Chapter5: HowtoBuildStrongRelationshipsinaRemoteTeam 46 But you’ll likely spend a lot of your day communicating with text. Whether it’s in Slack, Basecamp shared documents, emails, or GitHub issues, text tends to be the most convenient way to keep in touch with your teammates without interrupting them. Needateamchatapp?FindoneinZapier’sroundupofTheBestTeam ChatAppsforYourCompany. Effective written communication is such an important part of remote working that it’s often part of what remote companies look for when hiring. For in- stance,[Automattic](https://automattic.com]HappinessEngineerAndrewSpit- tle shares: Text is our predominant communication mode and we look for strongwritingskillsinapplicants.Onthesupportsidethat’skeysince text is not just how we communicate with customers but also with eachother.Ourinterviewprocessisalldonethroughtextchats,too, as a way to evaluate that ability. In a remote setting, you need to be able to get your point across clearly and simply, show empathy and understanding, and be efficient to avoid wasted time,sinceyoumaybewaitingacrosstimezonesforyourteamtoreplyanyway. Herearethreesuggestionsforconnectingwithremoteteammembersthrough text: 1. Stay Up to Date Whenyourteammatesareworkingontheothersideoftheworld,yougetused towakinguporcomingbackfromlunchtoafullinboxandmessagesflowingin fromyourteamchat,shareddocuments,andvariousotherplaces.Thiscanbe overwhelming,sofindingwaystokeepontopofwhat’sgoingonisimperative for communicating efficiently with each other. The distributed Stripe team shares most internal emails, which means every- onehasaveryfullinboxtoworkthroughdaily.Withover400emaillistsinthe company,there’salottoorganizeatStripe.