Covid has changed the way we work forever. Google searches for remote working tips shot up in 2020 as the world locked down. Many companies even made the move to become fully remote: Twitter, Shopify and Dropbox, to name just a few. In the last year, we've all had to adapt to new ways of working and living. But whatever your working day looks like, remote collaboration is a skill we've all had to learn, no matter how much you need to do it day-to-day. And in lockdown life, for most people, it's a lot. 

How does team collaboration save time?

Team collaboration saves time by making communication more efficient - a lot more efficient. Working together on projects naturally promotes an open dialogue among team members. By making everyone feel like they have a voice, more ideas are brought to the table and creativity is amplified.

Collective mistakes

By bringing together a group of people, you're not just bringing together their creative ideas, but also their mistakes. Completing projects isn't just about the wins. It's about how well you navigate the path to the wins. A lot of that has to do with avoiding errors that will waste your time. If you've gone down an unsuccessful or inefficient path, you can help the rest of your team to avoid the same mistakes to complete work faster.

Adding structure

We've all been stuck in a feedback loop with endless rounds of amendments and suggestions. Setting deadlines for each feedback stage should put an end to that never-ending communication cycle. By setting and enforcing feedback deadlines, projects will be kept on track while still getting the benefit of the whole group's creative ideas.

Using the right kind of remote collaboration software

Remote collaboration isn't just about working together, but using the right tools to work together. The best kind of collaborative software lets users work on the same document at the same time. Real-time collaborative software has a ton of benefits for teams:

• Stakeholders are kept in the loop because they can see all changes
• Teams have a single source of truth for ongoing projects
• Working on the same document almost eliminates waiting for feedback
• Questions can get answered in seconds, avoiding long wait times
• Approvals happen in real time so projects can progress to the next stage faster
  
  

Using collaboration software breaks down the walls between remote teams and lets everyone feel like they're working in the same room. Downloading the app means you'll never miss an update so you can stay involved at every stage of your project's life. Just be sure to pause notifications during out-of-office hours to help maintain a healthy work/life balance. 

Keep up staff training

It seems obvious, but when mass deployment is rolled out it can often be missed or assumed staff know what to do. Lockdown has forced companies to introduce new platforms and processes fast, and with overstretched IT departments, staff training can often be overlooked. Making sure your teams know how to use a tool or product is a must. After all, you don't want to invest in a collaboration tool only to discover no one's using it because they don't know how. Regular staff training will help your teams get the most out of the tool, and the most out of remote collaboration.

Trint's collaborative transcription platform helps remote content teams work together to get to production faster.