{"id":138,"date":"2018-08-08T13:40:10","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T13:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/?p=138"},"modified":"2019-08-12T11:05:12","modified_gmt":"2019-08-12T11:05:12","slug":"how-to-integrate-remote-teams-using-onboarding-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/articles\/how-to-integrate-remote-teams-using-onboarding-software\/","title":{"rendered":"How to integrate remote teams using onboarding software"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_1' class='avia-section main_color avia-section-default avia-no-shadow avia-bg-style-scroll   container_wrap fullsize' style = 'background-color: #00bbe5; '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-138'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div style='padding-bottom:40px;color:#ffffff;font-size:72px;' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h1 custom-color-heading blockquote modern-quote  av-inherit-size '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >How to integrate remote teams using onboarding software<\/h1><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' style='border-color:#ffffff'><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><form action=\"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/articles\/how-to-integrate-remote-teams-using-onboarding-software\/\" method=\"post\"  data-av-custom-send='mailchimp_send' class=\"avia_ajax_form av-form-labels-visible   av-custom-form-color av-light-form avia-mailchimp-form \" data-avia-form-id=\"1\" data-avia-redirect=''><fieldset><p class=' first_form  form_element form_element_three_fourth' id='element_avia_0_1'><label for=\"avia_0_1\">Enter your work email address <abbr class=\"required\" title=\"required\">*<\/abbr><\/label> <input name=\"avia_0_1\" class=\"text_input is_email\" type=\"text\" id=\"avia_0_1\" value=\"\" \/><\/p><p class=\"form_element  form_element form_element_fourth av-last-visible-form-element modified_width\"><input type=\"hidden\" value=\"1\" name=\"avia_generated_form1\" \/><input type=\"submit\" value=\"Get customer service advice\" class=\"button\"  data-sending-label=\"Sending\"\/><\/p><p class=\"hidden\"><input type=\"text\" name=\"avia_avia_username_1\" class=\"hidden \" id=\"avia_avia_username_1\" value=\"\" \/><\/p><\/fieldset><\/form><div id=\"ajaxresponse_1\" class=\"ajaxresponse ajaxresponse_1 hidden\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_2' class='avia-section main_color avia-section-default avia-no-shadow avia-bg-style-scroll   container_wrap fullsize'   ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-138'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re the leader of a remote team, you already rely on online tools more than most. You use them to transfer information and help teams stay connected, to one another and the company\u2019s purpose. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The rules of engagement all start at the onboarding stage. However, teaching new remote employees about your company, your team, and their new role within both, can be a challenge. Especially when you\u2019re not there with them in person. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luckily, you don\u2019t need to be. With the right onboarding software, <\/span>you can deliver effective training to new teammates from Anywhere. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This will enable you to: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instil your company culture in new team members<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Present learning in a structured and engaging way<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offer transparency and open communication channels <\/span>AND<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pave the way for continual learning.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s start from the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Company culture isn&#8217;t confined to the office<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mention the importance of company culture, and your teammates will nod along in unison. Ask them to describe it, though, and you\u2019ll probably get a different answer from each.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Company culture is the first thing you share with new team members during onboarding. Everybody likes some background before engaging\u00a0with a story, but company culture can be hard to pin down.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every company has their own mission, values, way of doing things, and reasons why. But what does that mean in practice? How does it affect new team members, and how they do their jobs?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The above are relevant questions for any new employee. They&#8217;re even more urgent, however, to those joining remote teams. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remote workers can\u2019t easily slip into the company culture by default of being in the office. Even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/anywhereworks.com\/resources\/articles\/staying-sociable-when-working-anywhere\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the word \u2018remote\u2019 evokes a person out there on their own<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Maybe they think that culture doesn\u2019t apply to them?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The right onboarding software will nip that notion in the bud. It will do so by helping you deliver training to remote team members that\u2019s as thorough and culture-oriented as that of their their cubicle-dwelling counterparts. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have an introductory video to your organization, drop it into your onboarding course. If there\u2019s certain software your team favours, create step-by-step guides to teach new members the basics. Use instant messaging to put them in touch with their new teammates, and colleagues around the company, so they know who to reach out to in given situations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the authors of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Remote-Office-Required-Jason-Fried\/dp\/0804137501\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remote<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, say the best company cultures come from the actions people take. As the leader of a remote team, you\u2019ll know these actions can happen Anywhere. You only have to enable them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Work is what you do, not where you do it.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Keep it professional<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIs this a real company?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s the question every leader of a remote team strives to avoid when they\u2019re onboarding &#8211; whether it\u2019s spoken or otherwise. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making a good first impression is as important to a business as it is to the new team members joining them. Companies want a well-trained, loyal team. Employees who have enjoy structured onboarding program are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/theyec\/2015\/05\/29\/how-to-get-employee-onboarding-right\/#4527e207407b\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">58% more likely to be with the company after three years<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just because you\u2019re not standing in front of a PowerPoint holding the clicker, doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t present your organization as a sleek, professional outfit new joiners will be excited to get started with. