Remote work, working from a distance or from home, is clearly on the rise and - thanks to Corona - has long since become part of everyday life. But remote work is not without its pitfalls, because the collaboration between marketing and sales must be organized particularly carefully in this case
More and more companies are offering their employees flexible working hours as well as the option of working from a home office. But those who work outside the office face new challenges. Not only do many employees feel cut off from their work colleagues, but self-discipline often struggles as well. In addition, remote collaboration between marketing and sales has to be organized particularly carefully, since direct contact between the individual departments is lacking
With transparent communication, the right tools and clear processes, remote work has numerous benefits - for both employees and the company
We are certain that remote work will become an increasingly central need for qualified employees in the future - especially in B2B companies, which have often functioned "analog" up to now. Fortunately, many companies have already recognized that working from the home office brings numerous advantages and ultimately even saves costs
One of the biggest challenges of remote work is the "limited" exchange with colleagues. Meetings are always scheduled, whether it's a meeting or a casual coffee call. As a result, many workers fear missing something important if they are not on site.
Other challenges often cited in connection with remote work include:
Access to relevant information: For Remote Work to work at all, all documents, systems, and other work-related tools must be accessible by anyone from anywhere
Security: Often, current security measures are not designed for remote work. These need to be adapted accordingly.
Technology: Especially for online meetings (with or without customers) good technology is essential. Picture and sound quality must be right. In addition, your employees must be appropriately trained and able to implement the changed requirements. After all, a sales pitch via video conference requires a different approach than the same sales pitch on site
Control: Remote work requires trust and discipline on the part of employees and employers.
Clear communication is not only important in "analog" work. In remote mode, the importance of communication quickly becomes noticeable
First and foremost, it is about customer contacts, but communication channels must also be developed within the company itself. It is up to the sales management to establish such channels and thus facilitate communication between the various departments
Acquisition and customer retention are also increasingly digital. For companies, this means looking for new sales channels and creating marketing campaigns. This situation gives rise to numerous cross-selling approaches. In addition, online tools can be used to create webinars that offer added value to potential customers.
Thanks to tools like Zoom or GoToMeeting, online sharing has become much easier and more practical. Such solutions make your business more flexible and agile. You can easily communicate with customers, conduct webinars and organize meetings. With around 90% of B2B customers using the internet to make decisions or gather information about specific products and services, a strong online presence is essential for all businesses
In the traditional sense, meetings are used to maintain contact in person. But thanks to remote collaboration, meetings have now moved to the Internet. Tools like Zoom allow companies to encourage internal sharing and easily set up meetings with clients. For sales, there has also recently been the ability to video call with their prospects directly on LinkedIn.
Internally, it is now even possible to enjoy a coffee break on the Internet - for example, with the help of Slack. Employees should continue to maintain contact with colleagues and contact a few trusted people within the company on a daily basis to maintain a good working atmosphere
As in all areas, transparency is also required in B2B sales. Despite the predominance of the internet, traditional channels are still used by potential and existing customers. Therefore, physical and digital channels should be aligned in perfect synergy. The better the individual channels interact, the smoother the end-to-end customer journey goes. B2B customers are happy about clear processes that facilitate the buying experience.
As great as the challenges of remote work are, it can nevertheless be said that digitalization also offers numerous opportunities in this area. For employees as well as for companies, new opportunities are opening up that would have been unthinkable with traditional models until now. These include the globalization of the workforce. Employees can work from anywhere, but companies can also recruit internationally. This opens up new channels
For many employees, remote work increases job satisfaction, which in turn has a positive effect on the company culture
For companies, the biggest advantage of remote work is the cost savings. By having employees work from home, companies spend less on rent, electricity and water
Remote collaboration allows companies to acquire new customers via Internet channels. While it used to be common practice to acquire customers via presence events and trade fairs, networking has now largely shifted to the Internet. Remote collaboration with B2B customers requires a seamless customer journey. The customer should feel engaged every step of the way, without necessarily having to be present. For the customers themselves, remote collaboration has huge advantages, as meetings and buying decisions can take place regardless of location.
The benefits of remote working are an opportunity for companies and customers alike to discover new sales channels. Companies save costs and can reach customers from all over the world. Over the course of the Corona pandemic, the work landscape has changed dramatically, with home offices becoming the new normal in many places. As a result, businesses are forced to move into the digital space and seek remote collaboration with customers
In recent years, everyday working life has changed significantly. Remote work is now a reality in most companies. This opens up new opportunities, especially in the B2B sector. With the help of digital solutions, new customers can be acquired, while the relationship with existing customers is strengthened. Meetings and seminars are moved to the Internet, making it easy for even customers and employees from other countries to participate in events. Collaboration between departments within the business needs to be strengthened to ensure the customer experience runs smoothly. On the whole, remote work offers numerous advantages, but also presents companies with major challenges.