Today’s workforce is evolving at speeds never quite seen before. See how Uprite delivers Microsoft 365 management for Texas businesses. Workers want the ability to collaborate on multiple projects, with multiple people. They require access to a variety of software and applications, on a wide range of devices.
So with all the different tech options out there, and the ever growing demands from your employees and customers, how do you decide which software and tools to implement? How do you enable technology to make your business as productive as possible?
With that in mind, we put together a list of 5 simple ways to make your business more productive through technology.
1) Collaborate With Technology
Does it seem like your employee’s noses are constantly glued to their smartphones? While that may be true, these behaviors can actually be taken advantage of by empowering a collaborative workforce. Employees want to connect with, talk to, and collaborate with their team from anywhere, at any time, on any device.
The solution: Office 365. This tool takes collaboration away from the cluttered email inbox and instead organizes it in a secure location that’s easily accessible by the right people. Live collaboration in all the Microsoft office programs you know and love is available 24/7. There’s also a short learning curve, so everyone in your organization can soon feel comfortable using this new platform for collaboration. Better yet, it’s scalable, so as your small business expands into a medium-sized business, your system can grow alongside with you.
2) Manage Your Contacts More Effectively – Another O365 Solution
If you’re like most business owners, you probably don’t have an organized contact list. Some of your contacts are saved in Outlook while others are saved on your phone. There are also those you’ve connected with on LinkedIn. It can be challenging to manage them all and find the information you need, when you need it.
With Office 365, you can synchronize all of your contacts and manage them together in one place. That way, you won’t have to worry about using the wrong email address.
3) Work Remotely
Remote work goes way beyond just having the ability to work in diverse spaces. There’s a true benefit to breaking free from the confines of the office, such as bigger creativity and better productivity. Whether or not you allow your employees to work remotely, there’s a good chance work is being completed outside the office.
The solution: Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
In short, a VPN allows your employees to securely access their work files from anywhere, on any device. The keyword here is ‘secure’.
A properly configured VPN works by encrypting the entire connection from one device to another. When data is sent it is encrypted, and then it is decrypted when it reaches the intended device. This way even if data is intercepted by cybercriminals, they won’t be able to decrypt or process it.
4) Answer Calls On-The-Go
What happens when an employee leaves their desk? Do all of their calls go to voicemail? Are other employees left to pick up the slack? Whether you allow your team members to work remote or not, it’s a good idea to have a phone system that enables them to continue fielding calls just like if they were at their desk.
The solution: Voice Over IP (VoIP). By using a VoIP system, your employees can answer company calls from their mobile device. VoIP untethers your phone from the wall and moves it to the cloud. That makes it possible to continue answering calls on any device using the same phone number and setup. For remote workers, this is ideal because the clients never know they’re calling a location other than your office, or that they are receiving a call from a foreign destination if your employee happens to be abroad.
5) Video Capabilities
Not being able to meet around the conference room table at your office doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the benefits of face-to-face interaction.
Video conferencing makes your meetings feel almost as intimate as if you were sitting in the same room. You can read each other’s non-verbal cues, hear each other’s intonations, and even share what’s on your screen.
Empower Your Employees with Technology
Too much technology can cause confusion in any workplace. But by utilizing the right applications and balance, technology can help empower your business like never before.
Want help implementing any of the above solutions for your business? Contact us today!
Before You Add More Tech to Your Team’s Day
With so many tools out there, which ones actually make a team more productive?
Five areas stand out: collaboration through Office 365, contact management, remote access through a VPN, calls through VoIP, and video conferencing. Match them to how your people already work. Office 365 keeps collaboration out of the cluttered inbox and in a secure location the right people can reach, with live collaboration in the Microsoft Office programs you already know. The learning curve is short. It also scales as a small business grows into a medium-sized one.
Is a VPN really safe for people working outside the office?
A properly configured VPN encrypts the entire connection from one device to another, so even intercepted data can’t be decrypted or processed by cybercriminals. Employees can reach work files securely from anywhere, on any device. Secure is the keyword.
What happens to calls when someone steps away from their desk?
With VoIP, employees can answer company calls on a mobile device using the same phone number and setup. Your phone moves from the wall to the cloud. Clients never know they are calling anywhere but your office, even if an employee is abroad. Calls follow the person.
Can video meetings come close to sitting around the same table?
Video conferencing comes close, since you can read non-verbal cues, hear intonation and share your screen as if you were in the same room. Meetings feel almost as intimate as sitting at the same table. Not a perfect swap. Balance matters, though. Too much technology can cause confusion in any workplace, so choosing the right applications and keeping a sensible balance matters far more than simply adding every tool on the market.
Where do we start if we want help rolling any of this out?
Start with the one problem your team complains about most, then add tools from there. Uprite can help implement any of these solutions, so a quick conversation is an easy first step.
