If you and your team have recently been thrown into remote working, you might be finding it difficult to extract the right information from everybody. This global shift to telecommunicating is a natural time to dip your toe into the variety of digital channels out there, such as Slack, Zoom, Hangouts... the selection is huge (if sometimes overwhelming)! At Wundamail, we know that communication can be the bedrock of productive teams- but equally it can hinder workflow, if left unregulated.
Video-calling seems to be the go-to “fix” for our new remote workforce. But if you have a team of 30 people, you must ask yourself: do I really want to waste valuable time by asking every single person what they’re doing, or where they’re up to in a project? On video chat, certain people speak loudly, and others fade into the background.
This means that video calling alone is unsustainable in the long-run, unless you possess the power to stop time. Video is great for keeping in touch, and communicating ideas which may be difficult to achieve without face-to-face interaction, but for team management - you need proactive management software to maintain the level of productivity you once had in the office.
Wundamail can help you find the answers from your team in a quick, organised fashion. Our daily question can be modified to whatever suits you and your team; for whatever size your team may be, for whatever industry, for wherever you are.
Wundamail has a set of popular templates that your team can use in your new remote set up. The point is, you can regularly change the question, time and design to anything you want to find out from your team. Your team’s answers are then compiled into our daily compilation and circulated for everyone to see, or alternatively, you can keep this merely for administrative purposes only - it’s entirely up to you.
Of course, each group Wundamail reflects the personality of the team it serves- but here are the most commonly used templates within our user base.
The Daily Check-In
This one does what it says on the tin - it’s designed to check-in with your team. You can ask for a daily update on whatever your team is working on. Simply hit ‘edit design’ and type in your question, such as ‘What did you do today?’or ‘Where are you up to with the project?’. You can keep it simple, or create a specific question that’s tailored to your industry.
Ask The Boss
As a leader, it can be very difficult to catch up one-to-one with everyone in your team in the new remote working setup. But remote working doesn’t mean your communication needs to suffer. The ‘Ask The Boss’ template allows you to send out a question to all members in your team to check if their needs are being met. For example you could ask, ‘In our new remote set-up, how can I make the transition easier for you?’, if telecommuting is new to your team. Alternatively, you could ask ‘Any questions?’, this gives all individuals an equal opportunity to ask you anything they need to know - it’s essentially the reverse of the daily check-in.
Progress, Plans and Problems
This template is especially popular among development teams. Developers usually need long periods of uninterrupted time to code, meaning streams of notifications and video calls are counter-productive.
Instead, this template works to collate your developers primary problems and plans - allowing you to track their progress through a single answer. It’s like a “stand-up” or “scrum” meeting each day, and your developers will be able to collaborate, adapt and move forward without wasting valuable time.
Simply ask: ‘In our new remote set-up, how are you progressing? How do you plan ahead and are you facing any difficulties?’.
Sales Round-Up
This template is commonly used in sales teams, particularly when it comes to rounding up how many leads your team have closed in a day. However it’s important to consider the new remote set-up when it comes to finding leads, and how tricky that might be in a different environment. This is where Wundamail’s template can help as it enables you to ask your sales team: ‘In our new remote-set up, how many deals have you closed today?’. Based on their replies, you can assess whether more advice is needed, or whether your team is adjusting well to making leads remotely.
Time for Feedback
Another great way of utilising our templates is by collecting feedback from your team on how things are going for them. You can keep this question as simple as possible, such as asking ‘What do you think is going well?’ or ‘How do you think we can improve in our new remote set-up?’. Or you can tailor this more specifically, such as asking ‘How are you staying positive’, if you’re looking to boost team morale in the current climate.
Wundamail’s daily templates are incredibly versatile. They are successfully proven to track individual progress, hold accountability and keep up-to-date with your team.
If you’ve recently transitioned to remote working, Wundamail are offering three FREE months to any business or organisation who may currently need it to track team management.
