Considerations for Remote Work

How to leverage technology to work around the Coronavirus

By embracing collaboration technology, modern enterprises can begin to move away from traditional face-to-face meetings as the go-to tool for driving business operations. The teleconferencing trend shows no signs of slowing down, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As reported cases of the novel Coronavirus grow in number and quarantine becomes necessary to safeguard employees, companies across multiple industries are leaning on video conferences and other collaboration technology more than ever. Effective use of these tools, however, is crucial for continuing business operations and avoiding costly downtime.

Tips to ensure remote work efficiency

Video meeting capabilities give modern organizations significant flexibility in times of crisis.

One approach that has successfully connected global workplaces is the “video first” approach, which emphasizes video conferencing as a reliable alternative for when in-person meetings aren’t feasible due to travel, remote offices, or illness. This strategy is rapidly catching on in the modern business world­; a survey by Deloitte found that 70 percent of respondents expect to use collaboration platforms more often in the near future.

Here are some helpful tips to follow when your teammates are working from home:

• Get everyone on the same page by using the same tools.
• Create online work spaces for projects to keep essential team members in the loop.
• Keep meeting documents, presentations, and notes in a shared place.
• Record meetings for people who are not able to attend.
• Turn your video on; it makes a difference.

The Right Tools for the Job

Many enterprise employees worldwide are being required or encouraged to stay home from the office to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. Platforms such as Cisco Webex Meetings and Webex Teams can be critical for allowing these enterprises to maintain their day-to-day functionality and continue to serve their clients throughout a public health crisis. There is a wealth of options available for enterprises looking to empower their employees to work remotely without sacrificing collaboration or productivity. CBTS can implement the features you need, such as Call Forward All, Single Number Reach (SNR), and Voicemail to E-mail to keep your team engaged and performing at their best no matter their location.

Webex Meetings enables teams to coordinate their efforts even with miles between them. Anyone inside or outside your organization can quickly join a meeting from a smartphone, desktop, video room devices, or through their browser. Everyone can enjoy consistent meeting experiences and be fully engaged in the conference with minimal technical complexity. Webex Meetings removes the complexity of the video meeting experience—with crystal-clear audio and content sharing in the same session.

Cisco Webex Teams is an easy-to-use collaboration solution that keeps teams and departments connected anytime, anywhere.

• Start calls instantly, have high-quality video meetings with screen sharing at the touch of a button.
• Create secure virtual workspaces for every purpose.
• Include outside vendors or customers in collaborative spaces.
• Simplify day-to-day interactions with messaging and file sharing.
• Third-party app integrations for a seamless workflow.
• Increase productivity and engagement with real-time communications.
• Express your ideas on digital whiteboards and add colleagues at any time.

For more information on how CBTS can help your organization during the COVID-19 health crisis, check out our Contingency planning post or collaboration and meeting solutions page at CBTS.com.

Learn more about the workforce of the future from our recent webcast: Webcast recap: What does the workplace of the future look like?