More and more companies see remote work as an innovative way to allow employees to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives. Some are even offering the option to work from home. It is either an incentive for great performance or a way to keep their valued employees despite situations that might render them unable to work onsite. However, dedication to the company’s goals can sometimes be compromised. How can a manager ensure that the members of their team stay aligned with the company’s goals? Is it possible to align remote teams with company goals? The struggle is real and is being felt in all corners of the business world. Thankfully, technology advances do a lot in bridging the gap to bring teams together and drive them to perform better while helping to align remote teams with company goals.
How to align team or personal goals with company goals
To align team or personal goals with company goals:
- Set company goals and objectives, be very detailed, down to the team member
- Share goals with leadership and get their buy in
- Communicate the company and individual goals to everyone
- Help your staff to achieve their specific goals
How do you set (strategy) goals with a remote team?
To set goals with a remote team:
- Use technology to align goals Technology makes aligning remote teams with company goals easier.
- Use communication tools to chat and meet Communication tools allow you to virtually meet with team members to set goals.
- Set goals that are measurable Be specific about the goals for the company and the individual team member and how you are going to measure them.
- Set deadlines for each team member Set clear deadlines for each of the goals and involved team members.
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1. Communicate the goals
Make transparency your signature, especially when communicating with your team. Believe it or not, most people can tell when you’re fibbing or, at least, trying to fib. Being vague can also be frustrating especially when you’re trying to get your team to do something or to align remote teams with company goals. Apart from checking in with your teams on a regular basis, remind them of the company goals and explain to them why they need to do their tasks and meet their targets. Knowing the “whys” aside from the “hows” and the “whats” can help motivate remote teams, help you manage teamwork, and galvanize employees to outperform themselves.
In order to align with the company goals particularly, it is essential that employees have an in-depth understanding of the organization’s vision; as in this case, it is the standard of the whole action. This makes communication a more critical factor than it usually is. Communication can be carried out using more than one avenue or tool. With the advancements in Internet connections and wireless hotspots, you can stay connected to teams and align remote teams with company goals through emails, voice calls, instant messaging, and video conference calls. Bitrix24 has an impressive array of communication tools that leaders and managers can use to be able to manage remote teams effectively.
2. Integrate goals into tasks
If you really want to align remote teams with company goals and ingrain those in your team’s psyche, be sure to break down or translate these goals into more specific actions that the team can work on. Create tasks that will directly help the company achieve its goals. For example, if one of the company’s goals is to receive high satisfaction ratings from customers, make empathy, build rapport and provide exceptional service the frame for their daily tasks, whether they’re assigned to email management, live chat, phone support, or face-to-face customer interactions.
Keep a close eye on exchanges and contacts to be better able to get the pulse of your customers. Use a reliable CRM system like the one Bitrix24 offers. Position a chat support widget on your home page or a responsive Contact Us section so you won’t keep anyone waiting. Update your knowledge base with the latest in customer service best practices to make certain that no one in your team is left behind when it comes to delivering only the most impressive kind of service to all of your customers.
3. Use tools to better manage remote teams
One of the surefire ways you can enrich the camaraderie, create stronger ties with everyone and encourage optimum performance in the workplace is to use tools and software built for the particular job. If you want to keep an eye on productivity, teamwork, and managing remote teams effectively, get software that can give you all the tools you need. With just one click, you can run reports to show you where you and your team are at in relation to the company goals. If you want more efficiency, create task templates and automated workflows, especially when it comes to repetitive jobs.
Bitrix24 is an all-in-one team collaboration software with all the tools you will need to manage remote teams effectively. You’ll be able to do all of the things that you need to do to align remote teams with company goals, and what makes Bitrix24 more impressive is that it’s available for use at no extra cost. Fostering teamwork, employee loyalty, and excellent service will be extremely easy if you have the right tools to hand.
4. Establish a standard to align remote teams with company goals
Some people learn better if you show them what to aim for or if you give them something, someone, to emulate. Instead of spoon feeding them the process, emphasize the results that you desire so they can maneuver their way to achieve them and to align remote teams with company goals. Set a standard. Give them the big picture so they have a clear understanding of company goals and let them use it as a template. The best way for any manager or business leader to do this is to lead by example.
