Four Tips to Close the Remote Work Gap

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Working from home isn’t going away – in fact, 68% of employees globally still want a hybrid arrangement – even if it means risking upward mobility for more control over their schedule. And companies are looking for ways to create equal opportunities for employees in all locations.

Fortunately, the right culture and managerial style backed by modern Unified Communications and Collaboration technologies from TCI can help close the remote work gap – benefiting both employees and companies.

When employers want to retain top remote talent, maintain productivity, and future-proof their workforce, they’ll need ways to level the playing field between remote and in-person employees. With the right approach, they can ensure equal career opportunities for all their workers, regardless of location.

1. Maximize Hybrid Schedules

Finding one day a week for in-person collaboration can make a big difference in productivity and teamwork. If a single schedule can’t be arranged or remote employees live far away, aim to have monthly or quarterly in-person meetings to build face-to-face relationships. Workforce scheduling software can analyze employees’ availability and suggest the best days for everyone.

2. Try Alternate Methods of Management

Managers should have a “no employee left behind” approach regarding hybrid teams. That might mean checking in with remote workers via video calls to ensure they receive the same feedback and training as their in-person peers. Employees should be held to the same performance goals regardless of location, and leadership should track KPIs, promotions, and pay across staff to ensure everyone has the same opportunities.

3. Improve Remote Employee Engagement

If their office colleagues get all the face time, remote workers might start to feel invisible. “Drop-in” video conferences, more “fun” meetings, and open chats can allow them to have conversations they might be missing and get comfortable talking with their team.

4. Bridge the Divide with Unified Communications

Remote employees can feel disconnected from their coworkers. Give them the tools to do their jobs just as well as their in-person colleagues, like collaboration software with seamless chat-to-video capabilities. If there’s only one remote worker on a team, have in-person members dial in because it can be challenging to be the only one not in the room.

Don’t leave it to remote employees to close the gap themselves…

Organizational leaders must proactively provide equal opportunities for remote and in-person employees. If they don’t, sooner or later, they’ll be putting the stability of their workforce at risk.

Unified Communications solutions from TCI help level the playing field for remote and in-person employees.

Chat with one of our experts to learn how your hybrid teams can benefit from better collaboration tools. Call TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 


8 Ways TCI Host Cloud Voice Connects Your Teams and Makes Your Life Easier

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In today’s remote working world, it is essential for your team to be connected seamlessly no matter what device they are using. If you are exploring ways to improve how your team communicates, TCI’s Host provides a locally supported, customized service with all-in-one collaboration and mobility tools, so your business won’t miss a beat.

Here are 8 ways TCI Host helps you keep your employees connected – wherever they are – and how it makes your job easier…

1. Never Lose Your Place with One Stop for Communication.

How much time do you waste by losing the thread of a conversation? TCI Host makes all your communications available from a single hub on your desktop. It’s always there but never in the way. Keep an eye on every call and message and never lose sight of important details.

2. Work from Anywhere, together.

Gone are the days when teams worked in close proximity and shared a simple project document. In paper, no less. Nowadays team members can be anywhere – at home, on the road, in another country. To stay connected, multi-party videoconferencing, desktop sharing and audio conferencing are essential. Everyone on the team can collaborate in real-time.

3. Take the Conversation Smoothly from Text to Voice with Ad-Hoc Meetings.

Big deal on the table? Need fast thinking and even faster decision making? TCI Host helps you connect with the one person who has the information you need to close the deal – at the precise moment you need their help. With one click, start a meeting and keep the conversation going.

4. Get to The Right Person at the Right Time.

The flexibility to work anywhere is a benefit – except when an answer is needed fast. With presence, employees make their whereabouts known to everyone in the organization. So, when a customer calls in asking a question only a subject matter expert can answer, everyone knows where and how to reach them.

5. Be as Productive on the Road as in the Office.

Working outside the office is often frustrating because employees don’t have access to the tools they have in the office. But TCI Host transforms this experience. With its mobile app, employees take the office everywhere and get the same experience on the road as they do at their desks. Whether in the office or on the road, they can join a meeting with a single click, without the need to enter those cumbersome participant codes. It’s that easy.

6. Live in Your CRM…

Which does your sales team love more? Their phone or their CRM? Please, don’t make them choose! When you integrate your phones with your CRM application, salespeople never have to switch between the two. They stay in the CRM to make and receive phone calls. Plus, it saves them from the dreaded task of data entry. Just by answering their phone, items are automatically added to their to-do lists.

7. …Or in Outlook or G Suite.

