COVID forced businesses into working from home before all were ready, but in the wake of the pandemic, technology that enabled the world to keep spinning was brought to light and shadowed dusty old systems that no longer serve us.
And now with unpredictable health & weather on the season’s horizon, here’s our top 6 tips for easy tech changes to help keep flexible working successful, should you need it.
- Get a cloud telephony service. These can actually save you money on minutes, materials and maintenance, unfortunately most businesses don’t have them for no reason other than because they are locked into long contracts with old-school systems. So, check out what the limitations and features are of your system and ask your provider to move you to a cloud-based system instead.
- Challenge your provider to include the extras: Why not combine productivity into one solution? Platforms like Voip Exchange offer video conferencing and audio conferencing facilities plus the mobile & computer apps all in one. These solutions are scalable so help accommodate change for additional or staff changes & you can keep bills predictable with bundled minutes too!
- Get some space by hiding your personal number: Just like it’s important to create a designated physical area as a zone for focussing on work and also leaving it there and switching back to home-mode, your communications should have working hours & zones also. Solutions like Voip Exchange have desktop app and mobile apps so you don’t even need your desk phone handset, you can make calls & answer from multiple devices, without the requirement to use your personal mobile/landline numbers – simply open the app & you’re away! And when your operating hours end, you won’t be disturbed.
- Leave the house at least once a day: It can be easy when working from home to not take breaks in their entirety or benefit from the fresh air that may have come with a commute. So, step out onto the balcony, in the garden or go for a short walk, there’s no need to be tied to your desk with cloud technology at hand.
- Get a sufficient internet service. We recommend chatting with your provider to help ensure you have enough bandwidth to manage your work requirements. Try and use a wired ethernet connection direct from your router to your computer if you can so you don’t suffer from depending on wifi which can be temperamental dependant on house size, interfering objects etc. Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access usual servers/sites as though you’re in the office. Check If you can get a line installed dedicated for your work, so you don’t need to share the bandwidth with the kids streaming Elf or Home Alone this Christmas holidays – Voip Unlimited offer Broadband solutions that can be fully business expensed (did you know you no longer need to pay for phone line rental when purchasing an internet connection, with our new Broadband products)!
- Benefit beyond just this winter/pandemic from these IT upgrades: In 2025 Openreach will start to retire old copper phone lines, you won’t be able to order new copper (PSTN) lines, telecom providers will start to withdraw old lines in order to transition people to new VoIP technology over fibre lines. Yes we will face a transition, yes everyone will have to change, no, you needn’t be worried. Friendly local providers like Voip Unlimited can help businesses feel no pain and just gain from getting ahead of the queue. By upgrading to VoIP (like cloud telephony platform Voip Exchange) and updating your broadband you can allow other vital business facilities to be accessed and benefit from them well in advance of 2025 rather than being forced to adapt at pace.
Voip Unlimited, based in Poole, have been helping business transition to improved technologies for over 15 years. Give the team a call today and discuss how to get your business ready for all eventualities.