Technology To Prepare Your Business For The ‘New Normal’

This Article was provided and created by Network Telecom

With businesses starting to return to the office following months of remote working, the way teams work, collaborate and communicate has changed for good. As we head into the ‘new normal’, many businesses are introducing flexible working policies, with team members alternating between on-site and remote working. But, for this new way of working to be a success, the correct technology is a must.

The ‘new normal’ means something different from business to business. Some will continue with a completely remote workforce; others will have a skeleton staff in the office and others will sit somewhere between the two. Regardless of what the ‘new normal’ looks like for your business, it’s become apparent that most will require upgraded technology to make sure their staff can work effectively from anywhere.

Staying connected with customers, suppliers and team members is crucial, and unfortunately, this can be a challenging task when relying on outdated technology. Was your business unable to make and take calls from home? Were you unable to seamlessly transfer calls to different team members? Did you have no access to call management or call recording tools? If so, it’s time to upgrade to a future-proof communications solution.

There are solutions available to suit every way of working, all offering the features you need to stay connected, with options to fit within your comms budget, allowing you to upgrade for little to no extra cost. We recommend three key solutions to keep your business talking, a reliable cloud phone system, business mobiles and a premium video conferencing platform.

Get Set Up With a Cloud Phone System

Cloud phone systems may sound futuristic, but they’re easy to use and ideal for flexible working. Offering future-proof features, they’re hosted in the cloud, meaning your phone system can be accessed from absolutely anywhere. Plus, they’re compatible with ‘plug and play’ handsets (phones that can be plugged in at home and connected via WiFi), which means they’re easily transportable, allowing your team to get set up from wherever they feel most comfortable.

With no additional hardware or extra cabling required, all that’s needed for a cloud phone system is a stable WiFi connection. Team members will be able to make, take and transfers calls from the office, their home or a coffee shop, ensuring you never miss a call, or potential sale! One of the standout features of a cloud phone system is the ability to set your presence so that team members know straight away whether their colleagues are available, taking a break or on another call, making sure that no callers are left hanging around.

While future-proof features are important, the basics are still just as crucial. Your team will likely utilise your CRM on a daily basis and a cloud phone system will easily integrate with your CRM system, giving your team their data on their computer, desk phone and business mobile, making life that much easier. Plus, the traditional features such as call reporting, call recording, call management, professional voicemail and auto attendant all come as standard, giving you more features for your money and more control over the customer journey and team members’ calls.

Make the Most of Business Mobiles

Offering an extension to your phone system, business mobiles offer the benefit of not only being able to be used absolutely anywhere, they also don’t rely on a WiFi connection, making them a great addition to a cloud phone system.

Being able to twin with your phone system means that your business mobile will ring whenever your desk phone rings, ensuring you aren’t missing any of those vital calls. This allows your staff members more freedom, especially those that are on the road. Should a staff member be on a call using their desk phone, they can easily transfer the call to their business mobile if needed ensuring no interruptions and a better customer experience. Plus, when your team are out and about, they’ll still be able to access and update the presence function to ensure that they are taking calls when they’re able to, resulting in no missed calls and no missed sales.

Utilise Video Conferencing

Video conferencing offers benefits both internally and externally, thanks to its wide availability. You no longer require a specific video conferencing setup that costs thousands of pounds. Video conferencing platforms are available on laptops, desk phones and mobiles, meaning that video calls are accessible from anywhere without the need for downloading.

Here to stay, video conferencing offers more than just face-to-face team catch-ups. Within the ‘new normal’, video conferencing is fast becoming the preferred method of communication between your business, your customers and suppliers. While it remains essential to stay connected internally, with teams working from various locations, it’s crucial to recognise the business benefits that video conferencing offers when it comes to external communications.

While there is still very much a place for calls and emails, video conferencing is fast becoming the most popular choice for external communications. Not only does it offer face-to-face interactions, but participants enjoy features such as meeting recording, screen sharing, document sharing and instant messaging. Plus, it’s fair to say that video conferencing is much more engaging than traditional audio conferencing making it a much more effective communication tool.

If you would like to learn more about the communications solution you need for the ‘new normal’, contact the Network Telecom team today for a free ‘back to work’ consultation. They’re available on [email protected] or 0333 3603 899.

This Article was provided and created by Network Telecom