Gig Work Expands Across Industries Enabled by UC Technology

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Freelance work isn’t new, but recently it has come to the forefront of attention as more workers and businesses embrace the gig economy. A whopping 36% of employed Americans identified as independent workers in 2022 – up from 27% in 2016.

Across industries, with the gig economy in full swing, businesses can scale their workforces to meet high demand or control costs when times are tough. It also allows them to bring in specialized expertise when needed.

Beyond the 9-to-5 Workforce

Workers across industries from healthcare to education and government are taking a hard look at the advantages of gig work.

  • Healthcare – One of the hallmarks of the new economy is the appearance of gig workers in places you don’t expect, like hospitals. Nurses have been sourced through agencies for quite some time. But what about doctors? More physicians are embracing the gig economy. As community hospitals face a labor shortage, they increasingly turn to “physicians-for-hire.” At the same time, more doctors are looking for a better work-life balance.
  • Hospitality – Hotel and restaurant operations have long depended upon contract workers, from bartenders to front desk staff. This approach allows managers to add staff as business swells over holidays, then scale back as demand softens. Scheduling has become more challenging in the wake of the pandemic. Many laid-off workers have migrated to other careers. Now, hospitality leaders hope to fill the gap with gig workers.
  • Education – The pandemic also kicked off a teacher shortage, and administrators struggle to fully staff their schools. As of February 2023, there were nearly 150,000 more job openings than hires. One way to close this gap is to hire substitute teachers – another traditional type of gig worker. However, these workers are also in short supply, with 20% of requests for substitutes going unfulfilled.
  • Government – We don’t often consider contract workers’ significant role in making government services available to the public. Yet, gig work is pervasive across federal and local agencies. Public agencies are the biggest employers of contract workers who fill temporary and seasonal positions in parks, schools, and offices. Gig workers play crucial roles as electoral workers and are essential for long-term research work.
  • Financial Services – These institutions face two issues in the gig economy. First, they need to contract IT workers to help with software development as they ramp up new apps to enhance the customer experience. As this part of their specialized workforce grows, financial institutions have a lucrative opportunity to build services that will meet gig workers’ consumer and employment needs.

Role of Unified Communications and Collaboration

Organizations that want to thrive in this new way of working – and attract top talent – need the right technologies to connect and empower gig workers.

  • Healthcare Providers Collaborating in Harmony – Healthcare staff need constant communication. Whether it’s a small rural hospital or a sprawling urban healthcare system, staying connected is vital. Full-time and gig workers need real-time, secure access to patient information and hospital systems. Healthcare communications solutions that streamline workflows make it easy for remote nurses and contract physicians to stay connected and deliver quality care from their mobile devices.
  • Hotel Staff on the Road with Mobile Communications – Like their guests, hotel staff are always on the move. And whether they’re on the top floor or another property, they must be reachable. Mobile solutions allow hotels to deliver exceptional guest experiences while also streamlining operations. For gig workers to collaborate effectively, communications should be integrated with existing hospitality apps. A single communications and collaboration application allows hospitality workers to access everything they need without missing a beat.
  • Educators want Plug-and-play Flexibility – Substitute teachers need the same access to communications and collaboration tools as permanent staff. Flexible solutions that integrate with existing applications like Google Workspace are necessary for any school district. Your UC solution should also be subscription-based, so adding and removing substitute teachers doesn’t bust your budget.
  • Cost Efficiency in the Public Sector – Like other industries, public sector entities face tremendous pressure to stay within budget and deliver a fast ROI on systems. Yet communications solutions must be powerful enough to collaborate across departmental teams. Cost-effective integrations with existing systems and flexible deployment options will help you control your budget while securely supporting your workforce.
  • Financial Service Providers Need to Adapt to a New Beat – The gig economy is about flexibility, speed, and ease of use. That’s what today’s workers want in every gig and what they want in a bank. With a solution built specifically for financial services, you can engage with customers on their preferred channels and seamlessly move between them. Your gig employees will benefit, too: they’re empowered with real-time client information and tools that help them improve performance, such as interaction recording and workforce management.

