Remote work has increased 40% over the past five years and by more than 90% over the last ten years. 

Not surprisingly, virtual teams are on the rise – and getting more done than ever. Virtual teams no longer need to worry about communication gaps or missed deadlines. Cloud voice services, such as MiCloud Connect, can help team members juggle myriad obligations with ease – and make decisions faster.

4 tips for improving communications and collaboration with cloud voice services:

1. Mirror in-person meetings with video. In-person meetings are the most effective means of communication. While this isn’t an option for virtual teams, a cloud system with video conferencing will enable your team to be just as productive as if they were sitting in the same room. Screen sharing and an agenda tracker will keep meetings moving smoothly and on-task. 

2. Turn shared workspaces into virtual productivity powerhouses. An online collaborative workspace allows teams to exchange ideas about a project or topic using messaging, voice and video – all integrated into a single interface. Team members can create and assign tasks, share files and even take a conversation from online to a conference in mere seconds.

A personal dashboard, like the one in Mitel Teamwork, gives you a real-time view of items needing your attention, ensuring that projects and discussions are always moving forward. You can say goodbye to never-ending email chains and stop the search for answers in your inbox.

3. Keep the conversation going with web, desktop and mobile applications. If your employees can’t communicate with you, they aren’t being productive. Cloud services give your team options. Softphone, mobile and IP desk phones, mobile app support for PC, Mac, Android and iOS, along with Siri integration and Bluetooth capabilities, provide a seamless experience across all devices.

4. Optimize virtual project management with collaboration tools. While personal dashboards and shared workspaces make project management easier, other online collaboration tools are worth noting:

• Managers and team members always have their pulse on what’s happening since conversations are mirrored across all devices in real time.
• The ability to store and archive data by project, subject or person keeps you organized and makes it easy to find answers when you need to refresh your memory. 
• Have an urgent question? Ad-hoc audio and video conferencing connects you to the right person instantly.
• Individual and group chat allows you to keep conversations private or take them to the larger group as needed.

Let’s talk about improving your business communications and providing better tools for your remote teams. Contact CTS today: 800.787.4848 or jnolte@ctsmd.us.