Cross-office collaboration is one of the greatest challenges of running a business across multiple locations, time zones and local languages. In this blog, business telephone systems provider One Call shares tips on how to improve it.
Set Up a Video Conferencing System
Video calls are the next best thing to actually being in the same room as your collaborators. There are certain nuances such as facial expressions that can’t be conveyed through voice alone. It’s also easier to identify the person you’re talking to, especially when addressing a large group. Choose a systems provider who provides a secure and stable internet connection to help maintain confidentiality and stability.
Use Task Management Tools to Track Progress
There are task management tools available that let you create, assign and track the progress of your tasks. Choose a task manager that allows you and your collaborators to break down big tasks into smaller ones. This helps cut down on progress report meetings, keeps everyone involved updated on your project’s progress and saves the use of your business telephone systems for urgent concerns.
Mind the Time Zones
Coordinating a meeting schedule across four time zones within the U.S. is difficult enough. When you’re running a business that includes sites halfway across the world, setting up meetings can be daunting. This is why you should always take time zones into consideration, whether you’re trying to pick a good meeting time or setting your expectations for a reply to an urgent email. We recommend using an online shared calendar that allows you to display and manage schedules across various time zones.
Standardize Your Work Processes
Cross-office collaboration means you’ll be working mostly, if not exclusively, with digital files. Therefore, you’ll need to have a standardized set of work processes, including file naming conventions, file types and folder structures. Adopting a standard work process early on makes it easy to maintain consistency when managing files as they’re created.
Get In Touch With One Call
One Call is your leading provider of business telephone systems. Give us a call at (888) 823-7373 or fill out our contact form. We serve customers in Raleigh, NC, and surrounding areas.