How To Run a Successful Remote Ecommerce Team

When the pandemic hit, remote work took the world by storm. Employers realized that the benefits of saving money on the overhead of real estate, accessing a pool of global talent, and a spike in employee productivity was well worth sacrificing in-person meetings and office birthday parties. As the world returned to normal, employers learned that remote work continued to sustain its benefits, and now work-from-home and hybrid models are a regular part of business operations around the world. 

Despite the many benefits, running a remote team isn’t always easy. Here are some tips you can follow to run a successful remote ecommerce team.

Establish a clear team structure.

Less access to spontaneous, open-door, in-person meetings creates a need for extremely clear roles and responsibilities. Each employee should know exactly what they are responsible for, with no gray area. You can achieve this by outlining clear job descriptions for each role within your ecommerce team. Most ecommerce teams have separate people or departments that handle sales, marketing, analytics, customer service, customer experience, and IT. Clearly defining who does what and who reports to who allows each employee to focus on and thrive at their respective job.

Hire the right people for remote work.

We like to give all of our new hires the benefit of the doubt, but the truth is not everyone can stay focused on work without a manager looking over their shoulder in an office setting. Look to hire self-motivated employees who can keep themselves on-task and meet their deadlines. Make sure they communicate well and are able to collaborate with others, because collaborating can be harder virtually than in-person, and they’ll need those skills. Additionally, look for team members who can handle technology at a reasonable level, so they can sort out small problems themselves without delaying their work while waiting for answers from your IT department.

Choose the right tools.

Choosing the right techstack is integral to running a successful remote ecommerce team. Use project management tools like Asana or Monday.com to keep track of your tasks and deadlines, as well as to establish a smooth workflow on collaborative projects. Project management tools also allow you to generate progress reports at a moment’s notice, instead of putting them together manually. Use communication tools like the messaging app Slack or the video conferencing app Zoom to keep your team in touch and facilitate regular meetings. Try using a centralized database like Tettra to keep all of your files in the same place for everyone.

Promote a positive remote work culture.

Schedule both regular team meetings and regular one-on-one meetings to make sure your remote team’s morale is positive. Provide extra insurances about remote work, such as advanced cybersecurity protocols to protect your employees from making costly mistakes. Finally, make sure to implement a strong training program to start all of your team members out with an informed and all-encompassing base knowledge that they can build on over time.

Follow these tips to run a cohesive and effective remote ecommerce team, and Check out our blog for more helpful information on running a successful ecommerce business.