Remote work has brought us many different benefits. They can be seen in our personal lives as remote workers, but employers can experience them as well. However, there are also some problems that can occur that aren’t present in the on-site environment.
When it comes to PR teams, there are a ton of processes that we must organize and work on, yet connectivity issues can prevent us from being effective. None of the problems, such as connectivity issues, are directly a con of remote work, but workers from home can experience them the most.
If your PR company or team is suffering from connectivity issues, there are a number of ways to solve them. However, you should start by analyzing the cause of problems and then choosing the appropriate way to solve them.
Common barriers for remote PR teams
When operating in a field such as public relations, there are a lot of reasons why to work remotely. For example, to provide the company with the possibility of hiring talented international experts and interns.
However, this is exactly what causes a lot of problems. For example, if your company is stationed in America, employees from Europe will be sleeping while you’re working. On the other hand, some parts of the world don’t have stable internet access.
Inconsistent internet access needs to be communicated to the team leaders and recruiters in order to prevent more important problems down the line. The reasons behind inconsistent internet access can be because of weather conditions, power shortages, or internet restrictions.
Sometimes, employees have good enough internet, yet it’s simply not enough for large-scale operations, resource-demanding software, and large files.
Internet problems can then cause other unwanted situations, such as difficulties with real-time collaboration and file-sharing delays.
Many remote workers love to travel, and who can blame them? However, this means that they have to rely on cafe and hotel Wi-Fi which aren’t always fast, safe, and reliable. This can be easily solved with eSIMs, which we will later cover in the article.
5 ways to solve connectivity issues
The problem of connectivity issues can be solved simply by getting better internet. This solution is obvious, but there are a lot of complexities surrounding this.
For digital nomads and people who work away from home, getting better internet can be expensive and problematic.
This list should help you remove some of the most common causes of connectivity issues and improve your productivity.
eSIM for digital nomads
If you’ve used a mobile phone, then you’ve used a SIM card. However, there’s a new type of SIM card that is completely electronic. This means that you don’t have to physically put them on your phone, you can’t lose them, and you’re activating them digitally.
But, besides the convenience of not having to worry about losing them, there are also innovative companies who offer a lot more benefits if you pick their eSIM than traditional providers.
These eSIM providers have customizable plans that allow you to pick the number of days and cards to rent. They often have unlimited data and great features and are reliable in a number of supported locations.
For example, you’ve decided to travel to a team meetup in Australia. Instead of having to chase good Wi-Fi there, you can simply subscribe to a plan. Choose a prepaid eSIM for your trip to Australia, and you’ll have a reliable connection for your personal and professional business.
In the context of connectivity issues for PR teams, this will provide you and your team with seamless communication even when traveling. Furthermore, eSIM cards can solve problems with cable internet connection.
Better home internet
One of the most obvious solutions to connectivity problems is simply arranging a better deal with your internet providers. This is applicable if remote team members are working from their homes rather than in cafes or libraries.
In situations in which your team members are using poor internet as an excuse for unfinished work, motivating them to get better internet through a financial incentive can improve their productivity and effectiveness.
This investment can seem unnecessary, but if you have a great employee who isn’t able to work properly, it can pay off. For example, if a client has a video call with them and the poor internet is making the discussion incomprehensible, this can lead to a negative reputation and even losing a client.
Reliable communication tools
If you’re leveraging communication tools that aren’t meant for business operations, e.g. WhatsApp and Messenger, it would be best if you could switch to more reliable options.
There are numerous communication tools, both free and paid, that are packed with features, yet they don’t require an exceptional internet connection. There are great instant messaging options that are targeted toward remote businesses, such as Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
PR teams can use the group chat or video call features to have meetings and organize their operations better. Many of these platforms are adaptive to low bandwidth, prioritizing audio over video if the connection is weak.
Furthermore, they have built-in features for recording calls, allowing team members to learn from meetings async. While email, because of its more formal nature, has some downsides compared to both video calls and instant messaging, it’s an important communication tool.
Email messages can be stored locally, allowing employees to access information even without the internet. Employees can also schedule emails, allowing them to be punctual and communicate if they’re going to experience an internet outage.
Email drafts are also great for working offline. You can write and do the majority of work without a connection, allowing you to be productive even during an outage.
Asynchronous communication
Async policies are an important aspect of remote work companies. They refer to the idea of communication without the need for an immediate response. They are often implemented in order to provide employees with greater flexibility.
However, when it comes to teams that have connectivity problems, they can also serve as a way to provide more realistic expectations. For example, instant messages and emails would have a certain time frame during which it’s expected to respond to them.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that employees will be allowed to miss deadlines or take a week or more to respond. Instead, a deadline of up to two business days is more realistic.
To improve your communication, leveraging tools such as Loom for short videos can be extremely useful. This way, employees will be able to rewatch useful videos, and avoid the problems that can be caused by connectivity issues paired with video calls.
Shared document platforms such as WeTransfer, Google Docs, and Dropbox are also great for async collaboration and communication. Users can upload a document once they finish their tasks, allowing others to continue working at their own pace.
Better project organization
If you have a number of team members who have connectivity issues, organizing projects in order to address this can significantly boost your productivity. Tools like Asana, ClickUp, Trello, and Jira can provide your team with an easy way to handle and assign tasks.
Better project organization can also be achieved without the use of any tools. Better communication, clearer policies, and deadlines can all help in making collaborative work more streamlined.
For example, if there’s an email copywriter in your team who isn’t able to work after 12 PM their time because of internet restrictions, and you have a graphic designer who is supposed to collaborate with them, project management tools can help you bridge the gap between them and establish expectations.
A great way to improve project organization is to use shared calendars which can help your team make video calls and meetings when needed. In a shared calendar, everyone will be able to provide the rest of the team with time-periods during which they’re unavailable.
Technology can be the key solution to connectivity problems
Depending on your size and resources, there are a lot of ways to solve connectivity problems. You can, for example, provide your employees with an office budget, allowing them to purchase better networking equipment.
Yet, this is an unnecessary expense, and the solutions to network and data problems can be more affordable and easier to implement.
However, the challenges around remote PR teams can lead to innovation and better bonds between team members. It can push you to implement better software and communication tools, automate processes, and develop better policies.
