Employing remote workers is quite common these days, but having a successful remote meeting can still be a challenge.

Here is a list of handy tips to ensure remote meetings are smooth and effective for both employer and employees:

1. Be Prepared

Obviously being prepared is important when participating in any meeting, either in person or virtual, however, when it comes to remote meetings, this is even more critical. Small talk and awkward silences while arranging documents to share are not acceptable in a virtual meeting environment. It is important to prepare your materials in advance and create and follow an agenda for how the meeting will flow.

2. Understand the Software

Losing audio or visual throughout a meeting or struggling just to get the meeting started is a waste of everyone’s time and can be quite frustrating. It is important that you understand how any video conferencing software you use works. This is especially important for management or anyone in charge of hosting such meetings, so adequate time should be taken to learn the ins and outs of the software.

3. Approach Like a Traditional Meeting

Remote meetings may be a newer approach to the traditional in person meetings of the past, but they should still be treated in the same fashion. It is important to remember that attendees are still working within schedules and other time constraints, so being punctual, professional and focusing on the task at hand is just as important as meeting in a traditional setting.

4. Provide the Right Communication Technologies

If you have remote workers, it is best to provide them with a company phone that can be used for virtual meetings and ease of communication. This can be done through a managed, corporate-owned mobile device or VoIP services that allow anytime, anywhere communication over the Internet. This lets you rest assured knowing your remote staff are able to stay connected.

Just because you have staff working remotely, doesn’t mean you need to settle of lackluster communication. Contact {company} at {phone} or email us at {email} to learn about our managed IT services – we’re here to help you leverage the right technologies to stay productive and efficient.