Virtual teams have become a popular option for companies looking to get the most out of their employees in the new world. By working remotely, virtual teams can bring together diverse talent from around the world, giving employees greater flexibility and freedom. This type of working arrangement also saves companies money and can increase productivity by removing geographic barriers.
As technology advances, virtual teams may become more common in the business world. From video conferencing and instant messaging to email, there are many tools available to facilitate effective communication and collaboration for virtual teams. As these tools evolve, virtual teams will continue to provide an attractive solution for companies looking to maximize their resources and achieve their goals.
How to manage virtual teams?
The most successful managers are those who have learned how to effectively communicate and collaborate with team members, who may be spread out across different time zones and cultures. By learning how to leverage the power of technology, businesses can overcome these challenges and reap the many benefits of virtual team management.
Collaboration is what enables effective teamwork, by helping people coordinate their efforts toward a common goal—and virtual teams have an advantage here. They're able to work from anywhere on the planet at any time (as long as there's internet). Without having everyone in one room all day every day, it may seem like there wouldn't be much opportunity for collaboration; however, this isn't true: virtual teams have proven themselves over again how effective they can be when working together remotely.
Managing virtual teams can be a challenge, but some best practices can help.
1. First, define roles and responsibilities. Make sure each team member knows what's expected of them, and give them the tools and resources they need to succeed. You can do this effectively with the RACI matrix.
2. Second, regular communication is essential. Schedule regular videoconferences or audio conferences so that everyone is informed of developments. The
also uses project management software to track deadlines and progress.
3. Finally, show your team members that you trust them by giving them some flexibility in the way they work.
By following these tips, you can successfully manage a virtual team.
Software
With the right software, businesses can effectively manage virtual teams. There are many programs designed just for managers. It offers a variety of features, including task management, team collaboration, video conferencing, and file sharing. By using these tools, you can ensure the productivity and efficiency of virtual teams.
Programs can help businesses save time and money by reducing travel and meeting expenses. When you start managing virtual teams, try to find the best one that works for most people and is easy to use.
The best apps for managing virtual teams, that we use in our studio:
- ClickUp
ClickUp is a project management tool, that allows you to manage all your team in one place. You can create tasks, estimate time, create schedules, and much more.
It's the best app for measuring the productivity of your team, thanks to the time tracking system you know exactly what is doing your team member and how much time it costs. - Discord
We are using Discord to communicate between us, artists, and clients. You may be familiar with this platform, Discord is popular, especially among gamers.
It allows you to create a new server for each project to communicate with team members, send files, and much more. - Dropbox
It's our main platform for exchanging files. It's important to have all of them in one place while you are working remotely because you have access to someone's files even when they are offline. A good practice is to have updated files always at the end of the day. - Google meet
Using Google Meet, we are meeting with artists, clients, and candidates in online meetings.
It allows us to have everything in one place on Google Calendar, and it's completely free to use for everyone, without time limits.
Benefits of virtual teams
The biggest benefit of virtual teams is that they allow you to maximize your resources by finding people who are the best fit for their roles and then placing them in a position where they can thrive. Virtual team members include remote workers in different time zones, freelancers who bid on projects based on their skills and availability, and clients who have specific needs that require specific solutions—the list goes on!
We think virtual teams are the future. Why?
- They're more flexible and cost-efficient.
A typical employee spends about 50 hours per week in the office, but when you consider that only 30 percent of their time is spent on work activities. With virtual teams, people can work from anywhere they want at any time, and that helps keep costs down.
- With virtual meeting opportunities, you don't have to worry about having to travel to hold a meeting. It all happens in your own home, or you can work from anywhere in the world without worrying about traffic, fuel prices, and relocation.
- You have access to experts worldwide, and their location isn’t that important. Managers are no longer limited by the distance of the person they want to hire. Experts are all over the world, now at your fingerprints. You just have to know where to find the best.
- Metaverse is the future.
In a few years, virtual meetings will evolve beyond simple Zoom or Meet calls. Even now, people will meet in virtual reality space, and it will be more common than now. The metaverse will become our daily activities, not only playing games, but also working or studying.
Conclusion
At TATO we believe in the future of virtual teams, we created Meta Teams for our projects, so we could eliminate the barrier between studios and artists. We want to lift the weight of providing the best experts, and taking care of project management and legal operations, so we could create a community of artists and give them the best projects to work with.
