Back in the day, remote work was considered a flexible privilege that not many workers enjoyed. Last year, unfortunately, we were forced to make a switch. Some would say that this was a switch for the worse, but the vast majority agree that remote work is the future of work.

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

You have also probably realized how beneficial the remote way of working can be for your eCommerce business, but working remotely isn’t that easy.

If you want to have an eCommerce business and sell online, you need to build an online presence, come up with great products, but there is also the aspect of managing your remote team and keeping them engaged.

Organize Virtual Events

A lot of people have gone online since the start of the pandemic, so this trend has to be used to your advantage. As a business, you should try to attract customers through online events that you can organize.

Try to use the power of social tools and create interactive online experiences. This is what can help you increase engagement, create a great branded experience, and provide better ROI for your clients.

It would be wise to consider creative virtual event ideas that would align well with your business and its nature, so take a look at some ideas that have worked for others:

Sponsor demos

Businesses sponsor events for the chance to promote their product to their target audience. However, just because an event is virtual doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to find a sponsor or even reach out to a company willing to host your event.

Add chats

Various businesses have hosted great virtual events where they embedded live Q&A, chat, and polling features into the video player. This allowed attendees to interact with executives, speakers, and their content experts in real-time.

Set up a virtual engagement zone

A virtual engagement zone that was featured during one RockIt event included a virtual photo booth, gamification, live music, and more. The virtual photo booth allowed attendees to upload or customize a picture, gif, or boomerang with a range of stickers, backgrounds, and photo frames.

Say No To Micromanagement

This is a huge mistake many managers make when dealing with remote employees. They try to micromanage them remotely.

Just because you are not sharing the same room while working doesn’t mean that you aren’t in control. If you have a request or a question, type in a few words and send the message on your collaboration platform or through chat apps like Slack.

Don’t be a helicopter boss. Instead, show that you really care about the team members by trusting they’re using their time well. Remote work provides employees with flexibility, but not everyone can complete the same task with the same level of quality in the same amount of time.

Focus on what your employees produce rather than focusing on surveillance or time tracking.

Stay Connected

Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay

Communication is crucial when things go online. When you all work remotely, you need to maintain a great level of communication.

As the main man of the company, you have to put the focus here. This is your chance to make progress, so don’t see it as just a challenge. Your employees should feel your support and confidence, that is how you all will get the work done.

As it was mentioned before, Slack and similar apps can help you with communication. This is a chat app that is used by thousands of companies from all around the globe. It allows quick and easy communication between team members while enabling you to check in with employees to connect and collaborate, as well as encourage conversation.

Use Your Work Hours Well

A business in the eCommerce industry that is run remotely needs to make every working hour count.

The key to this achievement is good time management. If you have employees who are prone to being late or falling behind when working on projects, you will have to use various time management tools.

Time management tools can help your remote team by boosting efficiency and productivity while reducing procrastination and ensuring that work is delivered on time.

Many companies praise the following software solutions in the given field, such as Toggl, Trello, or Zapier. Toggl, particularly, stands out since it has its own time-tracking reporting tool. Trello, on the other hand, provides a nice visual overview of where your employees stand when working on a project.

Invest In Your Remote Team, But Creatively

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

The best bit about the remote way of working is that your business doesn’t have the associated costs of physical overhead. That’s why you should consider using that extra cash to reward your remote team members or put that money toward making your workers’ lives better.

Invest in your staff and you will build trust, promote productivity, and optimize team happiness.

These are some of the ways that you can do this:

• Hand out a bonus every now and then (when the performance is good).
• Buy courses that will help them improve their skills.
• Provide a monthly stipend that covers the costs of food and drinks (for those that prefer to work from coffee shops).
• Invest in their hardware and software (this will benefit the company too).

Final Words

Remember, your eCommerce business will be as effective as your remote team that is running the show. As a leader, lead by example but also invest in tools and strategies that will help you all act better as a single unit.