3 days in the office, 2 days in smart working.
Our agency, since it came on the scene, immediately introduced 2 remote work days per week.
Why?
There are many reasons for this, from focusing on the well-being of those who work with us (managing their free time, being able to concentrate better, better lifestyle, etc.) to wanting to empower individuals more and more.
Specifically, the days on which we work remotely are Thursdays and Fridays, and even this decision was not accidental. In our work, in fact, these are the two days most dedicated to the communiqué writing press because the concentration of press note dissemination and journalist contact occurs between Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
That said, for work well remotely, when you are a team, it is not only essential to be very organized (here you will find an article By Carlo Occhinegro, for Tiscali, where there are some tips for smart working people) and autonomous, but it is also important to have a result-oriented (relevant) approach. In addition, you need procedures, a working method that works, and a strong sense of responsibility.
A mix of ingredients that must find a balance, to make sure that every action happens smoothly and that the goals for each individual client are always achieved.
You know that we love to show the behind the scenes, because everything that resides on the surface depends precisely on working and setting up what is not immediately and immediately visible. And that's why we thought we would share in this article some of the tools we use in our daily work, both in the office and remotely.
Let us first clarify a few points:
- No, we are not all freelancers, on VAT. The people who work in this agency are all hired on regular permanent contracts. So directly in the contract is emphasized the possibility of working remotely.
- The office is always open: if a person actually prefers to go to the office on Thursdays and Fridays as well, he or she is perfectly free to do so.
- Each person is provided with a company laptop and all the tools they need to carry out their work
- Having an office is essential, even if it is a job that can be done 100% remotely. Meeting, exchanging ideas, having small meetings, having a chance to look up and ask a colleague for help, and sharing in person are essential activities that help the work get done. The human relationship that is created by being together is not the same as the one that can be built by being remote all the time.
(Small clarification also on the choice of office: the place where you work has a bearing on your business. Spending time in a place that is "relaxing," that conveys a feeling of tranquility, that is located in an area that is not only easily accessible, but also full of activity and movement, can be good for work. That's why when we looked for an office we chose a solution that included all these features).
MANAGEMENT TOOLS
Let us return, however, to the operation regarding the smart working: What are the management tools we use to carry out the work remotely?
(We will also indicate whether these are paid tools or not, in case they come in handy as information for your business)
– Basecamp: a tool for managing teams, projects and related to-do lists, with the ability to get even organizationally complex situations under control.
(*this is a paid tool)
– Miro: a kind of "collaborative whiteboard," useful for replicating real whiteboards (if you use them in the office)
(*both free and paid instrument)
– WhereBy: allows you to create various "rooms" dedicated to video calls. We have one dedicated to team video calls and another dedicated to calls with clients and potential clients.
(* if you want to create more rooms and have additional features, you must subscribe)
- Google Drive: we have a dedicated folder for each client (draft releases, final releases, real-time updated report, release spreads, photos, etc.)
- Dropbox: we insert client reports and business presentations
(*To have additional functionality even on sharing and limits related to it, it is essential to activate a paid account)
These are the essential management tools, but they are not enough.
JOURNALIST RESEARCH: USEFUL TOOLS
In fact, in order to carry out this profession in the best possible way, each person also needs the right tools to look for journalists' contacts, for example.
For this we have other tools:
– Mediaddress: We have activated multiple licenses to allow better use by all team members. This is a constantly updated database of journalists (both concerning journalists within newsrooms and freelance journalists)
(this is a service that requires a subscription)
- LinkedIn Premium account: the agency has activated a premium account to each person working in-house, so that potentially useful contacts can be more thoroughly researched
- An Excel document shared on Drive that contains a constantly updated database of journalists (with whom we come in contact)
MONITORING OF MEDIA RELEASES
Another indispensable aspect of this work is monitoring.
– Press Today: press review service (for both web and print newspapers)
(*service fee, by subscription)
- TalkWalker
- Google Alerts
RESULTS MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING
Creating reports and measuring results:
– Coveragebook: it is a software (also used by multinational companies and large agencies) for the measurement of the media results obtained and for the creation of reports to be delivered to clients.
(*Service fee depending on the amount of reporting created)
Yes, it is true, tools are important, unavoidable, but they are not enough. Method, organization, ability to work in a team, results orientation, autonomy: for smart working all these elements are vital.
The other question that may arise is, "But can you run a Digital PR and Media Relations agency entirely remotely?“.
The answer - in our experience - is "yes, it is possible". Having said that, however, we don't want to do that, we don't want to create a company where people work only "from home." We believe that the right mix of office work and remote work can be the way forward.
We are growing, in so many ways, and if it is true that results always speak, then the actions put in place to date are the correct ones.
It will always get better, but we will move forward on this path.
If you are interested in following the "journey" of our agency, you can do so through the our podcast, through the video we publish or following the our LinkedIn page.
