Virtual Team Communication: Top Challenges & Best Practices

Virtual communication channels can fall far behind face-to-face interactions when your workforce consists of in-person, remote, and hybrid teams. 



This creates an internal communication gap between on-site and off-site employees that can become a huge problem if not managed properly.



This guide will show you how to maintain team communication and collaboration across the enterprise for your in-office, remote, and hybrid employees.



What Is Virtual Communication?



Virtual communication is how employees collaborate and interact with each other when they are not working in the same physical space. People often use collaboration software as a means to share information.



Real-time interaction — like virtual calls , online meetings, and instant messages — is an integral part of this, but it also includes:




Asynchronous project management



Virtual team-building activities



Documentation and note-taking




All of this reduces the friction that comes with in-person and remote employees collaborating across multiple locations and time zones. It keeps them on the same page, ensuring tasks are delivered on time and work performance  stays at its peak.






What Are the Types of Virtual Communication?



For most employees, business communication takes place over many different channels.



Instant messaging apps: Teams, Slack, WhatsApp



About 86% of respondents in a Vitally survey  said that chat workspaces are their most-used virtual communication channel.



Instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and iMessage help employees interact with each other in real time. Someone working from home  cannot skip over to a colleague’s desk to ask a question. But they can pop them a quick WhatsApp message or jump on a Slack huddle for a chat.



Distribution of virtual communication channels


Chat workspaces like Slack and Microsoft Teams also let you share files and track all your tasks and updates in one place by syncing with other work tools, like your project management software and email client.



Despite these benefits, instant messaging apps are  one of the biggest distractions  for remote workers. 



When you’re not in the office with the rest of the team, you risk missing important information. To avoid this, remote workers stay plugged in and check every message notification, even though very few need immediate attention. 



Honestly, the updates in the pet channel can wait . “But it’ll only take a few seconds to read a Slack message,” you may think.



While this may be true, refocusing on your work after a distraction actually takes at least  23 minutes . You could waste an entire hour by checking just three notifications.



Video conferencing tools: Nextiva, Zoom, Google Meet



Sometimes, instant messaging isn’t enough. 



Say you want to organize a workshop for off-site and remote employees. Slack and iMessage aren’t built for that — you’ll need a virtual meeting platform .



Virtual meeting tools let you host engaging video meetings, conferences, and presentations for people in different locations. During these virtual meetups, attendees can chat with each other, contribute to collaborative whiteboards, and share screens and files, among other things.



All in all, these features create immersive experiences that make it feel like everyone is in the same room.



Nextiva provides a virtual meeting experience for your team


As with any technology, video conferencing has its challenges, the most obvious being internet connectivity. Poor or unstable internet connection causes lags and freezes, which ruin the meeting experience. Sometimes, you may even need to reschedule.