Blue Paper: Keeping a Virtual Office on Task

Abstract

Running a virtual office can provide a highly flexible, inexpensive and productive environment for a small business. But managing remote staff and resources can be difficult. This blue paper outlines the challenges that a virtual office faces from purchasing and maintaining equipment to communicating and motivating secluded staff. And it provides insight on how we at BatchBlue Software are using new technologies and methodologies to stay on task.

Who should read this

Anyone considering starting a new business, any small business considering offering telecommuting options to its employees, or any small business working with remote staff, contractors or freelancers.

Setting up a virtual office

For a virtual office, the tools used to run the day-to-day operations become increasingly important. From equipment to integrated software systems, virtual offices rely on the latest and greatest technologies to keep the team connected and productive.

Equipment

Computers

For full-time salaried employees, it is traditional that the company provide a computer and all business software. Depending on the purchasing options and maintenance plan, each employee can determine his/her own computer preference (Mac vs. PC, Dell vs. HP, laptop vs. desktop, etc.), or the company can dictate what each employee receives. It can be significantly cheaper to purchase a number of computers at once from the same manufacturer, and if maintenance is being handled in-house, it makes sense to restrict everyone to the same type of computer and operating system. But one of the advantages of being a small, virtual office is offering the flexibility to staff of their computer environment of choice. And happy workers are productive workers, so flexibility is a good thing.

At BatchBlue we provide a laptop of choice for each full-time employee. We have a mix of Macs and Sony and PCs.

We also have one big-screen desktop (iMac) that we use for video conferencing (so we can see every subtle eye-brow furrow of the otherwise silent programmers) and for trade show displays. We also have a floating laptop that we loan out to contractors who may not have the right operating system, software version, or memory available to handle our heavy duty work.

Internet

The internet connection is typically arranged by the remote employees, as most current services are tied to other household services such as television cable, phone service, etc.  For virtual companies like BatchBlue that can use the home office as group meeting spot, a wireless network is essential.

Brian Jepson, editor at the highly respected and über geeky O’Reilly Media recommends using a mobile broadband card (a small appliance you plug into the side of your laptop that lets you get internet access anywhere you can use your cell phone). Most major cell phone providers sell these appliances as part of your monthly cell phone service (with an additional fee). In a video interview I did with Brian, he walks us through building one from a regular cell phone. Warning though, this is for the advanced technical users.

At BatchBlue, employees are responsible for selecting and arranging their own internet connection service. Staff are reimbursed for the monthly connection fee. All staff also have wireless routers in their homes, to facilitate group collaboration when necessary. For the mobile laptop connection, most staff rely on wireless hotspots at local libraries and coffee shops.

Phones

There are a number of services based around phone support that the infrastructure of a traditional office provides; the phones, call screening and routing by a receptionist, an answering system and fax services. For a remote office, the company is usually responsible for providing a phone and phone line, whether wired or cell. There are numerous virtual voicemail systems available that let small businesses purchase toll-free or local phone numbers and route them to dispersed employees. There are also electronic faxing services that handle both incoming and outgoing faxing services with a standard computer, scanner and inexpensive software.

At BatchBlue we provide most staff with an iPhone. Some use a blackberry. We use a virtual voicemail system—GotVMail. We purchased a toll-free 888 phone number that is used as our permanent company phone number. The voicemail system routes callers who type in a staff person’s extension directly to that person’s cell phone. We use Star Conferencing for our conference call service. We use eFax service for all incoming faxes. Faxes sent to our company fax number are sent via e-mail to an admin who forwards it to the appropriate person when needed. For outgoing faxes we keep one machine at the central home office (the president’s house). We send less than 1 fax a month.

