If you’re a manager in a digital marketing agency, you have much work to do. You have to hire staff, deliver results, and improve your agency’s workflow. And of course, there are specific issues that come up in companies all the time. One of these is the issue of the “un-synced” team.
The success of a marketing agency literally relies on a well-functioning team. However, this is easier said than done. But the good news is that there are common-sense steps you can take to ensure your team is running smoothly. In this article, I’ll tell you why you have to keep your team in sync and how to do it in the best way.
Why does your team need to be in sync?
The answer is pretty straightforward for everyone who has ever managed a team (and it doesn’t matter whether it was large or small). But let’s get this straight.
I think agency business is like a game of football, where each player has a different role. So, to succeed, everyone on the team needs to be in sync with each other to make sure they are doing what is best for the company’s long-term goals. Even more importantly, it will make the process easier for your clients because well-coordinated work provides a more effective result. That’s why keeping everyone on the same page is one of the most critical aspects of leading a company.
6 tips on how to keep your team in sync successfully
Let me be honest. Keeping your team in sync isn’t an easy task. It’s one of the most complex parts of managing a project or department, especially in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven business world. What’s more, it’s an ongoing process. But I can share some helpful tips that will help you keep your team in sync in the most effective way.
#1. Use several communication tools
Today, you need to communicate with your employees using different tools. It’s necessary for remote agencies and important if you have an office. At my agency, we use the following communication tools:
- messengers (Slack, Microsoft Teams);
- video conference software (Google Meet, Zoom);
- project management software (Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Airtable, Nifty).
These tools will help you stay in touch with everyone, monitor progress, and set deadlines for your team members.
#2. Hold regular meetings
Business management means regular meetings and calls. Effective communication is a crucial part of building a healthy team and one of the keys to successful project management. What kind of meetings should you have in your agency?
- Regular stand-ups for 15 minutes (what we managed to do, what tasks we have, what blockers are there).
- Weekly sprint planning sync.
- Coffee talks for informal communication and to establish rapport.
- General updates, when the whole company is present, and everyone talks about crucial tasks and wins.
But when trying to sync a team, don’t forget to work. It’s extremely important for every company to be on the same page, but the main goal is to deliver results. Calls and meetings shouldn’t take up most of the working time.
#3. Be transparent and share updates
The main thing is to remember that not everything obvious to you is obvious to everyone. So, sharing updates and open communication are essential sides of teamwork. It will help you avoid unnecessary conflict and ensure that your employees are on the same page.
It’s also vital to share plans for the future. All employees should know, understand, and get involved in the business’s common strategy, projects, and goals.
#4. Be respectful
For example, don’t expect that your employee will respond to a message immediately. He may be busy with a critical task. “Be respectful” is a simple and fundamental concept that will help harmonize the atmosphere in your agency.
#5. Create open chats in Slack
Tools such as Slack let us set up channels and assign tasks. We can even use it to share files and collaborate on documents. Of course, you can start a private conversation with each employee. It is a much-needed feature. But be sure to create open chats where the whole company can communicate. It will help you keep everyone in sync for sure.
#6. Use Confluence as an internal Wikipedia of your agency
I bet you are dealing with much information in your company. It’s not a good idea to store something significant in different places. I recommend using Confluence as a collaboration tool to organize your entire company. Each employee can record processes, pieces of knowledge, and SOP here. It’s a perfect tool for collaboration and knowledge management that can be used by any organization and for any purpose.
Summaries
In conclusion, the most important thing is to reach a common understanding and remove any confusion from the equation. Make sure everyone knows the goal and how they can help the team achieve it. In the end, it’s all about making sure everyone understands their part in the greater picture. While there’s no one secret to success, sometimes it’s the little things that make the real difference.
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