The COVID-19 pandemic saw the number of Americans working from home skyrocket. Research shows that the number of days that American employees spend working from home has doubled. The transition from being office-based to working remotely happened almost overnight. Employers that had never considered home working as an option now had no choice but to let it happen.
For many businesses, the work from home experience had been an enlightening experience. Instead of reduced productivity and missed deadlines, many employees are more productive when working away from the distractions of the office. This prompted some employers to reconsider home working and make it a permanent arrangement.
There are many benefits of having a team that works remotely, including cost savings. However, there are also a few things that you will need to do before you make homeworking a more permanent arrangement. Here are some of the things to get sorted before you make the switch to a team of home-based workers:
Organize Real-Time Collaborative Working
Real-time collaboration is essential when your team is working in multiple locations. When working from home was necessary, you may not have had time to research collaborative software thoroughly. But, before making remote working a more permanent arrangement, it is wise to do some research to find the right product that offers everything that you need. There are many options available for businesses looking for web-based software, but finding one that has all the capabilities that you need is essential.
Your choice of collaborative software is vital to ensure that your team has access to the tools that they need to work productively. Microsoft Teams is one of the most widely-used platforms used for working collaboratively. Since the pandemic forced people to work from home, the platform jumped up to 75 million users; this was an increase of 31 million daily users in a little over a month. While Microsoft Teams is the go-to platform for many businesses, you will still need to assess its capabilities to ensure that it is the best fit for your business needs.
Integrate Your Phone Systems
To ensure full collaboration between your team, you need your phone system to integrate with your collaboration platform. This integration between the two is known as direct routing. Integrating your collaboration tools with your existing VoIP phone system will provide seamless connectivity throughout your business. This level of connectivity may not be possible with Microsoft Teams alone, which is why it is useful to use a service provider with the skills needed to integrate your phone system and collaboration platform. Getting expert help with setting it up will ensure that it is designed to incorporate each of the features you need to enhance the connectivity of your business operation.
Once direct routing is complete, yourself and your team can enjoy the benefits of working collaboratively from anywhere and providing your customers with seamless communication and service. This will allow you to maintain high levels of customer service and employee collaboration across the miles.
