May 2020
Looking Forward: Is Remote Working the New Normal for Business?
With the ongoing pandemic a lot of standard business rules, such as turning up at the office, have been suspended. Remote working has saved many UK businesses that are able to allow their staff to work from home, while the government’s furlough scheme has prevented many from going out of business.
So is working remotely the new normal for these businesses? After all, many businesses that had resisted the remote work revolution have had to change rapidly overnight to adapt. The reasoning many businesses had for not allowing their staff the flexibility to work remotely is now out of the window, as teams up and down the country prove that they are perfectly capable of working out of the office.
However, remote working takes some getting used to on the part of employees too, who have also had to adjust as quickly as the businesses they work with. Avoiding at home distractions and keeping productivity up require an additional effort, particularly with the difficult ongoing situation outside of our homes. Part of that comes down to having the right tools to ensure your team are able to be as productive as possible.
Remote working is the foreseeable future for most businesses, and the sudden change in life brought on by the pandemic has highlighted the need for more businesses to be ready to offer remote working. With that in mind, there are some considerations for businesses when it comes to the future of remote working.
The Tools to Operate Remotely
The most important aspect for any business to work remotely is to offer the right tools for the job. This extends beyond just hardware, businesses need to offer the software and infrastructure to allow teams to work productively and effectively.
With a cloud based bespoke CRM solution like Lunar CRM, teams will be able to operate any time from any location, provided they have an internet connection. With a host of third party integration, your team will also have access to a host of other tools that they require to work effectively.
The Ability to Communicate
Another benefit of Lunar CRM is the range of communication options offered to your team. Your team will be able to effectively communicate with each other and your customers, with features like dialler integration, workflow management and of course third party integration.
In addition to providing your team with the tools to communicate with each other, it’s important to discuss boundaries and the formalities of communication within your business, both formal and informal. Of course, you’ll still be booking meetings during working hours, and it’s important for those working hours to remain respected even while teams are working remotely. Ensure teams are only taking part in formal communications during agreed working hours, as burnout is the last thing your team needs right now.
On a related note, it’s important to ensure you teams are able to make time for informal communication…
The Time to Build Relationships
Teams are now adjusting to not seeing each other on a daily basis in a professional capacity, or even in a personal capacity, with no more work happy hours or staff parties. This can lead to feelings of isolation among your team, so it’s important to ensure your team are able to make time to build relationships.
This is as important for anyone new to your team as it is your existing team. Even remotely, your company has a culture, and it’s important for everyone to feel a part of it. Try scheduling in a few virtual social meet ups (optional of course, no one should feel forced) so that everyone wanting for a little more social interaction has the opportunity.
Eventually the UK will return to work in full capacity, offices will open and the pandemic will end. However, if the situation has made one thing clear, it’s that more businesses need to be open to the possibility of working remotely and have the infrastructure in place to allow for that.
If you’re looking for a CRM solution that allows your business the infrastructure to work remotely, give Lunar CRM a try. Get in touch for a free demo or browse our website for features.