Pluses and Tools of an Effective Virtual Team
Many companies now can't hide how virtual assistants leverage their company over competitors. Not only do they save money by hiring someone without necessary incentives, but also from the unique skill a Virtual Assistant for hire can provide.
Based on its name–Virtual Assistant, you can already deduce how they are similarly functioning as an on-site assistant, except for the reason they work from a remote location. However, the general society defines their job as an off-site professional who helps companies with any overflow of tasks as a business has.
These people aren't just your usual fresh graduates looking for a job either. At Kaya Services, a significant portion of our people have years of experiences under their belts. And for one reason, they decided to work outside the office and stay in their homes' comfort.
Why Virtual Team?
A virtual team includes professionals who work remotely, while some have a small centralized office where meetings, discussions, seminars, and group projects are planned and implemented.
These days, especially that we're on a pandemic, team leaders of industries are gradually shifting their business to run remotely instead of having everyone come to the office each day.
Are you one of the leaders who want to transcend your workplace virtually? Are you stressing out if this is an effective solution for what we are experiencing right now (Covid-19 pandemic), or possibly until the following years to come? Keep reading.
Pluses of a Virtual Team
Lower costs: You'll save tons of money.
Lower cost is the obvious one. Since you don't need to pay monthly rent for an office, you have more savings to reinvest in talent and marketing. If you consider the office equipment, utility, and office utensils for building an in-house team, it sums up to ongoing costs. Fortunately, as most virtual employees work from the comfort of their homes, you don't have to keep a tab of these below:
- Lease or monthly rate for your office
- Office utilities like maintenance, electricity, water, Wi-Fi, phone services, gas, transportation
- And many other things like electronics, cleaning supplies, hygiene kits, and beverages in the stockroom
The only thing you need to spend on is the software of your functioning team. But as these SaaS applications are affordable and sometimes freely accessible, you'll save a lot more.
It's also a win-win situation for employers and remote workers. Since Virtual Assistants from the Philippines don't have to spend on their daily work commute, brand new suits, and cafeteria meals, they can finally save more money for their equipment.
Happy workforce: More work-life balance for your employees
One of the appealing factors about why you should start your own virtual team is your workers' flexibility that comes with that. Your employees don't have to deal with a long commute to work because they can work less-hassle from home. They have the opportunity to set their own flexible time and squeeze in some personal time if needed. You just have to make sure to hire the right staff who have the desire and discipline to work remotely. Working at their homes is not for all people, as many employees can't separate work life from personal life while both are in one location.
Since your workers save so much time from daily commute and chitchats, they will have more time for themselves. They can watch or play music with their children, watch an episode of productivity, or take an extra nap- it's really up to them. This way, it will lead to the ultimate purpose of work-life balance. And when your team is happier, they’re more productive and satisfied with their jobs.
Roofing productivity: Your team members are a lot more productive
A study in Standford showed a 13% increase in productivity for employees who worked from home. The upward stats are due to eliminating travel and adding flexibility in working hours. It's also observed that without an office, there tend to be unnecessary meetings. So, your employees get more work done, and their morale remains high when they are crossing tasks off their list.
In Nicholas Bloom's study of China's largest travel agency or Ctrip, he found out how working from home benefits businesses' productivity. The economic professor found remote teams worked a day longer than their in-employee counterparts. Counting that means six days of work for five days of pay.
A content marketer who works 100% remotely can work during his peak hours of the day. Some get the most work done from 5:00 am–11:00 am, and to the norm, that time would simply go to waste. Having your own virtual team will give you more flexibility, and it's one of the best decisions you'll make for the quality of your output.
Easily scalable: You have an easily scalable team.
Companies that have a growing volume of work and facing bottleneck operations direly need scaling up. Unfortunately, scaling up involved additional human resources, like employees to work on the inflow of work. And for most small to medium-sized companies, hiring permanent in-house staff is very costly. A virtual team, on the other hand, can help companies oversee the overflow of work with cheap costs.
To effectively multiply your business, you have to increase your company's size without incurring too much overhead expenses. This is why turning to a virtual team to increase your workforce is far smarter than building a local team. Instead of thinking about laptops, connectivity, office room, and other overhead expenses, your virtual team has already provided it independently.
