Secure Asynchronous Communication: Why We Ditched Calls

Why We Don’t Have a "Call" Button

The most frequent question from new users is: "Where is the dialer?" It doesn't exist. The ability to dial a colleague at any moment corrupts work culture. As soon as a "button" appears, people stop formulating thoughts. It is simpler to pull a person: "I'll call now and explain," tearing them out of their flow. This kills focus.

In asynchronous mode, a programmer from Berlin writes code in the morning, and a designer from Vladivostok looks at the layouts in the evening. No one waits for anyone or wakes anyone up. You answer when it is convenient—in an hour or in five. This gives the right to deep work: when you aren't pulled every minute, you truly immerse yourself in the task.

What Text Gives Instead of Conversations:

• Automatically formed knowledge base. A classic of calls: "I said this at the meeting!" Half the participants forgot, someone didn't write it down. In correspondence, information does not disappear. A new employee enters the project, reads the discussions, and is immediately up to speed.

• High quality of decisions. On a call, the one who shouts the loudest or reacts the fastest often wins. In text, you have time to think, re-read, and edit the answer. This relieves stress for introverts and those who do not like performing on camera. Decisions become balanced, not emotional.

• Saving time. A call eats up an hour, even if agreed for 15 minutes (preparation + conversation + "small talk"). In text, you immediately get to the point: context, question, solution.

How This Is Implemented in Remote.Team

• Structured discussions. Each topic is a separate discussion. We discussed the layout, made a decision, and set a task for implementation—the topic is closed. Need to return in a month? Open it, and everything is there. Important items can be pinned with a #main tag so the whole team sees it.

• Tasks from messages. Any message can be turned into a task (we call them "requests") in one click. No need to switch to another task tracker. Assign a performer, set a deadline, and the system itself will remind you of the dates.

• Smart notifications. We are against the phone bursting with pushes. If you were mentioned, a notification will arrive. If it is just a new message in a topic, it will quietly fall into the "Informer."

• "Lightning" function for urgent matters. When something is "burning," there is a special message type called "Lightning," which comes with a push and sound, breaking through silent modes. This guarantees you will be heard, but it is worth using only for real fires.

Digital Fortress: Security Without Compromise

When all work moves to text and files, the question of protection arises. If the essence of your business is fixed in correspondence, it must be under lock and key.

In Remote.Team, we implemented End-to-End Encryption. This means messages and files are encrypted on your device and decrypted only at the recipient's end. Even we, the developers, cannot read your chats with all the desire in the world.

Furthermore, each team receives isolated storage. It is like a separate safe in a bank: even if (hypothetically) attackers gain access to the server, they will only see a set of unreadable characters. A data leak of one company technically cannot compromise another.

And Yet, When Does Text Not Work?

We are fans of asynchrony, but we do not deny reality. There are moments when text loses to live communication: 

• Emergencies. If the server crashed and clients cannot make an order, waiting for an answer in the chat is stupid. Here it is more effective to call by phone. 

• Emotions and conflicts. Text is dry. It is difficult to read irony or mood in it. Dismissals or complex negotiations are best conducted by voice to avoid offenses and misunderstanding.

• Brainstorms. When you need to throw out 10 ideas in 5 minutes, the spontaneity of a live conversation wins.

How Do We Compensate?

We do not forbid people from communicating by voice. If needed, call on Zoom, but return to Remote.Team and write down the results (meeting summary). And so as not to lose human contact, we use internal blogs and polls for "life" discussions and try to gather the team for offline corporate events at least once a year.

Remote.Team is a platform for teams that want to work calmly and productively, and not imitate busy activity on cameras. We removed excess noise, protected data with encryption, and gave everyone the opportunity to work in their own rhythm. Try it, silence really helps to focus.