Why SecondScreen is a Must-Have for Remote Teams

By now, because of the prevalence of remote working or the onset of COVID-19, we are used to remote working.

We may feel that we have all the right tools at our disposal—from an ergonomic chair to the software we need to get our job done—but something is missing—connection. If you miss the collaboration and socialization of an office environment, you’re not alone—more than half of remote workers report feeling this way. 

Raydiant’s SecondScreen is made to fill that void by helping remote teams stay connected and productive, no matter their geographic location. This innovative messaging and communications hub uses a second screen (TV or tablet) devoted to meeting with, chatting, and collaborating with your team face-to-face via video. Here are some benefits of having a second screen, apart from your work station, dedicated to staying in contact with your teammates. 

Communicate While Staying in the Flow

Don’t feel like you need to drop everything—or even stop what you’re doing—to answer a co-worker’s question or simply wave a hello. With SecondScreen, you can keep working without closing tabs, logging onto a video meeting, or walking into a conference room. Simply press a button to unmute yourself and do what you normally would if your co-worker were next to you: start talking. Sometimes, a quick answer to a question or a short collab session can take the place of a longer meeting that would break your focus and impede your productivity. Instead of having a conversation, you can also push on-screen messages, reminders, and announcements to one or more team members. There are many ways SecondScreen helps you stay in the “zone” longer, and with fewer interruptions.

Simplify All-Hands Meetings

Say goodbye to meeting IDs and calendar invites: you won’t need them with SecondScreen. Simply join a meeting immediately—on a place separate from your main workstation. Need to take notes, share a document with the group, or perform tasks in real-time as your boss assigns them? Instead of switching back and forth between tabs, you can use your main workstation as you meet virtually with your group. The meeting coordinator can also use SecondScreen to broadcast important points from the meeting, as well as announcements and other messaging, on the participants’ screens.

Another way SecondScreen simplifies meetings is by allowing for multiple video conferencing platforms. Your team isn’t locked into using just one—in fact, team members can use any of the major platforms (including Zoom, BlueJeans, WebEx, and Microsoft Teams) to connect.

Onboard Employees Face-to-Face 

Introducing a new hire to an established team is daunting enough—and with a remote team, it’s that much harder to build a connection. A Zoom call here and there can only do so much—for them to feel like part of the team, they need to feel like they’re working in the same room. Research shows that organizations with a strong onboarding process increase new hire retention by 82% and improve productivity by over 70%. Having a second screen dedicated solely to communicating with the team is key. They can ask questions, get to know teammates, and build a solid connection with their co-workers and the company itself. The best part of SecondScreen for new hires is that they can communicate on all levels—from a company meeting to smaller groups and one-on-one chats. To integrate into the team, they need all of these types of communications to flourish. 

All-hands meetings give them the chance to learn more about the company, its products and services, and how it operates on a daily basis. Smaller groups and collab sessions allow for their voice to be heard in a more intimate virtual environment. And one-on-one chats are like their watercooler moments, allowing them to form more personal connections to their co-workers—helping them to collaborate more effectively and strengthening the overall company culture.

Enjoy Real-Time Collaboration

A company’s success hangs on its teams’ ability to collaborate effectively. Studies show that 75% of employers rate collaboration as important, while 86% of employees blame lack of collaboration for workplace failures. Nothing is accomplished in a vacuum, and no man is an island. Your team needs to talk to one another, brainstorm, establish new goals, ask questions, and get excited about new ideas. Having an easy-to-use communications hub that is separate from their workspace gives them a portal to their team whenever they want to bat around ideas. And with SecondScreen’s gallery rooms, they can meet in small groups or one-on-one without logging on or sending calendar invites. 

SecondScreen makes it easier than ever to simply enter a “gallery room” to chat, and even move from room to room instantly and effortlessly. Mimicking the “popping in to chat” behavior of a live workspace, employees will find it easy to chat with their co-workers as naturally as they would in the office. Plus, the on-screen messaging function lets them share documents, post important messages, and keep up with live news and weather feeds.  

Keep Your Company Culture Strong

The number one way to build a strong team—virtual or otherwise—is through clear and open communication. Emails and chats are great tools for virtual teams, but they don’t provide the personal touch of face-to-face communication. SecondScreen gives your team the feeling of sitting in the same room as their co-workers, knowing they can check-in, chat, and work together as if they’re there in person. This separate communications screen also removes the headache of toggling between screens and tabs on their main workstation, or having to stop working to respond to each email or chat. It also allows quieter members of the team to feel seen and heard. Overall, SecondScreen fosters a sense of community within your company in a way that you simply can’t without visual and non-verbal communication.

Try SecondScreen Today!

Thinking about using SecondScreen to keep your remote team connected and strong?

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