83% of eCommerce businesses are planning to increase consultants or intermittent employees over the next three years.
Building a successful virtual team can be a challenge because you need to create a corporate culture remotely.
But, communication is the key!
Communication is the top priority for business owners when working with a remote team for eCommerce. While over communication might sound a bit weird, it builds the foundation for success, especially in a remote environment where you’re working to achieve a common goal. Here are some tried and tested tips to manage your virtual eCommerce team in 2021.
Set Up a Meeting Rhythm
Regular meetings are critical during the initial days to ensure that your virtual eCommerce team understands more about your business and your expectations. Whether you’re comfortable with, weekly or daily, make sure to state the purpose of every communication. Ask your team to track the minutes of the meeting to ensure every team member understands what’s expected of them.
Have your Calendar Available
Have your calendar available to your remote team. Let your team know the right time to reach you. Your virtual team will be able to see when you are available to answer questions or when you’re wrapped up in a client meeting, without the need to ping you every time to get your attention. Don’t forget to block off a suitable time for your remote team to get in touch with you.
Set Clear Expectations
You might have your expectations clear in your mind. But, articulating them to a virtual eCommerce team member is easier said than done. Establish crystal clear expectations for your remote team. Ensure your expectations are in detail and documented. Be as informative as you can, which means you need to Include every detail regarding the working hours, reporting times, deadlines, and the tools.
Be Specific about the Deadlines
Whether you need it on Wednesday or by the end of the week, be explicit with your deadlines. While you think it’s obvious, there are many such situations where you may miss out on making it clear to your team, and get annoyed when it’s not completed on time. Don’t forget to ask your remote team, if the task is manageable within the timeframe you’ve set up for it.
Agree upon a Process
Creating a process for your virtual eCommerce team to follow will ensure that everyone is on the same page no matter where in the world they’re. This creates efficiency and means that everything from eStore management to the product listing and copywriting is done to the highest standard. How will you share information? How are you going to issue instructions? Will you make sure not to miss out on the tasks? Discussing all these upfront will reduce the chance of anything going wrong in the future.
Don’t Just Type, Talk!
Sometimes a face to face conversation might be a good idea to take your message across quickly. In real-time, 93% of communication is non-verbal, then imagine its importance in a remote environment. Having a Zoom call or any video conferencing with your virtual assistants for eCommerce can prevent hours of back and forth chat over Slack. Google hangout video call has an added advantage. With a Slack integration, you can immediately set up a Hangout to talk over any issue. You can also set up a “portal” where your eCommerce remote assistants can tune into for quick conversation.
Set Targets
According to a study by psychologist Gail Matthew, when people have written goals, they were 33% more successful in achieving them.
Set the KPIs based on the tasks they need to accomplish. For Instance, It will be the number of sales per month for your sales team. In contrast, It will be the number of profitable products and the winning deals for the product sourcing team. Moreover, documenting it will motivate your remote to work towards achieving them.
Track Progress
Do make a point to track their progress. But how to do it effectively without micromanaging your remote team?
You can use tools such as Asana and Trello. These tools are excellent task management boards that allow your team to log every step of the process. Several such online management tools are not intrusive with your remote team’s everyday activities yet are compelling enough to ensure the project runs at the needed pace.
Use the Right Tools
You can’t hire a remote assistants for eCommerce and skimp out on the tools they need to get the work done quickly. So, along with your well-defined expectations, provide the right tools that will save your team from delays and frustration.
You can always rely on your good old email, but it’s not the best for two-way communication. Instead, why not opt for tools where your virtual eCommerce team can openly communicate with you and their colleagues? Give your team the experience of working in an office with tools such as Google Drive, Slack, Zoom, Dropbox, and Trello. Research the right tools you need for your team. You have to keep it simple, and don’t forget to train your team on using the tools.
Encourage and Reward
If you’d like your virtual eCommerce team to add more value to your business, encourage them to be proactive and reward them for their efforts. Appreciate their success, completed timelines, and reward skills in review meetings. Moreover, having regular reviews will allow you to discuss any concerns. Don’t forget to be clear about the changes that need to be made.
Final Thoughts
While you would like to think the remote setup in the pandemic crisis could be temporary. We’re sure by now; it’s here to stay.
That means remote working might evolve and become the mainstream. So, suppose you wish to build your eCommerce business during this post-pandemic era and expand it across countries. In that case, you have to adapt to remote working and focus on building a successful virtual eCommerce team.
Do you still think you need hands-on help manage a virtual team?
We can Help –
Vserve is a one-stop solution for all your eCommerce virtual assistant needs. We have experts to get it all done while you sit back and relax. Additionally, trust Vserve virtual assistant services to deliver the needed assistance to manage virtual eCommerce team with a dedicated program manager and 24*7 support.
Interesting posts to read:
7 Ways an eCommerce Virtual Assistant Can Boost your Business Performance
Why Do Most eCommerce Businesses Outsource Product Description Writing?
