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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.
 


Get to Know TCI’s Latest Cloud Communications Service… RingCentral MVP

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Our solutions line-up expanded earlier this year with Mitel’s rollout of RingCentral MVP cloud service. It’s become a popular option for organizations that are ready to transition to the cloud from their Mitel on-premises systems.

And, if your current cloud provider is falling short, MVP is ideal for anyone looking to streamline internal collaboration and better connect with their customers.

With integrated Messaging, Video Meetings, and Cloud PBX, RingCentral MVP offers:

  • A unified, collaborative hub for team messaging, video meetings, and telephony
  • Enterprise-grade security and unmatched reliability with a 99.999% uptime SLA
  • A global footprint in 100+ countries and localized in 15+ languages
  • 250+ out-of-the-box integrations with business apps and open APIs for custom needs
  • Simple and centralized web-based user and system administration
  • Advanced analytics and insights
  • Access from anywhere on your device of choice — desktop, tablet, or mobile.

Here’s more on each element of MVP — Message. Video. Phone — and how the service integrates with the Business Apps your team uses every day:

Message

  • Message colleagues and clients from your PC or mobile device. Invite guest users to collaborate for free.
  • Set a custom status to indicate your availability.
  • Create teams around projects, specific topics, and departments.
  • Assign tasks to individuals or project teams.
  • Share links and files with no size or storage limits.

Video

  • Join meetings easily — no downloads or plugins needed.
  • Enjoy HD audio and video, and screen share with up to 200 interactive video participants.
  • Easily schedule meetings with calendar integrations with Office 365 and Google Calendar.
  • Switch a live meeting between devices with one click.
  • Get in-meeting chat, virtual backgrounds, closed captioning, cloud recordings, and powerful background noise reduction technology for a great participant experience.

Phone

  • Use one business phone number for calling, business SMS, MMS, and fax, so your personal number stays private.
  • Customize settings such as business hours and greetings, and route incoming calls efficiently to specific departments with a multi-level auto attendant.
  • Manage active calls efficiently with advanced call controls to transfer, record, flip, or park the call.
  • Flip live calls between your desktop and cell or switch a call to video in just one click.

Integrations

  • Bring advanced communications functions into the productivity apps you use every day like Microsoft and Google.
  • Automate your sales cycle and enhance delivery and customer support through integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, and ServiceNow.
  • Back up your communications data with RingCentral Archiver to your preferred cloud storage provider like Smarsh, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more.
  • Build custom integrations with open APIs to meet your business’s specific needs.

Bring your teams and customers together on the industry’s #1 business communications platform. Let’s talk about your business and how we can connect you to achieve more success. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

The Power & Business Benefits of a Single Platform UCaaS Solution

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Create new opportunities to boost efficiency, improve employee experience, and better serve customers.

For all the power we now carry in our pockets with our phones, many businesses still struggle with enabling seamless communications and collaboration in the world of remote and hybrid work.

Apart from the fact that talking — real-time audio conversation — has become one of the least popular communication methods, and collaboration platforms are incredibly diverse, there’s a wide variety of solutions for messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, whiteboarding… the list goes on.

Many businesses have invested in a Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) platform to replace their old fragmented systems. The next step is to integrate communication and collaboration into one platform.

The Benefits of Bringing it all Together

Bringing communications and collaboration into a single, purpose-built platform delivers four key benefits.

1. Remote work. Recent research from the SMG Group shows that hybrid work environments are a crucial differentiator when people are looking for jobs. This helps businesses attract and retain top talent and makes it easier for employees to collaborate.

2. Business-app integration. Having communication and collaboration tools all on one app makes it much easier to integrate with your other business apps and processes. Why? It gives you a single integration point rather than having to integrate with multiple apps in a patchwork solution.

3. Cross-channel communication. A universally compatible platform works, regardless of device or operating system. This lowers the burden on your IT staff to troubleshoot compatibility issues and is another enabler of productivity and collaboration for your employees.

4. Asynchronous and live communication. Real-time communication is sometimes essential. But not every discussion or workstream must, or can, happen in real-time. Asynchronous chat helps everyone stay current between live calls no matter the time zone or hour of the day.

How to Choose the Right UCaaS Solution

Once you’ve decided to move to UCaaS that combines communication and collaboration tools on a single platform, remember that not all of these solutions are created equal.

