With the advent of better communication technologies and busier schedules, many companies are now managing remote team members. Some teams work remotely out of need — maybe the best resources aren’t all available in the same physical location. And some teams work remotely because they want to, enjoying the flexiblity it offers. In all cases, the biggest issues are often team communication and team accountability.
Remote Teams Issue #1: Communication
Countless articles address how to handle this new culture. Chat apps, video conferencing, and phone call check-ins are just a few of the ways teams who aren’t physically in the office can stay in contact. The AICPA blog lists a solid rundown of tips for managing remote workers, with inclusion, face time, and a feedback loop as the big takeaways.
Remote Teams Issue #2: Accountability
But what about remote team accountability? How can a firm manage its pipeline effectively when no one is in the office at the same time?
These questions are part of the reason for ABLE’s Pipeline Management tool. Using this tool, members of your firm can see the status of all pending client deals, as well as deals won and lost. This serves as a conversation centerpiece as well as an accountability platform for all of the firm’s ABLE users.
Also, the Firm CRoPs View provides an accountability opportunity for firm transparency (for a refresher on CRoPs, check out our earlier blog on Doing Small Well). This dashboard shows all firm members and the status of each of their CRoPs tiles. While it can be intimidating to have the status of everyone’s relationships out in the open, this philosophy offers an additional level of accountability.
This firm-wide approach to progress and accountability can help with the management and inclusion of remote workers. For this approach to be successful, it must be driven by firm management and trickle down through the ranks.
To see ABLE’s Pipeline Management and Firm CRoPs View in action, schedule a no-obligation demo.