Async Work

A synchronous conversation happens when everyone is online or in the same room at the same time—think Zoom calls, Slack pings that expect an immediate reply, or daily stand-ups. Asynchronous work (async work) is the opposite: team-mates share updates, questions, and decisions in written or recorded form so others can respond when it suits their schedule. Email, project-management comments, recorded Loom videos, and shared documents are all async channels. The goal is fewer “drop everything” interruptions and more thoughtful, documented collaboration.

Stops progress being hostage to calendars

B2B service teams juggle client calls, delivery deadlines, and internal projects. When every decision needs a meeting, diaries fill, tasks stall, and work spills into evenings. Async updates unblock colleagues without forcing everyone into the same half-hour slot.

Preserves focused, high-value time

Deep work—writing a proposal, building a campaign, debugging analytics—requires long, uninterrupted blocks. Synchronous cultures shatter those blocks with status calls and chat pop-ups. Async lets individuals batch communication and protect productive hours.

Creates a written record

Written updates become living documentation: why a campaign changed, which assumptions we tested, what the data showed. New joiners ramp faster, and knowledge survives staff turnover.

Enables truly distributed talent

Hiring beyond one city or time-zone is impossible if the team lives on real-time calls. Async norms mean London, São Paulo, and Singapore can all contribute without 7 a.m. or 11 p.m. meetings.

Reduces knee-jerk decisions

Writing forces clarity. When an idea is posted for review, colleagues can read, reflect, and comment rather than reacting in the moment. Better thinking in, better outcomes out.

Below are concrete ways different B2B service businesses can shift from meeting-first to async-first collaboration. Each scenario starts with one paragraph of context, followed by specific, easy-to-implement actions.

Marketing agency or consultancy

Agencies thrive on creativity yet drown in client and internal calls. Moving routine updates async frees brainstorming time.

• Replace the daily stand-up with a Slack “check-in” thread: each person posts yesterday’s progress, today’s focus, and blockers by 09:30.
• Record a five-minute Loom walkthrough of creative concepts instead of booking a one-hour review; invite comments on the deck.
• Use project-management @mentions for questions; agree that the assignee responds within 24 hours, not instantly.
• Collect weekly campaign metrics in a shared dashboard, add a brief written takeaway, and discuss only red flags live.
• Bundle client feedback into a single async roundup per project rather than drip-feeding comments during the day.
  

SaaS consultancy

Implementation partners often straddle multiple client Slack workspaces and lose hours context-switching.

• Create a shared Notion page per client for status, risks, and next milestones; update asynchronously before the scheduled fortnightly call.
• Swap ad-hoc Slack questions for a dedicated #ask-consultant channel with a same-day but not immediate response SLA.
• Record technical demos as screen videos clients can watch at their pace; reserve live sessions for Q&A once stakeholders have digested the recording.
• Log decisions (e.g. data-model changes) in the project doc to stop re-litigating choices weeks later.
• Use async retros: post a template, let everyone add wins and pains, then summarise themes instead of a one-hour retro meeting.
  

IT services firm

Support teams face urgent tickets, yet many internal syncs are anything but urgent.

• Shift ticket triage notes to the service desk tool; techs read the queue before their shift starts rather than gathering on a call.
• Archive resolved issues with root-cause notes so future engineers search the knowledge base first.
• When proposing infrastructure upgrades, write a one-page brief including cost-benefit analysis; stakeholders comment asynchronously, then sign off.
• Introduce a “quiet hours” policy (e.g. 09:00–11:00) where only P1 incidents may interrupt.
• End the week with an async scoreboard: uptime, mean-time-to-resolution, and customer satisfaction, plus bullet-point reflections.
  

Legal advisory firm

Lawyers bill by the hour; fewer internal meetings mean more billable time.

• Circulate case updates via secure portal notes instead of firm-wide status calls.
• Ask junior solicitors to draft briefs in a shared doc; partners review with inline comments that juniors address before scheduling a discussion.
• Use annotated PDF or Word comments to refine contract drafts, reducing “can we jump on a quick call?” interruptions.
• Deploy a deadline tracker board visible to all: colour-coded for urgency, updated daily without meetings.
• Record client onboarding “explainer” videos covering process, timelines, and communication guidelines to cut repetitive first-call questions.
  

Training provider

Trainers travel and deliver sessions; syncing with HQ between workshops is tricky.

• After each course, trainers fill a short feedback form asynchronously: attendee count, satisfaction score, lessons learnt.
• Programme managers review forms weekly and comment on follow-ups; only exceptional issues trigger a live debrief.
• Build a shared content library where trainers upload slides and hand-outs; colleagues comment with improvements rather than emailing revisions.
• Schedule monthly planning as a written agenda first; collect input async, then hold a shorter, more focused call.
• Encourage delegates to post questions in a community forum; trainers answer when back online instead of real-time chat during sessions.

Getting started checklist

1. Audit your meetings. Identify which can convert to written updates, recordings, or dashboards.
2. Define SLAs. Agree response windows (e.g. 24 hours) so async doesn’t become neglect.
3. Pick the right tools. Project boards, threaded chat, Loom, and collaborative docs are the backbone.
4. Document workflows. Spell out how and where to post updates so nobody hunts for information.
5. Model the behaviour. Leaders should post written briefs and decline unnecessary calls first.
6. Review and refine. After a month, survey the team: fewer meetings? Quicker decisions? Tweak SLAs or formats as needed.
   

By adopting async habits, B2B service marketers reclaim focus time, speed cross-time-zone projects, and build a robust written memory—all essential ingredients for sustainable growth.