The tools, systems, & policies remote teams use to collaborate effectively.

It’s more common than ever for teammates to communicate and collaborate across countries. More teams are allowing remote and distributed work – a designer in Paris, can collaborate with a web developer in Pittsburgh. Not that long ago, this wouldn’t have been possible. However, technologies like cloud tools and video conferencing have enabled global collaboration and sparked the remote-first-age.

Despite the emergence of partially and fully remote teams, remote work remains in its infancy. Remote companies are still learning the ins and outs of setting up a remote team, coordinating large-scale projects remotely, and hiring team members from around the world.

One of the biggest challenges facing distributed companies is effective remote team communication. Communication sounds easy. In a sense it is: a few keystrokes on your keyboard can transmit a message to a colleague half-way across the world. However, as you grow as a company, two-way communication between colleagues becomes a massive network of correspondence between 10, 50, 100, 500, or even a 1000 team members. Adapting and optimizing communication across borders, at scale, is not an easy feat.

• How can teams overcome time zone differences and effectively communicate remotely?
• What roles do asynchronous and synchronous communication play in remote work?
• Do different conversations warrant different mediums of communication?
• What are the best tools for remote team communication?

This guide will dive into how remote companies can leverage the correct forms of communication and the right tools to collaborate effectively. We’ll also examine how remote companies like Doist, AngelList, GitLab, Toggl, and more, structure communication in a way that’s considerate of time zones and prioritizes centralization and transparency.

Remote communication is the bedrock of a distributed team. This guide will help you build your team on a solid foundation.