Superhuman for remote work? Why we need to stop clicking, to connect more

So, there’s a large gap between how we communicate remotely and how we do it in person.

That's because today's tools aren't built for spontaneous conversations, forcing us to click through cumbersome processes costing minutes that quickly snowball into days of wasted time...

Why does communication over voice have to be so cumbersome to initiate, when really it shouldn’t need to be more than one click away?

This week I posted an article about this and why you should care. Sharing parts of it here too hoping to spur some IH debate/conversations.

For context, (joinbuzz.com) is a virtual office tool for remote teams to enable virtual presence and instant/ effortless communication over voice and video.

Set up systems that allow you to move fast.

@JaakkoJarviniemi recently shared an IH-post on his newly coined term Passive productivity

As opposed to “active productivity”, which requires constant effort, passive productivity is a system you set up or a skill you develop once, after which you’ll get a higher default level of productivity for eternity.

Look for things you do frequently, apply systems, and create time savings over the long term.

In the context of remote work, whether it’s understanding someone’s availability, starting a conversation, or collaborating in real-time, passive productivity can be unlocked by minimising distractions, decreasing steps and time it takes to talk and using tools that are built for speed.

Spend less time clicking and more time connecting

Over the last few months my team and I have been obsessing about making remote work faster and easier. By drastically reducing friction and making connections instant, we are building a tool that makes talking to a coworker as easy, casual and efficient as if you were sitting together. (Actually, even better)

Why should you care?

Will going from 10 clicks to 1 click to initiate a conversation, really make radical improvements in your productivity?

Definitely.

First of all you’ll feel an instant gratification as it requires less effort. But the long term (and bottom-line) wins are also huge. According to a Microsoft study, voice/video communication is more strongly associated with positive team performance than asynchronous channels. This, because converging on complex information or exploring creative ideas are better performed through richer communications media.

Ever been in a conversation with a teammate where, after messaging back and forth, you realize that the question is too difficult to explain by text, so you hop on over to a video call?

We all have!

So, by making it easier, and faster to speak verbally we can drive more voice–over-voice and face-to-face conversations, which in turn will unlock further productivity gains, break down remote silos and increase team performance.

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Where in a workday do you wish you could save more time? (commuting is off the table 😉)

Any comments on our idea? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks,
Ebba