Maintenance

One of the biggest challenges of running a virtual office is managing the far-flung production equipment: maintaining computers, installing upgrades antivirus protections, troubleshooting, installing new software, etc. There are many ways to handle the day-to-day maintenance. If there is anyone on staff who is particularly technical, he or she can field minor troubleshooting, though it should be a part of that person’s job description. For non-technical companies, a companywide account with a local tech service such as Best Buy’s Geek Squad gives folks a resource. And most retailers and/or manufacturers offer a service plan for troubleshooting hardware problems. The best defense may be a good offense. Invest in new equipment as often as possible—upgrade computers and software frequently to keep time-wasting troubleshooting and expensive repairs to a minimum. Also helpful for avoiding complicated software maintenance is using software as a service (Saas) applications. These software products range from CRM to payroll management. Because all software is hosted on the Internet and maintained by the manufacturer, there is no maintenance, upgrades or back-up required. SmallBizTechnology.com posted a “support options” article which describes and compares several good small business options for in person or remote tech support.

At BatchBlue, staff are responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of their computers and other electronics, such as maintaining virus protection, setting up wireless networks, etc. If there are any hardware or software problems, our VP of Technology takes a first pass. For more serious issues, we maintain a service plan on the computers—Apple, Sony or HP gets them back (one reason the Apple store gets the majority of our business—walking into a store and troubleshooting with their tech reps is unsurprisingly the most efficient). We provide a new laptop every 1.5 - 2 years, whether the old laptop is defunct or not. We provide all software, the majority of which is web-based software as a service.

Collaboration Tools

The computers, phones and other office equipment provide the backbone of our office environment. But the real work happens in the virtual collaboration tools we use to share information, communicate and manage our various products.

Communications

Particularly challenging for staff in a virtual office is the inability to just run next door to ask a co-worker a question. Instead, and in many cases for the better, virtual workers use a variety of online messaging tools to communicate with each other. For real-time conversations, instant messaging (IM) software allows users to send messages back-and-forth instantly. Video conferencing allows a real-time conversation, including the invaluable inclusion of subtle facial expressions and voice nuances. E-mail offers a more traditional and documentable means for communicating. Web-based e-mail (hosted on the Internet as opposed to on the hard drive of a user’s computer) provides more flexible access and reliable back-ups.

Hilary Mason, a computer science professor at Johnson and Wales University, explains that she favors group collaboration using Second Life. Second Life is an online virtual reality world complete with computer animated versions of yourself called avatars that interact in an astoundingly “real-world” way.

At BatchBlue we use Skype instant messaging service for day-to-day communication. We keep a list of all staff Skype user names in our BatchBook account so new staff can easily hook up with the group. For the most part, we use web-based Gmail to access BatchBlue e-mail accounts as well as numerous other personal accounts. Gmail allows you to maintain numerous mail accounts in one place, accessed over the Internet. For meetings, we use AIM video chat to patch in the long-distance BatchBluers. Because we have one person in NYC and one in Seattle, we chose AIM because it allows us to  run two remote conversations simultaneously.

Contact Management/CRM

A small business’s people network is its lifeblood. And keeping track of the ever-changing contact information across a network of co-workers can be a real challenge. Another challenge of any small business, but especially a virtual office, is keeping an up-to-date record of all communications happening between staff and customers, vendors or other business contacts. An online CRM (customer relationship management) system allows each staff person to keep a log of all e-mails, phone conversations, deadline promises and water cooler updates in one central place.

At BatchBlue—no surprise here—but we all use BatchBook religiously. We have set up custom profiles for employees (so we can keep a record of their Skype user name, work schedule, etc.), bloggers (need to know their blog URL and favorite topics), and friends who have referred a contact. We document as much of our communications as possible so that all staff get a quick glimpse of the ongoing relationship we have with a power user, vendor, press contact or doting mom.

Document Sharing

Small businesses no longer need to invest in expensive remote server solutions. The Internet is becoming a virtual company’s limitless network. There are a number of tools available for sharing documents, collaborating on new developments and managing project timelines. The advantage of these web-based collaboration tools is that the ability to collaborate on work is not restricted by compatible computer systems or software. And information is accessible at any time (for the 3:00AM epiphanies) and automatically saved, stored and backed up. Now a coffee spill in the laptop no longer means expensive recovery efforts or devastating data loss. It just means switching to a new computer and sending the dead duck back for service.

