Increase business performance with collaborative technology
Even before the pandemic, 4.7 percent of the US labor force was working remotely. During the COVID-19 crisis, 88 percent of businesses globally either mandated or encouraged all of their employees to work from home. An estimated 26.7 percent of employees will be working from home through 2021.
Whether your organization is planning on using a fully remote model or simply allowing some people to work remotely post-pandemic, the right tools make it easy for teams to stay connected and productive. Here’s an overview of what collaborative technology solutions your business can use to increase performance, no matter where employees are located.
How remote teams communicate
When working remotely, teams are depending on technology for everyday communications. People can’t walk down the hall to share their thoughts with a co-worker or participate in a group meeting. Discussions, collaboration, training, and meetings happen online with tools for email, chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and voice calls.
For your collaborative technology to enable effective remote work, it must be cloud-based. With cloud communication services, users only need an internet connection to log on to business applications, access files, connect with co-workers, and stay productive.
Keep your operations flowing and employees connected with unified communications
With communication and collaborative solutions, your employees are no longer chained to the office. But, with a handful of different systems, your technology may not be as effective as it could be.
To help your employees stay productive, choose a unified solution. With unified communications, all of your collaborative tools live in one place. Employees don’t have to switch applications to navigate between email, video calls, and other tools. They can seamlessly transition from one task to the next without ever having to open a new program or keep track of information sent from different channels.
As tools are integrated with unified communications, data is updated across the board. And, because employees can send files and emails, launch a chat or a call, or join a meeting, all from one screen, there’s less of a chance that people will lose files or miss an important update.
Another advantage is mirroring messages. With this feature, employees can send voicemails to email, SMS messages to voice, or vice versa. This flexibility helps to keep everyone engaged, no matter what type of communications they prefer.
The role of BYOD in remote work
The reality is, since the COVID-19 outbreak, a lot of people began working from home for the first time. New hires are starting jobs from their home office, and everyone is growing accustomed to accessing work through their devices.
With a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) model, employees gain even more space to take control of their workflow in a manner that works best for them. It allows team members to join video calls and conference calls from their mobile phones. They can quickly answer work emails from a tablet or phone while on the go.
When the only need is an internet connection and any secure device, employees can truly work anywhere. This is why it’s wise to choose a collaborative technology solution that is BYOD-friendly.
The business world has changed, but collaboration is the same as it’s always been
In the new business normal, working from different physical locations is the norm rather than the exception. This doesn’t mean collaboration has to stop or even slow down. The technology that’s available today is easy to use, totally integrated, and very powerful.
Teams can still meet face-to-face with high-quality video meetings. Real-time conversations are effortless with a chat feature. And, it’s just as easy as it’s always been to call, send emails, or share files. In fact, because unified communications can be used on any device, staying connected in various ways has never been easier. Get in touch with TFE to learn how we can help your business thrive in the new normal.
