I expect I will write about this subject more often.  I have spent a lot of time reading and thinking about it, and as Visual Trading continues to add momentum and employees I will use this place as a means to flesh out my thinking.

As leader of remote teams, I have recognized the importance of following up and repeating myself for expectations.  Even small items like how to use a ticketing platform.  One of the teams implemented a new platform, and with any new platform there is a learning curve.  We tried a few features and functions (“F&F”), choosing to keep using a few and abandon some others.  With this baseline usage, we decided to add other F&F’s.  Like most new processes, we try things for a few weeks, share our thoughts, and determine whether to continue or abandon.

Though it was discussed on an informal call, some off the team members are not using the new F&F’s.  I got frustrated once, but then realized that to fully implement usage, I am asking people to change their habits.  So I need to help them understand how to change their habits.  Merely demanding it is not enough.

How to help change habits?  Today when the first few support tickets rolled in, I told the team not to load them into the ticketing platform.  Once there were four tickets I grabbed the two team members who had not been using the new F&F’s and together we input the tickets using the new F&F’s.  I helped them see what we are doing and why I think it will work.  And I re-iterated their input on the F&F’s will be important when we review in a few weeks.

As I have monitored the ticketing platform today, I see the new F&F’s being used by all team members.  With a truly remote team, the ability to cajole usage by sitting next to someone is not there.  And “public” reminders via team chats are not great either.  So topic-specific training from the top down is now a part of my processes when we want to implement a new process or procedure.

PS – When I went to search for an image to tie into this post, I typed in “remote training”, which Google auto-filled as “remote training collar” and populated the search with electric shock dog collars.  I am not condoning the use of electric shock collars on team members (yet).  😉