If you’re a part of the increasing trend of running a virtual office, you are aware of the great benefits of them. Team members in a virtual office have shown increased productivity, increased positivity toward their job and even a decreased environmental impact because of the lack of commuting.

One of the main challenges, however, of a virtual office is trying to keep everyone connected. There aren’t easy options of holding impromptu face-to-face meetings, and phone calls need to be thought twice about because of differing time zones.

So, in order to increase the effectiveness of your virtual office, and encourage increased productivity, here are a few tips for keeping your virtual workforce connected.

1. Have a set ‘time in the office’
No, this doesn’t mean flying everyone in to meet one day a week in your office. This means that at certain times during the week, make it somewhat mandatory for all your people to be at their desks and working. This can allow anyone on the team to connect with anyone else during that timeframe to ensure they are working together and can get questions answered if needed.

2. Utilize an online team collaboration solution
The rise in online team collaboration solutions is making it more and more possible for businesses to run effectively in a virtual state. Find a solution that allows you and your people to share work, status updates, documents and communications in a way that brings them together to produce quality work.

3. Instant messaging
Not only is instant messaging one of the preferred communication styles of individuals and in businesses, it can be used effectively to connect a virtual workforce as well. Encourage your team to utilize instant messaging services to communicate with others. Also, try to find an instant messaging service that opens up a stream of one-to-many communications where individuals can communicate with all members of a group at once, enabling greater collaboration opportunities.

4. Social media is your friend
The fact that they are your coworkers doesn’t mean you can’t connect with them on social media sites. Use popular social networks like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to connect with your team outside of the office. This will increase the channels of communication between you and your team, and strengthen your connections in the workplace.

5. Keep others in the loop
When working for a virtual company, it’s hard to know what others are working on at every moment of the day. Make sure to utilize status updates and a system to alert others of your availability. This will keep everyone in the loop as to who is available and who is busy, and allow them to work together more effectively.

The main point is to not let the physical distance between you and your team have an impact on the "closeness" you can feel with your teammates. You can still enjoy each other's "company" by using online tools and encouraging fun communication in your team. For example, have everyone post a couple of fun, informal pictures of themselves in a spot that everyone shares online. Or find a fun online game that everyone can play together at a set time. Keeping the team connected in these ways can significantly increase their attitude, productivity and success in your virtual company.

Once your team is connected, you can be sure the work they are completing offsite is of the highest quality possible. Your people will continue to be productive and work more efficiently and effectively, and you can enjoy the increased success your business will see.