Having a business partner in another city or country can seem daunting when deciding whether or not take on the opportunity together (or to continue as partners if one is moving away). However, with today’s technologies and available services, it is possible to stay coordinated as a team and continue ‘business as usual’.
Here are some guidelines to follow and tips about technologies you can use to stay in touch virtually.
Keep a centralized phone number for all your clients.
Having different area codes and different methods of reaching business personnel will show a lack of unity in front of your customers and prospects. The best thing to do is to make it easy for everyone involved by having one phone number at a central location, preferably where your head office is located. Once callers get through to the main line, they can be re-routed to whomever they need to speak to, or whatever department can be of help to them. This can be done either with an automated, pre-recorded answering system, or even better with a live virtual receptionist with the technology to seamlessly transfer calls to any number after speaking to the caller and finding out who or which department your customer is truly looking for.
Use conferencing equipment.
Even if you are a start up and don’t have a physical office space yet, it is important to make sure you conduct and participate in regular business meetings or risk losing vital communication between the parties involved in running the business. Teleconferencing and videoconferencing equipment is available for rent by the hour or day at business centres in most major cities across the world. If you find such a service in one city, be sure to ask them for a good referral in another city, since their networks can be large. The equipment can be set up in a boardroom so you can have many attendants, or in a private office, so you can hold confidential discussions with the key players at your company. With the excellent visual clarity available now, videoconferencing is the next best thing to a face-to-face meeting.
Use admin support at one location.
The most critical part about running a business with remotely located partners is communication. It counts in the big things as well as the little things. With important documents such as company databases, document files, or even simple things like the company letterhead and font used, it is best if they are handled in one place, with one overseer who can act as the communicating channel to everyone else connecting to the ‘hub’. We’re not saying that one person has control over the activities, but that certainly there needs to be a central coordination of the administrative support services so that documents are not misplaced, and instructions are always clearly followed, however menial the task may be. If you are concerned about a conflict of interest, seriously consider outsourcing administrative support to a third-party, such as a virtual assistance company.
Hold in-person meetings.
Despite technologies, and the beauty of their convenience, it goes without saying that face-to-face meetings are always best for collaboration and a sense of belonging in a partnership. In order to avoid one partner feeling left out of the loop, which can lead to business trouble down the road, it is important that all the team players make a point of meeting on a regular schedule, in-person. Inform each other about what you’ve all been doing to advance the company, and what conversations you’ve had with outsiders, or team members that will affect key decisions down the road.
Be as inclusive as possible.
Since business travel will be necessary in this scenario, the importance of a centralized phone number and virtual office service becomes even more pertinent. Renting a boardroom for a day or hour may be necessary in a meet-up city where you don’t have permanent office space. The virtual office service will also be able to send voicemails to e-mails, so you can stay in touch with business at home.
In short – don’t give up! It’s possible to stay cohesive and maintain that valuable partnership that brought your business to where it is today!