Learn how TCI can help your organization leverage the gig economy – no matter what industry you’re in. Contact us at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 


Overwhelmed by the RFP Process? Simplify Your Life with Our Sourcewell Contract

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Work for a government, education, or nonprofit agency? You can choose between two options when you’re ready to purchase a communications system — both of which will satisfy your bid requirements:

  1. Request for Proposal (RFP)
  2. Sourcewell Contract Purchasing

Why Do Bid Requirements Exist?

Every publicly funded agency must put projects up for bid to provide companies with equal opportunity to win the agency’s business in a standardized format to ensure fairness. Agencies must also use the bidding process to document how they spend the funds they’re being given. The most common method for doing this has traditionally been an RFP. But depending on your needs, Mitel’s Sourcewell cooperative purchasing contract may be a better alternative.

Though the traditional RFP process was designed with good intentions, it can present some purchasing challenges for government, education, and nonprofit agencies.

First, RFPs can limit the quality of responses you receive (not necessarily the quantity). Responding to RFPs is time-consuming, so it can cause the following:

  • Best agencies choose not to respond.
  • Businesses only respond if they see a significant benefit and/or a high chance of winning the bid.
  • Those that do respond put little energy into their proposal.

Second, and more importantly, this process is very time-consuming for agencies going out to bid. In a standard RFP process, each agency will typically go through the following steps:

  1. Identify potential providers
  2. Develop equipment and service specifications
  3. Create and advertise RFP
  4. Receive responses to RFP
  5. Evaluate proposals
  6. Award lowest bid
  7. Offer a protest period
  8. Have equipment delivered and installed
  9. Review and maintain the contract throughout its term

At a minimum, the RFP process takes three to six months but usually takes six to nine months from RFP build to installation. And even after all that, the way the RFP process is designed means there is no way to guarantee you will get the products or services that best suit your needs. Factors like cheap hardware and contract structuring barely related to your core needs may skew the final decision.

The Sourcewell Alternative

Sourcewell contracts eliminate these RFP challenges. They take the burden of RFPs off government, education, and nonprofit agencies. Sourcewell is a government agency that conducts its own rigorous RFP process and awards a vendor a national contract. Since the RFP work is already done, agencies can purchase communication technology outright through a Sourcewell contract, saving months, words, and uncertainty.

If you’re interested in a Mitel communication system, you’re in luck — Sourcewell has awarded Mitel a communications solutions vendor contract.

The purchasing process and timeline are significantly reduced using Sourcewell cooperative contracts. Instead of the time-consuming, nine-step process listed above, you only need to complete four steps:

  1. Become a member of Sourcewell (if you aren’t already)
  2. Get in contact with TCI to determine your specific phone system needs
  3. Indicate that you want Sourcewell pricing for procurement
  4. Coordinate with TCI for design, installation, and implementation.

Reach out today. We’ll step you through your options. Contact TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 




Hurricane Season & Stronger Storms – How Business Continuity Planning with TCI Helps Protect Your IT Assets

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TCI’s cutting-edge Disaster Recovery solutions are tailored to help protect your entire IT environment – from data and applications to office computers, mobile devices, networks, and phone systems.

Will your business continue to operate when disaster strikes?

Here are just some of the ways TCI’s comprehensive approach helps you safeguard what counts:

  • Determine appropriate risk reduction strategies, remedies, and alternatives for critical systems and networks, including affordable ways to address voice and data protection measures like off-grid power sourcing and secure off-site storage.
  • Enable a remote work program that can keep your business open when your office is shut down during an emergency.
  • Avoid critical data loss or recovery delays dealing with missing databases, disrupted systems, networks, and more.

And if you’re considering moving to the cloud, remember you don’t have to do it all at once.

Create a plan. Identify what should stay in-house and what should go to the cloud. Focus on what you’d need to operate if a major interruption or disaster occurred. Determine the connectivity your employees need to do their jobs remotely. Also, work toward consistent and seamless end-to-end communications. TCI can help you build a hybrid or full cloud solution that meets the needs you’ve identified.

The cloud gives your company the agility it needs to respond to any disruption, be it a natural disaster, pandemic, a security breach, or a failure of your network or hardware.

Schedule your Business Continuity Planning meeting today. Contact TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 


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.
 

What to Look for in a Secure Senior Living Community or Hotel UC Solution

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Caregiving, Hospitality and Security go hand in hand… Every resident in a Senior Living Community has unique needs, just as the hospitality industry strives to offer personalized experiences to every guest.

