How to work with a Virtual Team

When working with clients and/or business partners that are hundreds of miles apart, it is crucial to understand how to use virtual meetings.

Here are a few suggestions.

1. Instant Messaging

I’m sure you’ve used them to keep in touch with family and friends. Who says you can’t use it for business? With IM’s you can see everyone’s message and collaborate just as if you were in an in-person meeting. You can categorize each person by lists, such as friends, family, co-workers, business partners, and so forth. Most IM's will allow you to save the chat for future reference. You can also share files and folders as well as view each other on a webcam if desired. The only tricky side to all this is that everyone has to have the same program running on their computer.

2. Set up a Virtual Office

Having a teamwork agenda is a great way to keep up-to-date with what’s going on and what needs attention. You can manage this agenda by creating a SharePoint site that your team can use and access it to update calendars, reports, add to do lists and organize documents. Microsoft SharePoint is a collaboration site and has many customizable features that you can use to fit your business needs. You can get alerts when someone changes or updates a document. You can set up a SharePoint site using Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server by clicking here.

3. Virtual Conference Room

Make a slide show presentation, have a staff meeting, brainstorm, or even train a group of people by using a web-based conference. Everyone can see the same information at the same time, as if you were all in the same room. With Microsoft Office Live Meeting, you can share files and documents and even save the presentation for someone who wasn’t able to attend the meeting. Prices vary by the term you accept which can be per month, minute, or per user basis. All you need is a computer with internet access and a phone.