Here are the must-haves to consider as you evaluate moving to a new UCaaS solution…

  • Ease of onboarding. Is the platform easy to use, with a friendly user interface? Will the vendor help with change management as you migrate?
  • Security. How does the vendor address issues like encryption and authentication? How do they keep your data safe from cyberattacks?
  • Reliability. Does the service have guaranteed uptime? How robust is their customer service in the case of an adverse event?
  • Versatility. Is the solution compatible with the other business programs you use every day? Do they offer a comprehensive suite of integrations and/or API availability to draft your own?
  • Global integration. Will the platform be as reliable and responsive in Europe and Asia as it is in the United States?

Together is Better

If your business is experiencing barriers to working together across the office, remote and hybrid work environments, your local TCI team can help bring your communication and collaboration together. Contact us today: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

How Successful SMBs Are Exploiting New Opportunities in the Future of Work

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Coming out of the disruption of the past few years, how the world of work is changing is becoming more apparent. Challenges remain, but there are also opportunities for small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) to set a course for sustained success.

Successful SMBs are adapting to the shifting terrain. A recent SMG Group study reveals two main challenges to navigating ongoing changes and preparing for a prosperous future…

  • There has been a significant power shift from employers to employees. It has, in many ways and many sectors, become a seller’s market for employees’ skills, expertise, and time. As a result, competition between businesses to attract and retain the best people is intense.
  • There is a need for longer-term strategic thinking. Businesses are reviewing the decisions they made to survive during the pandemic. And many are realizing those decisions have led to disjointed technology solutions, overly complex processes, and inefficient systems.

Factors making successful SMBs optimistic about the future…

1. Resilience

Many digital transformation strategies adopted over the past few years were applied reactively and ad hoc. Businesses implemented disjointed technologies, putting multiple systems in place that don’t necessarily play nice with one another. Many of the solutions were needlessly complex and may buckle in a changing environment.

Unified and simplified technologies have played a role in making businesses more resilient. This is particularly true for Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) options. Industry-leading UCaaS systems bring features like advanced messaging, phone, and video together in one app, centralizing and simplifying communication. By bringing internal and external communications together, teammates can collaborate more efficiently and communicate more effectively with customers.

2. Putting People First

As important as technology is, it is simply an enabler. Running a successful business is about people: your employees and your customers.

The SMG report identifies people as a significant priority for businesses that want to future-proof their operations and continue to thrive. Hybrid work, once a rare offering for unusual circumstances, has been fully embraced by both employees and employers: 90% of SMBs that have adopted hybrid work find it valuable. And for job seekers, hybrid work is a significant priority: over 80% of applicants to a well-known job board said they’d feel more loyal to their employers if their work environments were flexible.

When many businesses switched to a digital workplace, much of the focus was on the technology needed to facilitate it, not on the people who would be using that technology. Working remotely exposed significant gaps in the digital employee experience, with some employees feeling they have been left on their own to manage multiple incongruous technologies without timely support.

Simplified UC tools that bring together multiple modes of communication make it easy for people to work together and work flexibly. Collaboration across geographies is faster and easier for employees, ensuring they feel supported no matter where they work. Using centralized, cloud-based tools eliminates the hassle of deploying and managing systems in multiple locations and helps keep your business agile.

3. Getting and Staying Agile

The agility that new technologies provide has proven to be a fundamental enabler of SMB growth. The SMG report shows that 80% of SMBs committed to technology adoption and investment anticipate revenue increases. The reason is simple. Many businesses have discovered that the customer experience is directly correlated to the employee experience. Happy, productive employees have happy, productive interactions with customers. And agility enabled by new technologies is fundamental to employee happiness because it allows them to work effectively from anywhere and still deliver excellent customer service.

Giving employees the ability to quickly adapt to changes like this while still working in a hybrid or remote environment, without struggling with outdated technology, is crucial to an employer’s ability to attract and retain top talent.

Plan Now for a More Prosperous 2023

Let’s talk about your Future of Work. Your local TCI experts are here to help you create an agile, successful work environment. Contact us: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

4 Ways Leaders Can Better Support Hybrid Workers

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COVID arrived without warning and created an immediate and massive disruption in our lives. Millions were urgently deployed to their homes to work – an experience few of us imagined would last more than a few weeks, let alone two full years.

Once workers experienced greater freedom and control over their lives, they naturally resisted giving it up. And unlike any other time in our lives, workers not only have more employment choices than ever, but millions of people quitting their jobs every month confirm that many are willing to find a new employer when theirs is unwilling to support their needs.

Hybrid is the New Normal

Gallup’s CEO, Jim Clifton, recently said that his organization’s research shows most workers want to come into the office some days to connect and socialize with their colleagues and make critical decisions together. But they want their employers to realize that they have been profoundly changed over the past two years and need a manager who will work with them individually to make their hybrid work schedule align with their personal lives.

