6 problems faced by virtual teams in new ways of working

SO WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? WE HEAR YOU ASK

Put simply most businesses don’t know that they have a problem (Let alone that there is a simple, effective, customisable solution available - but more on that later):

SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

Good question. BUT you forgot to add the ‘s’ to ‘problem’.

That’s ok though because you’ve taken the first step and we’ve been asked this a lot of late so, as you’d expect, we have the answers to this million-dollar question.

THE CONVERSATION Here's how the conversation goes with most of the businesses we talk to:   Us: Most businesses are heavily reliant on having quick access to information. Them: Sounds about right. Us: BUT few businesses manage their information in a way that enables their workers to access it quickly or efficiently. Them: Why? The fact is existing document management tools haven’t evolved to suit modern ‘digital’ workplaces. Them: How come? Us: Because, as digital workers we are now exposed to all types of information, from messages, collaborations, communications, decisions and approvals, to work history and performance reporting – not just files and documents. BUT there is no single place for this diverse information to be held. Them: So… Us: So, what happens is that a host of your business’ ideas, decisions, plans and files are scattered across a plethora of single-purpose apps and archaic folder structures – elevating the potential for and likelihood of this information being misplaced or lost. To top it all off it is still near impossible to get the right information delivered to the right people when they need it because access and security are either overly complex or worse, non- existent and silos inevitably develop. Ringing any bells? Them: …Yeah.

OK, LETS DIG A LITTLE DEEPER

Right, so with our initial consultation out of the way we can let you in on the 6 information management Pain Points that serve to frustrate workers and cost businesses time and money. See if any of these sound familiar to you:

1. SEARCHING FOR AND GATHERING INFORMATION IS A TIME-CONSUMING NIGHTMARE

Information is at the heart of working so it needs to be ever-present, quick to access, and delivered to the right people at the right time. However, according to a McKinsey report, workers spend an average 9.3 hours per week - over 20% of their business time - searching for and gathering the information they need to do their jobs.

2. IMPORTANT INFORMATION IS MISSING OR LOST

The 2018 'State of Digital Workplace' report found that 20% of employees have avoided or been unable to share a document with a colleague because it was difficult to find.

We've all been there - that moment when you're frantically trying to recall the name of a particular document so can search for something buried deep in an old email thread.

It always seems to happen just when you need it the most and never makes you look good to your colleagues or clients.You can almost empathise with people who decide to place sharing files in the too-hard basket.

3. ADMINISTRATING ACCESS AND SECURITY IS OVERLY COMPLEX OR NON-EXISTENT

If your workplace is document orientated it's likely that there are a few loopholes in your security and you're at risk of leaks.

Typically, businesses use folder-based document management systems - access to which is entirely dependent on a manual process in which staff set each file’s security rules.

So if one person has a tired or lazy day and doesn't comply with your naming conventions the whole system collapses.

4. INFORMATION IS CONTAINED AND ACCESSIBLE ONLY WITHIN SILOS

Smart companies break down silos by building cross-functional collaborative teams and they know that to achieve this, information, ideas and work need to flow more openly.

However, deconstructing document silos is a challenge for many businesses especially if your documents are in the traditional, vertical document file system - this almost guarantees a lack of transparency.

Also factor in that the location of the files – whether they be sitting on someone’s desktop, within third party software or among folder based cloud storage – determines that not everyone will have access to them.

5. YOUR FOLDERS STRUCTURES ARE A MESS AND YOU HAVE NO CONFIDENCE THAT THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE FOUND IS THE RIGHT VERSION

The 2018 'State of Digital Workplace' report also reported that nearly 25% of all workers take 5-10 minutes to find the most-recent version of a required document.

The problem is that when multiple employees’ work on the same document it can be difficult to know which is the most up to date version.

It is easy to understand a scenario where people are working from and making decisions based on defunct data and information.

6. INFORMATION IS NOT CONNECTED TO NEW WAYS OF WORKING

We all have some sort of experience working remotely and the experience is often met with mixed results.

A common problem for remote employees is one of searching for key information only to find out they cannot access it.

When it comes to connectivity for remote teams it is imperative that information, ideas and work are allowed to flow openly, as such access to all relevant information is a must.

Want more resources? 

1. Take a look at our second article on this topic: HOW TO OVERCOME REMOTE WORKING CHALLENGES THAT ARE COSTING YOU TIME AND MONEY.

2. Transitioning your team to remote working is a process. SIGN UP and receive our Remote Working Checklist directly to your Inbox. 

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