3 tips for effectively working remotely
- You have to have a great team to do this so tip #1 is build a great team so you can support each other
- Stay up to date with emails and avoid the email avalanche when you return to the office
- Use web based tools that make your job easier
What do you need to work remotely?
- Good hardware, that is your laptop or mobile device.
- Wireless Internet connection or WiFi
- Mobile phone
These are the software tools we use:
- Nautilus for updating our websites. Nearly all our clients use Nautilus which was designed by us to be a stress-free way for business owners and marketing professionals to use. Because its web based it can be used from any computer connected to the web.
- Mailroom, our easy to use, powerful solution to creating beautiful email marketing campaigns, managing subscribers and tracking the results.
- Skype for staying in touch with clients and talking amongst ourselves - its free, easy to use and doesn't tie up our phone line. We also use Skype with video for team meetings.
- Basecamp for managing our projects, collaborating with our team and with our clients.
- Highrise for tracking our client contact details, deals and followups.
- Xero for invoicing
- Blogger for writing articles
If you take your laptop or internet enabled mobile device with you, e.g. iPad, iPhone, Blackberry then you will be looking for WiFi access for your device. If you are traveling light then you need to source internet cafes and public internet access points along your route before you leave.
Using Wifi abroad
Check the data plans in the country you are traveling in and what your current NZ data plan charges for data roaming. Data roaming can be expensive depending on the country you are in, I have found data roaming on my plan in Austalia costs the same as here in NZ.
A good option in some countries is to purchase a prepay plan for data on one of the local networks. Again, you need to check before you go as each country can have very different options. For example, there are good plans available in the UK but in Canada (in Sept 2010) none of the networks offered data and international calls on a prepay plan.
Other tips
Having organised your software, laptop and WiFi access, there are a few little extra tips that will improve your experience of working remotely.
- Make your phone calls at mutually agreeable hours - check the timezone differences and watch out for weekeknds
- Use headphones with a microphone for best sound quality
- Use video (available with Skype) to personalise some of your calls
- Try to set aside a regular time each day to work
Welcome to freedom!
Send me your own tips.
These are not so much web based tool as windows based tools I use via the web. But 3 products that allow me to work remotely are:
ReplyDelete1) VPN (virtual private network). Our office server runs as a VPN server this means that I can connect from anywhere is the world and securely access spiral files as if I were plugged in to the office network but a little slower (due to everything going via the internet).
2) Sync Toy. A free tool from Microsoft that lets you set up folder sets to synchronise. I use this over the VPN to sync a local copy of each project I am working on with the spiral office server before and after working on it.
For me the combo of VPN and Sync Toy lets me work from home as efficiently as I do in the office. The first time a Sync is run on a folder it can be slow, but after that because only changes are transferred there isn’t much of a wait and because you are working on a local copy there is no lag while working.
3) Remote desktop. Lets you take control of a computer remotely. The server application (the one you need on the computer being controlled) comes standard in all professional versions of windows. The client application (the one you need on the computer taking control) comes with all windows. I use this to manage 2 servers that I have never even seen and others use it to access their workstations from home.
Then of course there are the communication and project management tools particularly Skype, Email and Basecamp mentioned in Audrey’s post that allow us to function as a team without always being in the same location.
Cain