Virtual workplaces have become the norm, which comes as no surprise. It has always been possible to work from home. In fact, in recent years, working remotely with a virtual office has shown to be quite advantageous to businesses. Companies and their employees both benefit from having remote personnel. Employees now do not have to travel long distances to and from the office. This saves their time and energy, hence increasing their productivity. For employers, it is good as it saves them from overhead costs of hiring a physical office and gets them access to a worldwide talent pool. But are the ways such remote working through a virtual office could be managed?

Following are some of the key ways to connect with the remotely working employees and run a virtual office efficiently:

Constructing a System for Tracking and Accomplishing Goals

Setting standards for working and completing tasks should be the initial step. Work systems should be flexible enough to allow individuals to execute jobs to their best abilities. To keep track of job progress, there should be to-do lists, project schedules, and repeatable work procedures. The team will be able to accomplish more in this manner.

Following a Standard Schedule

Running a virtual office requires maintaining a consistent meeting and working schedule. It provides your staff with the framework of working from home and establishes a regular delivery schedule. A good routine helps teams feel at ease working from home. This avoids confusion and puts the team at ease. Through video calls, an interactive and real work environment can be created like that in a physical office.

Effective Communication System

There are a variety of ways for remote teams to communicate. A video call is just a click away in our modern society. People can now connect from anywhere and at any time. We have the option to connect whether we are a few kilometers away from the workplace or on a conference call overseas.

Increasing the Frequency of Communicating

Communication is the most crucial aspect of leading virtual teams. A remote team may feel isolated and out of the loop due to a lack of communication. Virtual teams have fewer opportunities for communication, and chat communications are more likely to be misread than face-to-face interactions. The team will feel more included if you keep a consistent communication cadence. Make a video call with someone. This will enrich the discourse and give the visual clues required to ensure that the message is remembered, reducing any confusion.

Putting Microsoft to Work!

Microsoft apps can significantly aid in the management of a distributed workforce. For example, Microsoft Teams, a communication and collaboration tool, can be used to synchronize workplace video meetings, messaging, application integration, and file storage. Teams is already available to the majority of Microsoft Office users. That means businesses already have access to video conferencing software. People are hesitant to give continual updates since their inboxes are overflowing. You won't have to deal with overcrowded inboxes with Teams. People are more likely to provide information if it is available on a need-to-know basis.

Using the Traditional Method—the Emails

It's no surprise that email is still a viable option for staying in touch with coworkers and controlling how they do their jobs. Despite the fact that email appears to be a dated method of communication, it is still a viable alternative for keeping in touch with your team. Emails can be sent to a group of people at the same time, and they can also be replied to as a group message. Email messaging's only drawback is that it appears to be slower than these other systems. Use email contact if you're comfortable with it during this time.

Phone Calls? Yes!

During this time of remote working, phone calls are always a viable option for staying in touch with team members. They're perhaps the most frequent means of communication at the time. Individual phone conversations can be conducted among peers, or you can use a conference call setting to hold a group discussion. However, there is a disadvantage associated with it as well. And it is that you do not get to know the caller's identity unless he or she chooses to disclose it himself/herself. However, if this is your preferred mode of contact, go ahead and use it.

When you have a virtual office and your team works remotely, being in touch with them is essential, no matter how you do it. Frequent communication and interaction is important for employees to streamline and synchronize their operations. Important information can be lost if there is a breakdown in communication, resulting in team members not cooperating. To keep your firm running smoothly and successfully, the most crucial thing you can do when working remotely is to stay in touch with your team members on a regular basis.