If the company goals include perfect attendance, show up, and be ready for work at least 15 minutes early. If one of the company goals is to provide top-quality service to all customers, volunteer to take a few calls, chats, or emails from customers and have those interactions evaluated. Good or bad, share those evaluations with the rest of the team to show them what good and not-so-good customer service looks or sounds like. They will not only have a standard to follow; they will also have a respectable leader that they can look up to.
5. Assign tasks to achieve the goals
Little by little, one travels far. Bit by bit, your remote team will achieve the company goals. Another way to align remote teams with company goals and to manage remote teams effectively is to break down the bigger, more major goals into smaller, more manageable tasks. Spread them around and delegate these tasks to everyone for a more even remote team alignment. You can also create subtasks if you want to delegate more of the main goal to the rest of your remote team. You’ll be surprised to find that they have succeeded in meeting the company goals in no time at all and as one unit.
To assist you in keeping track of all the tasks and subtasks you create in the process of going from point A to point B, you can use Bitrix24’s mobile task management tools, perfect for when you need to align remote teams with company goals. With Bitrix24, you can track your team’s progress towards a task or project completion, use Kanban boards or Gantt charts to monitor what’s getting done and the amount of time it takes for each task to be completed. You’re guaranteed to never miss a deadline with Bitrix24.
6. Arm your team to meet the goals
If you want to align remote teams with company goals and see them succeed in meeting said goals, make certain that you have equipped them with everything they can possibly need. Whether it’s tools, skills, or the know-how, you can see to it that your remote team is not lacking or will not want for anything. Anticipating and providing for their needs in this manner is another way for you to manage remote teams effectively.
We’ve touched on Bitrix24 and its impressive collection of tools for perfected remote team alignment and remote team collaboration. You can use the knowledge base to train, re-train and update members of your team. Bitrix24 also has tools to aid you in helping your team meet company goals like online calendars, checklists, task trackers, workflow automation, attendance management, and payroll. If you’re looking for a holistic approach to manage remote teams effectively, look no further than Bitrix24.
The final alignment
It’s challenging enough getting everyone together for a meeting when you’re in one building and all working together in one bullpen. Imagine having to do that with remote teams. How about doing everything to align remote teams with company goals? Some managers have trouble allowing most of their team to do remote work, monitoring productivity, and checking the output for quality. Luckily, you won’t even have to wonder or grapple for where or how to begin.
We hope the contents of this article will help get you started. These tips, along with the various tools and resources available through Bitrix24, are everything you might need to align remote teams with company goals and help them succeed. And just like that, the great big world is not so big after all, and it will be as though your remote team is right there with you, and you’re more than able to manage remote teams effectively.
FAQ
What does it mean to align goals with those of the company?
To align goals with those of the company means having a substantially similar set of goals (for yourself or the team) to the company. This way, the teams are also working towards the overarching objectives of the top management.
The first step which is crucial to the alignment is having a well-defined vision set forth by the organization. The teams and individuals can follow along these lines and contribute a support force to the fulfillment of the company goals. In the end, the first key to alignment is a clear standard that is well understood by the teams and individuals.
How to align remote teams with company goals
Company goals and vision are usually too broad or general and individual or team goals might not jive with it if not with thorough guidance. For some managers, aligning their team’s goals with the goals of the company can be challenging enough even without the obstacles brought on by remote work thrown in as well. Making sure goals are aligned, being consistently worked on, and achieved little by little can mean hard work, but the results can more than make up for all the effort.
Take the time to sit down with your team so you can map out and define team goals and find out every person’s individual goals. From there, you can work on how to align remote teams with company goals. Next, we move on to the good part, which is what the majority of this article is all about. What follows are 6 tips that managers and business leaders can employ to ensure that they effectively align remote teams with company goals. Here’s how you can equip your team for success, track their progress, and make sure they’re properly compensated for their efforts. We also have tools and other recommendations for increased remote team collaboration and to help forerunners and other heads of teams manage remote teams effectively.