79%)
• Less stress (78%)
• Avoiding a commute (78%)

These reasons are no surprise—let’s explore some of the main benefits of remote teams.

Reduce Company Expenses

If there’s one benefit of remote teams you can instantly measure and confirm, you’ll find it in your balance sheet.

Here are just some of the upfront savings:

• Office space (rent, utilities, parking spaces, and more)
• Relocation packages
• On-site catering

There are some less obvious but equally significant financial advantages. For example, you’ll reduce the time to onboard new team members because their virtual “office” is immediately ready. As a result, they’ll be able to contribute to your productivity, bottom line, and return on investment sooner.

Ultimately, with remote teams, you can hire the right people at the right time without the fear of extra expenses you can’t handle

Save Time on Commuting

On average, employees commute for 27 minutes to work each way. Going remote gives them more than 4.5 hours back every week.
Instead of commuting, remote teams can spend this extra time on themselves and their family. They can replace worrying about traffic, bus schedules, and weather by doing what they need to to feel present and ready by the time they start working.

Experiment with Coworking

With fewer face-to-face interactions, remote teams often explore joining a coworking space. This option gives them access to other remote workers and creates a sense of routine and belonging.
Coworking spaces also offer benefits such as food and coffee, events, discounts for local businesses, and other members-only perks.
All of this is a considerable advantage for remote teams because they get to:

• Collaborate with other remote teams, both inside and outside their field of expertise
• Attend in-person training sessions
• Participate in meetups and other community events

Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, many coworking spaces are operating virtually to support hard-working entrepreneurs.

Lower Employee Expenses

By staying home, each member of a remote team can save upwards of $100 (and in some cities, significantly more than that!).

Just some examples of savings a worker can experience by going remote:

• Fuel
• Vehicle maintenance
• Parking fees
• Auto insurance
• Public transit
• Fast food

Remote working also gives the flexibility to choose childcare or school options that are closer or more cost-friendly.

With a cloud phone system, employees don’t need to make business calls on their cell phones. Simply put, remote work saves everyone a little extra.

Increased Flexibility

Personal autonomy is a big one. According to research by Buffer, maintaining a flexible schedule is the most substantial benefit of remote teams.
Flexibility means your remote team members can adjust their schedules when necessary. Flex-hours empower staff to tend to urgent matters.

• Family emergencies
• Medical and other personal appointments
• Travel

Many of these events require taking annual leave or sick days without remote work. With remote work, the important thing is no longer the number of hours you’ve clocked in but whether or not the work got done.
In other words, your remote employees can organize their life in a way that suits them—so make it possible for them. It doesn’t mean you have to forgo the office. It means you can give your employees the option to work in the office or work from home.

Supercharging Focus

As we mentioned earlier, increased productivity and better focus are among the leading reasons people decide to work remotely.
Many managers share a genuine concern about whether their team will get the work done. However, managers of remote employees that received additional training were 15% less likely to be as anxious about their team’s performance.
With the right communication guidelines in place (which we cover below), your team can switch off distractions to get the most critical work done faster.
Related: Top Pitfalls & Best Practices of Virtual Team Communication

Achieving Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance simply means separating work from the rest of your life; remote work can help your team achieve it.
Respondents of the Owl Labs study agree that the ability to work remotely would make them happier, able to manage work-life conflicts, and more loyal to their employer.
On top of that, full-time remote workers said they’re happy in their job 22% more than people who never work remotely—and happiness is linked with higher productivity, which makes this a win-win situation.
Despite these advancements, unplugging after work is remote workers’ biggest struggle, according to the Buffer study.
The good news is that there’s a simple but powerful strategy to reduce this. It’s called a shutdown ritual, coined by Cal Newport over a decade ago. It’s as simple as going through a predefined checklist to wrap up the day.
Helping your remote employees unplug will reduce their stress and make them see you care about their well-being.

The Cons of Remote Teams

The truth is that remote work is confusing and intimidating because so much about it is different than typical office-based work. If this is your first time working remotely, that feeling is more than expected.
Think about it this way: some of the most effective teams and fastest-growing, profitable companies are remote.
But their success doesn’t mean they haven’t experienced these downsides—so let’s talk about them.

Lack of Access

Personal communication becomes less natural and more of an effort without an office. When people are in the same room, it’s easier to work out an issue that comes up or chat about a creative idea.
In-person conversations make deciphering body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions easier. It’s something we do subconsciously. This can make ideas move faster, and achieving this with a distributed team is harder.
Luckily, this is a downside you can conquer with the right approach to check-ins, communication, and feedback, which we’ll cover in an upcoming section.

