{"id":9685,"date":"2020-09-16T07:49:35","date_gmt":"2020-09-16T07:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/?p=9685"},"modified":"2023-11-07T04:38:47","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T04:38:47","slug":"synchronous-vs-asynchronous-communication-for-remote-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/future-of-work\/synchronous-vs-asynchronous-communication-for-remote-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Synchronous vs Asynchronous Communication for Remote Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Question for you:

Do you know why there are so many different types of Communication tools for Remote Teams?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I mean, just google the word \u201ccommunication tools\u201d, and you\u2019ll find list upon list upon list of \u201cbest Communication tools for Remote Teams\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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It\u2019s because communication amongst teams is both hard AND critical to the success of every business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You would have thought we\u2019d figured this all out by now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for remote teams, communication is both 10 times more important and more difficult than for their in-office counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When established companies \u201cgo remote\u201d for the first time communication is the #1 obstacle that they need to address and overcome if they are going to make it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we\u2019re going to discuss the unique challenges of communication tools for remote teams, asynchronous communication vs synchronous communication, and finally, the tools that we use that will allow you to do both.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Challenge of Communication for Remote Teams<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In a typical office environment, if you have a question for human resources, you can simply walk down to the hr department, ask your question, ask a follow up question, and be done in 5 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the sequence of questions can look like this:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You:\u00a0 Hey, I was wondering how hiring for the junior developer position is going.<\/em><\/p>\n

HR:\u00a0 Good, I have a few applicants that seem qualified.\u00a0 Is there a specific programming language that you need an emphasis on?<\/em><\/p>\n

You:\u00a0 Yes, Python<\/em><\/p>\n

HR:\u00a0 OK, Here\u2019s the list of qualified candidates who specialize in python.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re in, you\u2019re out, and you\u2019ve got your list of candidates to sort through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, how does this play out in a remote team like Time Doctor?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Me (in New Jersey):\u00a0 Hey, I was wondering how hiring for the junior developer position is going.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wait until next day<\/p>\n

HR (in Philippines):\u00a0 Good, I have a few applicants that seem qualified.\u00a0 Is there a specific programming language that you need an emphasis on?<\/em><\/p>\n

You:\u00a0 Yes, Python<\/em><\/p>\n

Wait until next day<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

HR:\u00a0 OK, Here\u2019s the list of qualified candidates who specialize in python.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why am I waiting until the next day?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because if I send my email at 10 AM, HR won\u2019t get it until 12 hours later, and then when HR responds, I\u2019ll be asleep and won\u2019t read the email until the next morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this realistic scenario, which plays out every day at Time Doctor, each response can take up to 1 full day to process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the 5 minute conversation that you could have in an office, can take 2 full days to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference between Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the example above, the inter-office conversation is called synchronous communication and the email conversation is called asynchronous communication<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s quickly define the two:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Synchronous Communication<\/strong>:\u00a0 This is real time communication, either face to face, on the phone, etc. where all participants are present for the conversation at the exact same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asynchronous communication<\/strong>:\u00a0 This is communication that doesn\u2019t happen in real time.\u00a0 The participants of the conversation contribute in their own time, when it is convenient for them.\u00a0 Think about email, texting, and things like that as forms of asynchronous communication.<\/p>\n\n\n

And while it may not sound like it, both forms of communication have their pros and cons.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Pros of Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Here\u2019s some of the advantages of each form of communication:<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Synchronous Communication<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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