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the right onboarding software, you can move your entire onboarding process online. Create courses tailored to your new team, and prioritize learning based on the things they <\/span>need to know<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Build lessons on background and company overviews. Move through their department and their role, all the way to the tasks they\u2019ll be expected to complete on the day-to-day and the tools they\u2019ll be using to do so. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use videos &#8211; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/smallbiztrends.com\/2016\/10\/video-marketing-statistics.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the internet\u2019s favourite medium<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; articles, podcasts, and more to keep lessons fresh and help make sure your team members are retaining the information they\u2019ll need later. You can even create onboarding pop-quizzes, that way <\/span>you\u2019ll know they have<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This all takes place under your company\u2019s banner &#8211; onboarding software allows to add your branding to your online learning portal, to reassure your new team members that everything is official and above board.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s amazing what a little branding can do!<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Over-communication is undervalued <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communication and transparency are vital to the success of any team, no matter the size, structure, or space they work from. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone needs to know what everyone else is doing. It helps inform what tasks team members prioritize for themselves, who to ask for certain information, and what is expected of them as individuals within a unit. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In remote teams, this information should be shared again and again. If you feel like you\u2019re tending towards over-communication,<\/span> that\u2019s good<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lots of people have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/open.buffer.com\/trust-remote-team\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reservations about how much work is getting done<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in remote teams, and accountability and transparency are important to building trust &#8211; the deciding factor in whether a remote team functions, or falls apart. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s pretty easy to understand why: if you\u2019re being relied on by other people to complete certain tasks, you\u2019re far more likely to do just that &#8211; <\/span>nobody wants to let the team down<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That\u2019s true whether your teammates are in another cubicle or another country. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s crucial new members of remote teams understand this from the offset, and what better way to start than with an open and transparent onboarding process? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Onboarding software offers instant messaging, as well as forums for each lesson, so opinions and ideas can be exchanged. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Rate-and-review\u2019 features let new joiners share their takeaways with teammates, and means you\u2019ll know whether they\u2019ve properly understood and processed the lessons you\u2019ve set out. No more glazed eyes and robotic nods that they \u2018get\u2019 it!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can monitor your new joiners\u2019 progress from afar, tracking what percentage of each course they still have to complete, so everybody knows how things are going. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That way your team can pitch in and pick up the slack if necessary, and everyone in the organization will know what a great job you\u2019re doing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Finish what you started<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve just onboarded new members to your remote team using your shiny new onboarding software. Your new teammates are educated, energized, and eager to get to work. That\u2019s great, but it\u2019s important the learning process doesn\u2019t stop there. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Too many companies <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/collegeforamerica.org\/onboarding-process-inspire-learning-mindset\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">treat onboarding as a transaction<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; give your new employees a couple of days of training, and away they go. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But learning isn\u2019t finite. There\u2019s no maximum capacity for knowledge in life, just as there shouldn\u2019t be in the workplace. Learning is a lifelong process of bettering yourself as an employee and a person. It\u2019s a commitment you owe to your team. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once your new remote team know the ropes, it\u2019s important to foster a culture of continual learning, and, happily, online learning software isn\u2019t for onboarding alone. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With online learning software you can make new remote team members admins to your account so they can share the knowledge they think will be useful to the rest of the team, offer points per lesson to encourage gentle competition, and set weekly learning targets for your team to hit. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more knowledge new remote team members explore and share, the better equipped they\u2019ll be to operate as individuals and part of a team, <\/span>no matter where they are in the world<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a reminder, the essential steps for onboarding remote teams are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establishing culture<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using organizational branding to lend comfort and legitimacy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encouraging over communication<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Embracing continual learning<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><div class='avia-button-wrap avia-button-center '><a href='https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/' class='avia-button avia-button-fullwidth   avia-icon_select-no avia-color-theme-color '  style='color:#ffffff; ' ><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Learn more about onboarding remote teams, and using onboarding software<\/span><div class='av-button-description av-button-description-below'><p>Get started with AdaptiveU for free today<\/p>\n<\/div><span class='avia_button_background avia-button avia-button-fullwidth avia-color-custom' style='background-color:#f56956; '><\/span><\/a><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237,"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138\/revisions\/237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adaptiveu.io\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}