Onboarding Hurdles

Lack of Routines

Offices are made up of routines. Most office spaces open at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. There are also routines around scheduling and holding meetings, reviewing projects, and planning for upcoming weeks.
Distributed teams operate differently—sometimes because they can and often because they have to. Why? Talent exists across different time zones, and they maximize their performance at different intervals based on their habits.
Flexibility is the benefit, but the lack of standard routines is a downside. Open communication and setting expectations are key to avoiding surprises later.

Less Secure

Login details, financial statements, internal product information, and other sensitive information can become vulnerable in a remote environment.
Why? Because with an office usually comes a protected, well-built internal infrastructure and network. On the other hand, remote work can sometimes involve unsecured networks (think airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi) and expose information to risk.
Using secure connections and password manager tools (like 1Password or Bitwarden) can greatly improve this scenario.

Limited Team Building

Office-centric companies have the benefit of scheduling team activities regularly and in many ways. They can get the entire company to take a half-day for fun games and activities offsite or encourage volunteer work.
If a remote company wants to do the same, they have to be more intentional about it and plan further ahead. Although it probably can’t be as frequent, it’s still possible and highly recommended.
Operating your company entirely remotely can become your strategic advantage. Industry leaders like Zapier and Pagely are pioneers in building remote teams.
The money you saved by not renting an expensive office year-round will be well worth investing in company retreats!

The Need For Training

To stay ahead of the pack, regular training and upskilling your team is crucial. Office-based teams can dedicate their time to learning together. For example, they can:

Tap into an outside expert in the company

Attend third-party training workshops

Conduct internal learning days where they share discoveries

The remote version of this would be a live online workshop, but if your team reaps the benefit of flexible working, you may struggle to get everyone online at the same time for hours on end.
As a company leader, it’s your job to equip your team with tools to grow their personal and professional skills. A small business phone system for your remote team could be the missing link to drive better performance and communication.

Less Visibility

Staying out of the loop is another disadvantage of remote teams. Without physical meetings, your remote team might feel they don’t have enough visibility into everything that’s going on.
They also may feel that their work isn’t visible enough and potentially fear they won’t grow in their role because of it.
Intentional project management is what will help with this. Establishing processes for remote teams is critical, which is what we’ll cover next.

Best Practices for Remote Teams

Great processes power every great workforce. They urge people to hit their goals, plan their weeks, and understand what each person should work on.
In physical offices, these processes happen organically because they’re part of everyone’s habits. But for global teams, these procedures need to be well-defined and thoroughly documented.
Crystal-clear processes help build up those same habits despite not having a team in the same office. It’s especially useful when hiring new team members as it enables them to get up to speed quicker.

Check-Ins

Regular and frequent check-ins have many benefits. They bring all of your team’s progress and needs to a central place. They make it easy to track the big-picture progress of the company.
And most importantly, they reduce the need for status meetings, ultimately saving hours each week across the company.
What does a check-in look like?
A check-in is a short status report stored in a place like a project tracking tool or a running document. Check-ins can happen over a shared document, expressed over the phone, in a team meeting.
How often should you check in with your team? Here are a few ideas:

Daily check-ins: What did you work on today?

Weekly check-ins: What will you work on this week? What was your biggest learning last week?

Monthly check-ins: What are your key milestones for this month?

Work with your team on developing daily and weekly check-ins (at minimum) that will encourage progress reporting. As a result, every team member will have a chance to catch up on everything happening in the company in their own time.

Communication

Emails, Slack messages, phone calls, video chats, text messages—with this many communication channels, it’s easy to lose track of information, changes, and decisions.
Before you start creating them, keep in mind that remote work calls for asynchronous communication (i.e., not in real-time). If you want your team to be focused, happy, and in control, that’s a non-negotiable.
To create your communication guidelines, answer these questions:

Which channels should be used for ad hoc conversations?

Which channels are best for regular meetings? (For example, weekly team meetings)

How does the business handle emergencies?

Which meetings would benefit most from video conferencing? (For example, more complex or sensitive discussions, as they’re more personal and allow for body language and facial cues)

Which types of written messages work better as instant messages, and which as emails?

What is the best meeting agenda structure (to ensure everyone comes to meetings prepared)?

Make sure to address any communication needs specific to your industry and products, too. Make these guidelines easy to read and scan, and always available to all team members.

Feedback

One-on-one meetings are a part of every great team. Remote teams are no different.
As a team lead, you get a chance to check in with everyone and see if there’s anything they need extra support with. You get to give them kudos for any goals and milestones they’ve recently hit.
It also gives you the space to share valuable, actionable feedback about the work each person has done since your last 1:1 meeting.
Finally, you get to keep your team members engaged because they’ll know you care.
The frequency will depend on your team’s size. Aim to make your 1:1 meetings weekly. Video calls are ideal for this.

