Whether it's illness or bad weather, traffic or transport issues, a few employees being off work at once can really affect small businesses. If you run an SME, having everyone available during working hours can be absolutely vital - even if sometimes, these issues are inescapable.
One solution is to provide your team with the tools they need to work from home, so that when things do go wrong, your business can keep going. If you're interested in ensuring your company performs well even when people can't get to the office, here's how to get tech savvy and get your staff set up working from home.
1. Get everyone their own laptop
Ensuring everyone has their own laptop, which can be taken home with them easily is an important part of a disaster recovery plan. It's the very first step in making sure that everyone in your team can work from anywhere. Once everyone has their own laptop, get people in your office to take them home - laptops are no help at all if they end up left in the office.
2. Sort out a VPN
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network, and it enables individuals to work remotely from any location. Connect to your company's VPN, and you can access everything that you'd normally be able to from the office. If this all sounds a bit technical, don't worry - your friendly IT support team will be able to talk you through Virtual Private Networks, and discuss how it could work for your business.
3. For phone calls, use VOIP
VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and it's essential for your business to field calls from your customers. If clients need to get in touch with your team when they're out of the office, VOIP allows staff to load up a virtual handset on their smartphones. Using VOIP, calls come through exactly the same way that they would in the office.
4. Keep collaborating
One of the more difficult things to replicate when your team is working from home is collaboration. You can't just visit someone else's desk when you need to - but luckily, there are technological answers to this too. Transcendit use Microsoft Teams to collaborate on projects and tasks, hold meetings and have video calls. It's a cloud-based application, so all you need is an internet connection. Find out more about Microsoft Teams here.
If you'd like to discuss remote working, give us a call on 0191 482 0444
