SUMMARY
Covid-19 has made working remotely the new reality
Startups are better positioned to adapt as they have always been advocates of flexibility in the workplace
Remote access can not only help startups survive the pandemic, but also come out stronger
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The last few months have changed how we live and work. With the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting the world, working remotely is the new normal. While large businesses are grappling with this new way of working, it has been a relatively smoother shift for startups.
Startups have been torchbearers of flexibility in the workplace. With contemporary thinking and modernized business policies, startups have traditionally allowed employees to work from wherever they want. A survey by Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs indicates that remote work has increased 91% over the last ten years, and 159% over the last 12 years.
The current situation is the perfect window of opportunity for startups and even large businesses to fast-track the remote working phenomenon.
With the pandemic not showing signs of getting over anytime soon, it has never been more important for entrepreneurs to find smart ways of working remotely. They want to help teams easily work together—whether from the same office a few days a week while maintaining social distancing or from the comfort of their homes.
To this end, they need an effective and strategic approach that enables collaboration that can increase productivity and boost growth.
That is where remote access comes in.
What Is Remote Access?
Before we jump into how remote access tools can be pivotal to businesses in the Covid-19 world, let’s learn a bit more about how they work.
Remote access tools give employees the ability to connect to a server, computer, or a network remotely. They allow users to access a system they need, collaborate with peers, and troubleshoot issues without needing to be physically present in the office.
The benefits of remote access are many: flexibility to work from home, low maintenance, reduction in operational expenditures, freedom to use personal devices, a high level of user security, faster turnaround, and greater customer satisfaction, among others.
Collaborating With Remote Access
Remote access tools can help startups break barriers to remote working and enable collaboration in many ways—from helping teams work cohesively and responsively, to better project management and creating a culture of teamwork.
Conduct Meetings
Remote access tools can help team members collaborate virtually. They can conduct meetings at any time from anywhere. This means considerable savings in time and money by cutting out non-essential travel and, most importantly, safeguarding employees from unnecessarily being exposed to the virus.
If a startup wants to make decisions on its latest product, they can share presentations securely with all those involved via remote access. They can share ideas, brainstorm, and make informed decisions together without having to be in the same place.
Communicate With Ease
Communication is key to the success of any team or business, especially when members are all working remotely. It’s the first thing that takes a hit when team members are scattered. A gap in communication leads to wasted time and resources, a muddled vision, conflicts, and damaged relationships.
Remote access tools streamline communication within teams, which is the life-blood of any organisation. It facilitates the exchange of information to build strong alliances in a safe and secure environment.
Manage Projects
Keeping everyone aligned and on the same page is a challenge when team members are not in the same place. Remote access tools can enable sharing of information such as important company information, project updates, and much more in order to keep team members abreast of the latest developments. Support and onboarding of new members also become easier with remote access.
Create Transparency
Remote access facilitates honest and open communication. It’s effective in building transparency, which is a must for successful teams. The tool can also help build rapport among team members working from home and create strong bonds among them, especially in times of uncertainty.
Drive Agility
In the current digital era, business agility is imperative to surviving and succeeding. This essentially means ensuring faster turnaround—whether it is churning out a new product, pivoting to incorporate customer feedback, or meeting market demands. Remote access tools can enable teams to join forces to react faster, make informed decisions, and ensure higher customer satisfaction.
Build Business Continuity
If there is one thing the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us, it is the need to have business continuity to mitigate risks. Remote access can provide employees access to processes, data, and work devices even if they cannot physically be in the office. It can enable entire teams to work together just as they would in an office. Whether it is this crisis or any future disaster, remote access can help companies create a business continuity plan and protect them from disruptions.
With social distancing and work from home becoming the new normal, more business interactions will occur online. Remote access tools will help write the new rules of engagement and play a pivotal role in effective collaboration and business success today and in the post-pandemic era.
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