In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever to stay connected. Business owners are considering how their company’s operations can be achieved remotely and how their workers can perform their roles from home.
Setting up remote accessibility is a current necessity for many businesses, but exploring its potential is also great for future work. This enables crisis management in the event of an office flood or fire and gives your employees the option to work from home if their child is ill or if they’re waiting for their boiler to be fixed.
Transitioning away from the office can be daunting if your business hasn’t considered remote work before. Setting up a digital telecoms line and providing mobile phones to employees is a big step in the right direction, freeing your biggest tie to the physical office and not costing a fortune in the process.
With these new individual offices in several, if not hundreds or thousands of locations, it can be difficult to keep track of who’s doing what work and whether they’re actually doing it. Dedicated business mobiles and phone lines are essentials in every remote worker’s toolkit.
Communication is at the core of every business, so when you remove face-to-face catch-up time it becomes even more vital to keep in touch. Lockdown has taken us from heavily to wholly reliant on technology and we must adjust accordingly.
Giving your employees mobile phones is symbolic that you want to stay connected with them and provides an expectation that communication will be upheld with both colleagues and clients. Office phones can be redirected straight to your employee’s mobiles or laptops, so lines of communication for the entire operation can continue to run smoothly.
Working and living in the confines of one house can have a negative impact on mental health. Only contacting employees on their work phone and not their personal phone ensures they have an easier time separating their work and home lives.
Having 24/7 accessibility isn’t always a good thing and it can be difficult for remote workers to switch off, especially if they receive constant calls or a flurry of emails after working hours. Remember, this is no holiday for anyone. The current situation takes its toll both mentally and physically, so having a dedicated work mobile which can be switched off at the end of the working day reduces the stress, which in turn positively improves employee mental health and home life.
The employer-employee relationship requires a balance of trust and respect to function properly. It can be difficult to trust employees to do their work without supervision or without slacking, but if the work is completed in time and to a high standard there should be no issues. Remote workers are more content with the freedom and trust to do their work and are considered generally more productive than office workers.
Giving your employees business mobiles is a way of establishing trust. You’re trusting them with this device and to answer when required. You’re giving them the space to do their job, and they will, in turn, respect your trust and hope to live up to it.
Working from home in many ways puts more pressure on the employee to be demonstrably productive, as they may fear that their boss does not trust them. It’s important to check in semi-regularly, but not so much that it feels as though you’re spying on them.
The latest smartphone models are just as powerful as a good computer and can perform many of the same functions. By investing in top of the range smartphones like the Samsung S22 or iPhone 14, your employees have the option of working on their phone should they wish, giving them freedom to keep up to date with their inbox whilst sorting out the kids or work on the go (around the house).
A hosted telephony system allows for advanced rerouting, meaning you no longer need to have someone in the office at all times in case of a phone call. Yappl’s service unifies communication lines with no expensive maintenance contracts or additional staff training required, thanks to VoIP.
VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) allows audio data to be transmitted via the internet. Calls can be made in any direction from a phone or computer and, thanks to apps and web clients, do not require a desk phone. All your employees need is an internet connection and an office extension, saving your business extra cost and ensuring they still receive those important calls.
Yappl offers a bespoke service tailored to your business’s needs, including a professional local number for your customers, a unique welcome message, professional call queues, and definable opening times to send after-hours calls to voicemail.
Video calling is not only vital for certain business meetings, but seeing colleagues and clients in person can have a positive effect on mental health. Regular face-to-face social contact reduces risk of depression. Whilst social distancing measures are in place, video calling is the next best thing. Although many use desktops to video call, having a more portable option is a good idea to encourage your employees to move around a bit and is a great option for social events.
There are numerous apps to help ease us through lockdown. From accessible and fun learning portals to social apps for team building and to-do lists or collaboration tools, if your business decides to use an app, be sure that every employee has access to it.
If at present your business does not need mobile phones for everyone, Yappl provide short-term SIM-only deals which should cover you through this period of uncertainty. If you already have a work number, you can get this transferred across, which can also be used in SIM-enabled laptops or tablets too.
Contracts start with a period of as little as 30 days, offering a great short-term solution to avoid further disruption to your business.
If you’d like to discuss your telephony or mobile requirements, get in touch today on 01773 522 300 or fill in our form below for more details. Whatever your company’s plan of action, we’ll get through this together.
