While the global pandemic changed many things, perhaps one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen as a result is the rise of fully remote businesses. While what felt like endless lockdowns had most of the UK workforce working from home, many companies have chosen to stay remote post-Covid.

Let’s look at some remote working statistics:

• Remote working is said to increase productivity by up to 77%.
• Being offered the opportunity to work remotely makes 74% of workers less likely to leave their current employer.
• Remote work can save companies up to £1600 per remote employee.
• More than 59% of workers say they would more likely choose a job offer that allows for remote work than those who don’t.
• Over 28% of greenhouse gas emissions are from transportation. Fewer workers commuting to work means a reduced carbon footprint.

Why go virtual? 

Surprisingly, major industry players like Apple, Amazon, Meta (formally known as Facebook), and Microsoft are now either fully remote companies, or work on a hybrid model (a mix between working from home and at the office).

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why these companies are choosing to go virtual is because it saves them money in terms of overheads. As you won’t have physical premises to pay for and all the costs that go with it, you should see a drastic cut in costs by going virtual.

Additionally, being a remote company means you can hire globally rather than being geographically limited to only hiring locally. Being remote results in your talent pool being far broader than ever before.

While these benefits sound great, as a manager or business owner, you may be hesitant to let your team work remotely. How will you monitor and manage their productivity? How will you ensure communication remains effective? How do you run your entire operation online? At Outsourcery, we run an entirely remote company, and we have done so before Covid. We’d love to share some tips with you on how to run a successful virtual business.

Choose and invest in a primary communication tool

As an entrepreneur, we’re sure you know that effective communication is the foundation for any successful business. This remains the same when it comes to running a virtual business.

Your first step is choosing a primary tool or app your team will use to communicate. Whether it be MS Teams, Google Hangouts or Zoom, ensure your virtual employees have the communication tools they need to work efficiently. You’ll also want to take time to ensure everyone knows how to use these tools if they haven’t before.

Schedule regular meetings

Now that you know which platform you’ll be holding your meetings on, you can now schedule regular meetings with your team. Whether that’s a daily stand-up to check on progress, weekly team meetings to set goals and expectations, or monthly management thinktanks, it’s important that you meet with your virtual employees frequently to ensure everyone is on the same page at all times.

Optimise and automate 

Technology is the cornerstone of any virtual business. As you’ll be doing everything online, you’ll want to make sure you have the best tools to get it right. Excessive spreadsheets and mounds of paper just don’t cut it anymore. The more you optimise your team’s productivity and workflows, and the more you automate tedious tasks, the more time and money you will save within your business.

Take advantage of cloud-based accounting and payroll, sales CRMs, marketing automation platforms, and productivity tools to take your virtual business to new digital heights.

Outsource to remote teams 

Multi-billion-dollar companies like Slack, WhatsApp, Apple, and even eBay outsource parts or, if not all, their business to remote employees.

Outsourcing tasks within your business to a virtual employee, like a virtual assistant, includes all the above benefits and more. Virtual assistants are comfortable working remotely as they have been doing so for a considerable amount of time. They’re also completely set up to work remotely effectively with good internet connections, suitable technology, and software. You also won’t have to pay any overheads when you hire a virtual assistant; hiring through an agency can save you significant expenses.

If you’re interested in hiring a virtual assistant or remote employee to join your company, contact us via our website. We offer affordable rates and flexible packages to help your remote business thrive.