Remote work was already a thing before the pandemic, but post-pandemic, it has become the new norm. New and even traditional businesses are slowly adopting the remote model (including hybrid — part remote, part on-site), which is still difficult to adapt and manage. A survey suggests that 58% of workers want full-time remote work in the future, which means your business needs to be prepared to match employees’ demands.
Software as a Service (SaaS) businesses simplify remote work by inventing tools and software that aids quick adaptation of remote work. But what if you are a SaaS business adopting this new normal. You’d want to leverage successful tactics that help transition from office space to work-from-home setup.
The success of remote SaaS teams depends on creating a robust foundation. This post will discuss six pillars that help create a solid base for your SaaS team to work remotely in 2022.
#1. Prioritize security
File transfers are a crucial aspect of SaaS businesses as you have workers who need to collaborate more often. Also, any app you use for such transfers should be secure. On top of it, you can opt to use apps that help protect a file’s privacy by encrypting it using a password.
Your team would exchange data while working remotely, which means you need to prioritize data security. This involves ensuring that your teams share files restricted to the tool you’re using. Also, communicate with the team to send it in a standard format instead of different file types.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), secure password management, and sharing services for SaaS remote teams in 2022 make it easy to securely access shared passwords. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to provide training on email phishing security.
#2. Focus on communication
A remote SaaS team would need everyone to have regular contact with others to align with expectations, deadlines, schedules, and other relevant aspects of the business. Decide on your team’s preferred method of communication — whether it will be through phone calls or email or instant messaging, or video conferencing.
Your team will have to deal with the pressure to get things done, even in a remote environment. This is why the frequency of communication differs from one person to another. It will take some time to get to know each team member’s particular strengths and weaknesses. You need to identify the right communication channels for different purposes that help employees connect meaningfully. Also, this stands true for conducting regular training on new policies and strategies to succeed in remote work.
For instance, you can choose from Slack, Microsoft Teams, and other tools for quick communication.
#3. Schedule daily check-ins
You can have your remote SaaS team perform daily check-ins. This may seem intrusive, but they are essential if you want to ensure that everyone stays on the same page and contribute to the smooth completion of projects with remote teams. This is also a great way to simplify remote team management while improving time management.
Putting in the scheduled check-ins offer you a respite from continual supervision, empowering your SaaS team to take responsibility. This will limit the number of projects that may go unchecked for long periods. You can adopt scheduling tools like Google Calendar to make this easier for you.
Also, if your SaaS team is working in sprints, ensure they check-in before starting each sprint and check-out when done. Identify what works best for you, your team, and your upcoming remote projects to later determine how often you need team members to check-in.
#4. Facilitate resource sharing
With the right tools and resources, your remote SaaS team can do much better. Managing a remote SaaS team would mean identifying the needs of your team members, asking them about their work challenges, and providing resources accordingly.
Here are some of the key resources that you can share with your remote SaaS team:
- e-books
- Blog posts and articles
- Courses
- Templates
- Webinars
- Software tool subscriptions
Moreover, you can also use documentation tools to create a customer knowledge base that serves as a twelfth man for the customer service team. Providing your staff with these tools and resources can help them succeed and boost productivity when working remotely.
#5. Use a Project Management System (PMS) for better collaboration
You need to determine the right platform for teams to collaborate remotely. For instance, Google Drive offers an ideal solution if you have a document likely to get modified by many people. You can also create a shared Dropbox folder employee’s computer to distribute a log file that needs editing.
Project management systems like Teamwork and Zoho Projects are useful in organizing documents and conversations into projects, helping your remote SaaS team to revisit later. File sharing and other collaborative functions are available in many project management systems for document collaboration.
You can adopt these project management tools to organize and store common files. As a SaaS business, you cannot simply rely on email to run smoother operations and will always need your PMS to streamline remote SaaS business activities.
#6. Incentivize success
An ideal remote SaaS team thrives on achieving milestones. And the best way to ensure more success is to find ways to commemorate and praise your SaaS teams’ accomplishments as they hit a certain milestone.
An ideal strategy to motivate your remote SaaS employees is recognizing their inputs and celebrating success together, no matter how big or small they are. That’s not all; you’ll also inspire them to work to their highest potential and ensure their best output.
If you want your remote SaaS team to be more productive, there are several methods to celebrate their success like:
- Virtual parties
- Sending them gifts
- Provide work vacations (“workations”)
It is not good to anticipate accomplishing bigger milestones or long-term objectives. Instead, celebrate your SaaS teams’ efforts. Try arranging virtual team activities that can positively impact their morale.
The bottom line
The new normal will see a lot of changes in the coming years. Keeping your team pumped up throughout their remote work is your responsibility, but it all boils down to the foundation you make.
No matter what you and your remote teams are up to, you need to implement ideas that help raise productivity, foster camaraderie, and boost morale in a remote work environment.
Effectively creating the foundation for your remote SaaS team would require you to communicate and collaborate in a global workforce. Prioritize employee satisfaction and goal completion by implementing the right methods and tools.
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