Between the Coronavirus lockdowns in early 2020 and the new lockdowns going into the holiday season, more and more people are struggling with remote working and communication. Not to mention, the closer we get to the holidays, the more hectic things seem to get.
As things are ramping up, it’s important for both you and your team to understand proper remote communication etiquette. With proper etiquette, remote communication will be smooth and stress-free.
Be Clear and Concise
Clear communication could not be more important than it is in remote communication. When sending emails and texts, messages tend to lack the subtle nuances of face-to-face communication. Eye contact, facial expressions, and even tone of voice do more than you notice for clear communication.
When communicating remotely, you have to work very hard to make sure everything is clear. Make sure that you are direct and to the point so there is no room for misinterpreting what you are saying.
Also, setting clear communication guidelines falls under this rule. Clear guidelines help your team know how to communicate and when. So make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to deadlines, meetings, and anything else that keeps your team running smoothly.
Choose the Right Communication Method
Phone calls. Texts. Emails. Video meetings. There are a million different ways to communicate with your team and it is important that you choose the right one. Trust us when we say no one will appreciate having to hop onto a video meeting just to get the same information that could have been communicated via email.
As a rule of thumb, emails are great for conveying solid, concrete information. Phone calls and texts or chats are better for conveying information when time is of the essence. And full on video meetings are usually saved for when the whole team needs to go back and forth to discuss things.
And, when in doubt, just ask your teammates what kind of communication method they prefer.
Be Wary of the Time
This is one of the more important things to remember when communicating with your remote team. With everyone in different locations, everyone’s workday is bound to look different. Some will be early risers who try to get things out of the way first thing in the morning. Others will be night owls who work long into the night.
However, it is important to keep time boundaries clear and never try to communicate something to your colleagues very early or very late at night. Everyone needs some time away from work even if they are now working from home.
And even if you are the night owl who likes working into the night, try to save your message until the next day during appropriate work hours. Also, if you have team members in different time zones, it’s important that you are aware of the time differences before you hit “send.”
Get a Tool Everyone Can Use
Finally, using a cohesive remote communication tool goes a long way in keeping organized and being able to collaborate efficiently with everyone on the team.
A program like Xeno allows team members to have access to all customer conversations, monitor progress and communicate internally directly from the same inbox to quickly resolve customers’ requests.
By integrating multiple communication channels and other applications such as CRM, marketing automation and ticketing, team members get access to all the remote support tools they need to make work easy and efficient.
Avoid communicational clutter and try Xeno today!