Sales teams shouldn’t be the only ones who have all the fun. TCI Host also integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook and G Suite, easing the adoption of your new phone system throughout your business.

8. Do More, Spend Less.

Here’s one last thing you might not know, and it may be the best part… You can have a seamless and reliable communications and collaboration tool without breaking the bank. TCI Host offers everything as an affordable monthly subscription.

Our project team handles all the transition details to get it all going for you! Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 


Office Move in Your Future? Head Off Delays & Extra Costs… Engage Our Relocation Team Now

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TCI experts are ready to team up with your real estate people, building manager, and architect to protect your business from last-minute expedites or unexpected change-order costs.

We excel in providing broadband services and network infrastructure – wired and wireless – on time and on budget.

Our certified engineers and technicians have decades of experience supporting businesses in every environment, including Banks, Commercial Offices, Healthcare, Industrial, Manufacturing, Warehouses, Distribution, Retail, Hospitality, Schools, and more.

When you need to manage a new building, a renovation, or a campus addition, get us involved months in advance.

TCI handles everything – We design, install, test, certify, manage, and maintain your entire infrastructure, which may include:

  • Wireless Site Surveys
  • Wireless Coverage RF Testing
  • Optimized Coverage Maps
  • Access Points | Placement and Cabling
  • Wireless Security
  • Testing and Certification
  • Inside & Outside Cabling
  • Rack and Cabinet Layout, Design, Installation
  • Pathway and Conduit Design, Installation
  • Fiber Optic Design, Installation, Testing
  • Copper Design, Installation, Testing
  • CAD, Documentation, Labeling
  • Testing and Certification
  • Ongoing Support

We’ve been supporting the DC region’s infrastructure projects for 40+ years… Contact TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

How Mitel Solutions are Making a Difference in Healthcare, Education and Hospitality… And What’s Next for Telephones?

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Everyday Mitel Phones Make Impacts Around the World

Over the past half-century, Mitel has contributed many “firsts” to the history of telephones, but they aren’t creating all these world-first inventions just for the sake of innovation.

Mitel develops cutting-edge products so its customers can make the crucial connections they need to move the world forward. Here are just a few ways Mitel phones make a difference in Healthcare, Education, and Hospitality every day.

Healthcare

In a healthcare environment, efficient and timely communications can mean the difference between life and death. Mitel phones can be found at nursing stations throughout hospitals around the world.

One feature that sets Mitel’s phones apart for healthcare providers is their large number of programmable keys for one-touch speed dial and other telephony features. Having numerous dedicated buttons to facilitate vital communications is ideal for nursing stations, where quick access to required personnel and departments is crucial.

Providing a clean environment is also paramount in healthcare settings, and Mitel’s pioneering antimicrobial IP desk and cordless phones are ideally suited to maintaining hygiene standards in every workplace.

Education

Effective communications throughout school facilities have become paramount with today’s heightened concern for student and staff safety. Mitel’s phones are found in some of the largest K-12 school districts in America, including Chicago Public Schools and the New York Board of Education.

Mitel phones provide the tools for administrators, students, and teachers to stay connected from the classroom to the front office. Users in education can quickly sign up for classes, log on for virtual learning, and make important calls during emergencies.

Hospitality

Look behind the front desk of most hotels in North America (and elsewhere around the globe), and you’ll find a Mitel phone hard at work. The front desk of any hotel is the critical point of interaction with guests, whether checking in or answering requests for wake-up calls or extra pillows.

Mitel’s console and desk phones have become the workhorse at many hotels worldwide, facilitating excellent customer service by providing practical communications tools for interacting with guests and fulfilling their requests. They’re also doing important work behind the scenes, helping back-office staff keep hotel operations running smoothly.

What’s Next for Telephones?

The ongoing balance of home and office working will drive the evolution of the traditional desk phone. Companies must address the unique challenges of hybrid work and the resulting change to business settings, which continue to develop even now.

“In the future, we can expect to see a focus on driving higher quality audio with more advanced audio codecs and new background noise filtering capabilities,” predicted Peter Couse, Mitel’s Portfolio Manager of Desktop and Wireless Endpoints.

“Interworking with PC-based video collaboration will also become a key aspect of the future phone,” he added. “The phone will look more like a PC peripheral than a standalone communications device.”

Even phones in on-site settings like hospitals, schools, and hotels reflect the shift to a more flexible work style. With multifunctional apps and cloud connectivity, they may function more like our personal devices rather than traditional office hardware.

TCI offers Mitel phones and other technology solutions that improve daily Healthcare, Education, and Hospitality operations. Contact us at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.