5 Software Tools to Build a strong Relationship with your Virtual Team

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Thanks to the countless software tools currently available in the software industry, building a steady relationship with your virtual team has never been easier. Almost all of them come with no or negligible price tags making them a convincing option for business owners.

We all know that hiring a Virtual team means increased productivity with reduced cost, but they do live hundreds of miles away. Let’s take a look at some of the software tools that enable businesses to effectively communicate with their virtual staff for staying totally in sync with them.

Basecamp

The popularity of Basecamp is not just restricted to virtual environments. Many in-house teams are also benefiting from this web-based project management tool. However, because of its easy storing and evident to-dos with clearly marked due dates along with discussions, it is almost a dream-come true for solidifying your work-relation with your virtual teams. Remote workers and virtual teams are always happy to stay connected with their clients through Basecamp for reviewing or finalizing projects.

Dropbox

When Dropbox was first introduced to us; nobody could imagine how it would ultimately become an imperative part of our lives. Founded in 2007, with currently 5 million files being saved daily, almost everybody uses this cloud-based storage facility that offers miraculous storage capacity. How is it important for Virtual Teams? Businesses can use this popular tool for sharing files with their teams for successful execution of their projects. Once a business-owner synchronizes a file from his computer to Dropbox, a link can be shared to that file with their virtual workers or they can be invited to view files from a shared folder. Undeniably, the most convenient way of sharing beefy files that would otherwise take an eternity to send. It also acts as a reliable backup system for projects.

GroupMe

Assigning projects and sharing files does not encompass the entire process of working with Virtual Teams. A lot needs to be discussed and demonstrated for clarifying and elaborating your projects. That’s why GroupMe is continuing to become the most desired choice of businesses to express views in the form of group chat. This web-based application that has been making successful rounds as an iPhone app, can be used for business-owners to execute webinars or live events. With real-time communication, it is certainly less cumbersome. Direct messages can be sent to individuals within a group ensuring confidentiality and communication on a personal level as well.

Skype

Let’s not forget the veteran Skype. Although, it was launched in 2003, looks like it has been around forever. Skype is no doubt responsible for finalizing many projects and serves as a one-touch system for initiating and finalizing formal and casual conversations. Skype is the most preferable medium for being introduced to a Virtual Team before you start a project, although it is also ideal for weekly or small group meetings. Skype is easy, hassle-free, and almost always uninterrupted, like a board meeting with everyone having access to share screens or exchange links, files or other important information. Skype sessions can also be recorded with a 3rd party program for future references.

SweetProcess

No project is successful to the end, if it is not properly documented. Does the idea of documenting every step of a never-ending project put your managerial abilities to test? No worries! SweetProcess, a web-based tool for documenting frequent procedures enables business-owners or project managers to offer specified instructions to their virtual teammates, to reproduce the procedure and carry out explicit tasks. Not only that, screenshots and screencasts can be embedded for further elaboration. No more messy, useless, and time-consuming procedures and checklists that are ineffective. With SweetProcess, each process can now be documented as sweetly as the name sounds.

Tools for building and sustaining an unbreakable relationship between business-owners and their virtual teams are constantly improving. There is a need to keep discovering and experimenting with the ones that will best suit your business or project requirements. We can’t wait to see what the future unfolds, broadening the horizon for online communications to strengthen ties between businesses and their virtual employees.

Shamim Rajani is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Genetech Solutions, a one stop shop for all web services specializing in Web Development, Customized Web Applications, Social Media Marketing and other IT related services. Follow her on twitter @ShamimRajani & Linkedin.

Shamim Rajani