Related: Asynchronous Communication: How To Get More Done & Avoid Burnout

Project Management

Project management can be as simple or as elaborate to fit the nature of your company.
If you don’t have any strong project management framework in place, we recommend you start simple.
Managing projects isn’t always easy. Here are our top recommendations:

Define company goals and objectives for the next 1-2 years

Outline the key milestones and KPIs to support your goals.

Add projects with realistic deadlines, potentially following a SMART model.

Narrow down specific tasks and delegate them to your remote team.

Celebrate successes as your team achieves goals.

With these best practices in mind, you and the rest of the team will have the confidence to prioritize and crush your goals.

Technology Adoption

Every week, there seems to be a new tool to improve your workflow. While it’s tempting to always look for a better version of what you’re already using, don’t let it distract you from your work.
Jumping from tool to tool will also make your processes hard to follow.
Instead of doing that, analyze your tech tools about once per quarter. When that reminder comes, gather feedback from your team on the tools you’re currently using and evaluate some other options with similar features on the market.
If you decide to adopt a new enterprise communications tool, ensure it isn’t just because of a lower cost. Ideally, it will also deliver greater efficiency and more satisfying user experiences.

Top Tools for Remote Teams

To empower your remote team, you need to give them the right tools.
You also need to make sure it’s clear and easy to understand which tools should be used for each process.
If you don’t, you might end up with three different tools for file sharing, two for video calls, and so on.
Here are some of our top suggestions—they’ll make remote working a breeze!

DocuSign

DocuSign has revolutionized the way contracts are signed in our lifetime. You won’t find paperwork handling on anyone’s list of favorite tasks. But it needs to get done.
When you’re working remotely, this can feel not only intimidating but tedious—printing, signing, scanning, and sending a PDF back is certainly not the best way for you to spend your time.
Whether it’s onboarding a new hire or getting a new vendor, a tool like DocuSign makes this process a breeze. Creating a document takes minutes, and signing just a few seconds. You can get it done and move to much more important work.

Google Workspace

G Suite is our go-to recommendation not just for email but for building a collective brain of your remote company. In addition to its familiar email product, Google Docs is a staple of today’s modern businesses.
They are also quite generous with a hefty Google Drive environment so that each team member can reach the one they need with a simple search.

Loom

Loom is every remote team’s dream. It’s like internal documentation or written how-tos on steroids.
Why? Because you can use Loom to record your screen while you explain what you’re demonstrating. Onboarding videos, quick troubleshooting, and hands-on team support are just a few remote work use cases for Loom.

Nextiva

Nextiva lets your entire team work anywhere. Hosted in the cloud, the company’s phone and messaging services will provide the reliability and scale every company needs.
Individual members of your team can make and receive calls from their smartphones or computer. Instead of their personal phone, it all happens through an official business phone number. When they have quick questions, the internal chat and collaboration tools are super convenient.

Companies of all sizes can succeed at working remotely with Nextiva. We’re biased, but it’s true.

Slack

Slack has emerged as a popular team chat solution. It challenged the way businesses use written communication. And for many remote companies, it represents a virtual office.
It’s where conversations happen, both work-related and casual ones.
Just like with any other communication tool, be sure to define some guidelines with the best and most efficient ways to use Slack.

Trello

Trello will help you with your project management process. With its Kanban-style design, you can track pretty much any progress—what needs to get done, by when, who’s in charge, and what’s the priority.
If you decide to have public Trello boards that are specific to teams and projects, you’ll create an extra layer of transparency and trust with your team.

Workday

Workday is an enterprise resource planning tool that will help you run your company from a payroll, finance, and human management perspective.
With it, you can run financial reports to analyze your revenue and expenses, plan for future hiring, keep track of employee benefits, and much more. And because it’s cloud-based, you can access any data you need from any device or browser.

Zoom

Zoom has earned a reputation as one of the easiest video conference tools, especially in higher education.
It will help you fuel many of the processes and best practices we’ve covered in this guide, including recurring meetings. One of its strengths is its cross-platform compatibility, including Linux so that everyone can stay connected.
Related: Telecommuting Technology: The Essential Toolkit for Remote Work

The Bottom Line for Remote Teams

By now, you know that taking the remote work direction can pay off in many ways. A happy workforce and solid processes in place will result in lower expenses, better focus, clear goals, and an even clearer way to achieve them.
You also know that having a productive and satisfied remote team doesn’t come easy. It comes as a result of the right processes, tools, and strong company culture.
You might not have banter around the water cooler, but you can connect with peers through group chats and relaxed chit-chat at the end of the day.
The best, most successful remote teams are built on cultures of trust and autonomy. As remote work becomes more pervasive, it will soon become the new normal for many more employers.
Want to learn more about how to take your business communication to the next level? Check out the latest communication stats we recently published.