Besides that, since virtual assistants from the Philippines work virtually, they can be assigned whenever work needs to be done. Companies also don't have to deal with employees' in-house training, as virtual assistants usually come in with a proven set of skills and experiences. On top of everything, virtual assistant for hire yields higher efficiency and productivity.
Honest workplace: Your team communication is more transparent.
In a typical virtual team setup, they encourage open, honest, and frank dialogue with employees about company operations. A virtual team's communication is often transparent or freely shared, especially regarding performance, revenue, sales, financial loss, and layoffs obstacles are not avoided but freely shared. Transparent companies are better positioned to earn the trust and loyalty of their employees.
Maintaining transparency in a virtual workplace requires dedication, and you need tools for constant communication. For a remote company, the tools you've used have the power to break and make the business. It would be best if you were in possession of digital tools to fill the gaps that we're created when you transcend to a virtual team and lose in-house interactions.
Fortunately, we've shared some of the Virtual tools our team in Kaya Services already provided. Once you've found the right tool for your problem, make sure you're transparently using them. You can do this by keeping the work widely public, sharing access, and giving updates regularly.
Virtual Team Tools
A virtual team allows you to get more tasks done and frees up your time so you can focus on the core of your business. As your business grows, you need tools for your virtual team to collaborate and function efficiently. Once talent selection is underway, your next focus is choosing task management tools and collaboration platforms. This ensures that your virtual team delivers high-quality and consistent output. Tools are what you need to implement a better system that works for you and your remote team.
With hundreds of virtual assistant tools, sites, and apps available online, here are five essentials you need.
- G Suite
G Suite is the most basic software you will ever need for your team to get started. It allows you to exchange emails in a secured environment, store and share documents, manage appointments, create presentations and online surveys. You can also host conference calls through Google Hangouts. There’s so much more you can do with this not so little helper.
- Hubspot
HubSpot is your go to buddy to organize your customer information, sales leads, track your sales, and establish better relationships with your customer base. This platform offers a full stack of customer service, marketing, sales, and customer relationship management software. You can also track all the email responses that may have come through while you were away on vacation!
- Hubstaff
Managing a virtual staff requires a powerful tool that allows you to monitor billed hours, send invoices, and payments. Hubstaff is an excellent software that not only tracks time but also captures screenshots so you can check your team’s productivity while they’re working. Also, it allows you to generate reports so you can spot any productivity issues you may have with your team. Time tracking and invoicing are made easy with Hubstaff.
- Skype
Real time communication exchange is essential in every organization. Skype easily connects you with your virtual receptionist working in remote locations. Skype is an excellent tool for virtual group meetings and sharing of files within your organization. If you need to set up a conference call, all you need is to add members in one group chat, initiate the call, and you’re good to go. No need to book a physical conference room! Install Skype on your computer and mobile phone so you stay in touch with your team anywhere.
Develop an organized system in delegating tasks to your remote team. This way, it’s easier for them to meet deadlines. Trello is a web-based application that allows you to collaborate, track different tasks, and monitor the progress of your team’s projects. This project management tool lets you take control and oversee the different operations in your company.
- Asana
Similar to Trello, Asana is also another project tracking software. It allows you to assign tasks with details such as deadlines for whom you;re assigning it to, and other specific instructions needed. Once the tasks have been completed,your team can mark it as completed, or you can also leave it open while the task is still ongoing. It is easy to use!
- Clockify
Just like Hubstaff, you can use this to track your team’s time. This is especially helpful for payroll purposes. It generates a weekly report of the total number of hours your virtual receptionist has worked.It’s also available on mobile,which makes it easy to use, especially for on-the-go staff.
The answer to the questions of how to start an effective virtual team lies in your management strategy in place. Even if you have an excellent talent pool, they will still need your proper guidance to keep them aligned with your company’s vision and mission.
Building a smoothly operating Virtual team takes time and patience, but it is definitely a proven and tested way to grow your business without incurring too many overhead costs.
Ready to create your virtual team?
Head on to the Kaya services site! We’re ready to help you build your virtual dream team from scratch and find the right tools for your business. Schedule an appointment, and let’s get things going today!