No business can afford to lose the confidence of its customers, but lost confidence comes at an even higher cost when families have placed their loved ones in your care – and every hotel guest expects to be as secure as they are in their homes.

Yet the reality is that senior living communities and hospitality providers have a lot to focus on behind the scenes to deliver that level of security.

  • Cybersecurity efforts include preventing data breaches from outside the corporate network (including data stored in the cloud) and protecting residents and guests from man-in-the-middle attacks and other forms of phishing and espionage when using the property’s Wi-Fi network.
  • Then there is the physical security of residents and guests, which can be enhanced through digital keycards and IP-based security cameras.
  • Real-time security during emergencies is another critical consideration, involving everything from real-time text alerts to ensuring that 911 services work in every room or location.
  • Finally, there is the simple right to private communications, from encrypted voice calls to messages immediately erased when a guest checks out of a hotel.

What to Look for in a Senior Living or Hospitality UC Solution

While no single vendor can address all security touchpoints, it’s essential to partner with providers that are vigilant in bringing the latest security technologies and compliance requirements to bear on their solutions.

When you choose unified communications (UC) and voice solutions, whether a single phone or a complete UC platform, you should be assured that those solutions meet the most stringent security standards for your industry:

  • The best solutions meet the compliance requirements for both Kari’s Law, which mandates that every multi-line telephone system (MLTS) can easily make 911 calls from any phone, and the Ray Baum Act, which ensures that location information such as room number is passed on to emergency dispatchers during a 911 call.
  • During emergencies, a mass notification messaging solution supporting real-time alerts via multiple possible outlets (desktop messaging, email, text, billboard signage, paging, voice-activated loudspeakers, mobile or SIP-DECT) keeps residents, guests, and staff safe and informed.
  • Details matter… Most cyberattacks and data breaches are the results of little things that were overlooked, from outdated software to setting up weak security passwords.

Residents and guests deserve great accommodations and excellent service. If they don’t feel safe, they won’t be comfortable, and they may not return.

Learn how Mitel solutions can provide your residents, guests, and staff with a comfortable, secure communications experience. Contact TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Attn. DC Region Financial Services Firms: Check Out the 2023 eGuide to Improve Client Experience and Grow with UC

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TCI Serves Leading Banks and Credit Unions Across the DC Region

Financial organizations must innovate to compete, which is why you need to plan ahead – and stay ahead – of emerging technology trends.

Today’s unified communications technology can help your bank or credit union stay on top of customer demand, achieve compliance objectives, and help differentiate your organization in the marketplace.

In this guide, we provide valuable insights into successful Customer Experience and Unified Communications strategies that will enable you to deliver greater connection, personalization, and convenience.

Learn about…

  • Transformational UC and Setting Up for Success
  • Analyzing Insights to Keep Pace with Customer Demands
  • Connection is the key to Successful CX and EX
  • Applying UC to Financial Services: The Benefits to Users and Customers
  • Omnichannel Communications: Faster Decisions and Better CX
  • Back-Office Processes That Deliver Front-End Service
  • 2023 and Beyond: The Future of UC in Finance
  • Protect Your Future with the Right UC Investment

eGuide: Powering the Digital Journey with Mitel Financial Services Solutions

Let’s talk about new ways to serve your customers and compete in a rapidly changing marketplace. Contact TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.
 

Improve Your Technology Performance with High-Speed Cabling & Wireless Networks

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TCI has 40+ years of experience designing, building, and maintaining flexible cable and wireless infrastructures that support voice, data, video, security, and multimedia systems…

One-Stop-Shop for Cabling

  • 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

And Wireless Solutions…

We extend your cable infrastructure with Secure Wi-Fi to allow your employees to work anywhere in your building or campus with convenient, worry-free access to the Internet or your local IT resources. Our Wireless team covers it all…

  • Wireless Site Surveys
  • Wireless Coverage RF Testing
  • Optimized Coverage Maps
  • Access Points | Placement and Cabling
  • Wireless Security
  • Testing and Certification

TCI Experts Manage All the Details

Whether you need to connect a new building, renovate a space, or bring more mobility to your business, TCI has the experience and expertise to deliver your cable and wireless projects on time and within budget.

Learn more about our network infrastructure solutions. Contact TCI at (703) 321-3030 or GetHelp@tcicomm.com.