Working from home offers many advantages, but like any good thing, it also presents challenges. Communication and connection among employees can be hard when everyone’s in a brick and mortar location, let alone spread throughout a wide geography. But unlike working together in a physical office, working remotely requires particular intention. Here are a few tips for making sure you’re making the most of all the benefits of working remotely, including communicating effectively and meaningfully with your team:

1. Know and embrace your tech. Familiarize yourself with the many platforms, tools, and technological capabilities available to you. Being conversant with these programs enables you to efficiently and authentically connect with your colleagues, eliminating the perceived barrier we can feel when we’re not face to face with each other.

2. Improve your verbal and written skills. If you think you’re a weak writer, grab a book or take a webinar on writing and expressing yourself clearly and concisely. If you get nervous on video calls or struggle with timing your questions or input, read advice from seasoned remote companies on their tips for fostering effective virtual communication. When you’re able to write correspondence that conveys your point and tone accurately, to speak clearly and listen well to your colleagues, you’re better able to share ideas, collaborate, and connect.

3. Keep in touch. Check-in with colleagues and your leadership intentionally. Solicit and share feedback on any issues you have particularly with communicating or collaborating. If you have an idea or suggestion, a question about a company practice, don’t hesitate to reach out. You might not all be under one roof but you’re all part of the same organization, and transparency, honesty, and thoughtful contributions from employees is invaluable to leadership and to a company’s ongoing growth and evolution.

4. Develop a communicative routine, and stick to it. Set up regular meetings with your boss; plan consistent correspondence via video conferencing or Facetime with your teammates as well. This allows you and your colleagues to share updates on work progress, issues, breakthroughs—all of which foster camaraderie, that sense of we’re in this together that helps you feel professionally understood and synced. These committed communications will also help you work more effectively. You’ll make adjustments, learn from their experiences, share your own insight, and truly feel plugged into your network.

 Remote working gives us the opportunity to develop an intentional routine that prioritizes consistent communication, clear and concise correspondence, regular dialoguing and sharing among teammates, all of which create opportunities for sharing and receiving professional insight. When we work well remotely, we learn to be transparent professionals, concise communicators, and better employees. Working from home has countless benefits, but the potential it offers us to be better communicators might be one of its most important.