At BatchBlue we use a few products for organizing and sharing our information. We use integrated bug-tracking wiki software by Trac. We use the wiki as a repository for numerous administrative and technical documents. We also use Google Docs to share documents across the team. You can work with word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software. We also use Basecamp for project management. We tend to keep most of our technical information on our side, but use Basecamp to schedule project milestones and refer back to the documents we are maintaining.

Knowledge Sharing

Knowledge sharing can be tricky in both a virtual and brick-and-mortar environment. There is the subtle sharing of intrinsic knowledge workers develop in their day-to-day problem-solving routines. There is also the more formal process of recommending good white papers, seminars, articles or blogs or even summarizing information from one of these resources into bite-size pieces for the team.

At BatchBlue we share information on troubleshooting BatchBook inquiries in knowledgebase. We have established a budget for staff to use to purchase any professional guides, manuals or tutorials. We maintain a list of all books purchased (and staff’s personal stock) as well as blog recommendations on the wiki to encourage sharing. We also subscribe to an online library of technical books called Safari Online Books.

Setting up guidelines

New employee orientation

One challenge is quickly bringing new staff up to speed on all of the tools being used and getting them set up quickly with an account for each. If you don’t have the luxury of spending a few days walking him or her through all of the company’s tools and procedures, you must rely on a well-documented list of the formal practices (how to sign up for 401K, how to request vacation time, etc.), tools you use and login information (see all above), and informal “good to knows” (who takes notes at meetings (we rotate), who orders new books, etc.).

At BatchBlue we send out a new employee e-mail that lists all tools that we are using and what we use it for. It includes any login information the new employees needs to access an account (for e-mail, etc.). We also detail out the general schedule for the week (staff meeting time, departmental meeting times, etc.). And a brief description of what each team member is handling—as with most small businesses, that is not always immediately obvious from the job titles.

Work Schedules

A primary benefit of a virtual company is the flexible work schedule. It is important that employees have some flexibility to work around whatever “life tasks” are important to them; school pick-ups, exercise routine, doctor’s appointments, etc. But it is also important to maintain some sort of a reliable schedule for each employee and across the team.

At BatchBlue staff all post their daily schedule in a custom profile in BatchBook. We also have a company wide schedule. We call it the parenting schedule—since it tends to fill in the gaps of school times and bed times. It is important to have some consistent “work times” for scheduling meetings, working with clients, etc. 

Vacation Policy

Because virtual employee’s work life is so intertwined with their home life, we think it is essential that they take periodic breaks from the professional expectations and live their lives.

At BatchBlue each employee is required to take one week a quarter off, with an additional “floating” week of vacation. So all salaried employees, no matter how long they have been with the company, no matter what their job title (down time should not be a perk or an incentive, it should be a requirement) gets 5 weeks off, but they must spread it out throughout the year. And the motto is, “if you are off, you are off”. No checking e-mails, no calling in, no uploading a quick file. For the employee’s sake and for the company’s it is important that staff unplug regularly. Call it detox for the blackberry addictions that particularly afflict hyper-mobile virtual employees. Not to mention that having a staff person completely MIA forces the rest of the team to cover that person’s work—which ensures better documentation and more people familiar with the ongoing essentials.

Social Time

Particularly challenging for employees in a virtual office is the loss of time for socialization. In a work environment, the social time is where bonds between employees form and become the fabric that holds the company together. Whether it is group lunches, formal meetings, informal office visits or company sponsored happy hours, it is the relationships fostered in these fun times that help get the team through the hard times.

At BatchBlue local staff meet as a team at least weekly (and video conference in the two remote staff) and budget in extra time for lunch/breakfast/coffee to foster some group down time. We bring the remote staff across country at least quarterly and schedule in group work and social time. And we have numerous informal meet-ups at the local coffee shops or in each other’s dining rooms, and we make an effort to attend local events in groups.