Flexibility is Critical

After talking to several thousand of his own organization’s employees, PwC’s U.S. Chair Tim Ryan said it this way:

“We don’t believe the war for talent is going to decrease. We think we will be in a period for the next 10 years of labor shortage. And, what came through loud and clear is that people want choice in every word. Hybrid is just the tip of the iceberg. The best talent wants choice.”

For every manager wondering how to navigate and lead in the post-COVID work era, we offer these four nuggets of advice…

1. Don’t fight change.

If you close your eyes and imagine how all of us will be working five or 10 years from now, you’re unlikely to envision people being in the office more than they are today. As technology improves, it’s logical to assume even more jobs will be accomplished remotely, not fewer. And so, by fully accepting that remote working is indeed the future, you’ll be able to devote greater attention to growing the managerial skills you’ll need to effectively lead a team you don’t get to see together most days.

2. Be very intentional in scheduling and what gets done in the office.

Workers’ biggest complaint about being in the office today is that the work they end up doing onsite can get done just as easily at home. Intentional managers see this flaw and schedule their team meetings and dole out assignments in advance so people are more productive and prepared to present. They encourage employees to socialize and connect, knowing that they will collaborate better when working remotely. They provide a predictable schedule so their people can plan ahead, arrange daycare, and make arrangements for their children.

3. Know that every employee is different, listen to them personally, and seek to support them individually.

People want and need to know that their manager cares about them as a person. And one of the best ways you can demonstrate that you care is to listen to how returning to work has affected their lives. Your goal isn’t just to understand the impacts but to make unique accommodations where possible. Giving someone permission to come in a few minutes late so they can take their child to school – or get on the road early to beat traffic on the way home – prove to be minimal concessions that carry huge paybacks.

4. Manage everyone with the same concern.

A recent survey shows that most people (60% or more) have jobs that demand they come to a workplace every day. And while people whose jobs can be performed remotely are getting most organizations’ greatest attention right now, wise managers are intensely focused on supporting the people who must commute every day, put their kids in daycare, and never get a chance to work from home. Finding ways to make their work lives more accessible and more fulfilling mustn’t get lost in this moment. Your job as a manager is to be a supportive advocate for every person you lead.

TCI has hybrid work solutions that keep your people connected with the technology and tools they need. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Top 6 Benefits of RingCentral MVP for Mitel On-Prem Customers

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Cloud communications make it easier than ever to collaborate, connect, and work together effectively

To keep up in this new era of remote and hybrid work models, it’s imperative that organizations proactively adapt to this emergent way of communication and way of doing business.

Mitel and RingCentral have created a seamless cloud migration process specifically for Mitel on-prem customers, providing you with an effortless path to the cloud…

1. Easy Transition

RingCentral and Mitel worked together to ensure that your transition to RingCentral Message Video Phone (MVP) will be as smooth and hassle-free as possible. We’ve made the migration process simple for Mitel customers, with no disruptions at all to your business.

2. Improved Flexibility

RingCentral MVP’s integrated system allows you to seamlessly switch between various platforms, such as effortlessly going from your video call to your cell phone, without interrupting any communications. This makes remote work so much easier!

3. Superior Security and Privacy

Trust that your data is safe at every level with exceptional security, global reliability, and privacy. With dynamic end-to-end encryption, we empower our customers to do their best work – from anywhere and everywhere.

4. First-class Reliability

The importance of connectivity is at an all-time high during this age of remote and hybrid work environments. With reliability as a critical factor in productivity, RingCentral effectively shields you from ever having a dropped or poor connection.

5. Seamless Integrations

This cloud solution blends in smoothly with the business tools you already use every day. With its pre-built and custom integrations, MVP will make work significantly easier, boost productivity, automate workflows, and reduce the annoyances of daily tasks.

6. All-in-one Solution

By having a unified communications platform that does it all – message, video, and phone – on any device of your choice, RingCentral MVP’s single-solution approach eliminates the necessity of using multiple tools to get the job done.

Video: RingCentral MVP – Welcome to Simpler Communications [2:25 min.]

Better, Faster, Stronger

RingCentral MVP puts all your communication tools in a single hub on your desktop, making them effortlessly accessible, easy to manage, and enabling focused, effective collaboration for your teams – whether they work in the office, at home, or any place in between.

The TCI, RingCentral and Mitel partnership works harder so that you can work smarter.

NWEA – RingCentral Customer Success Story

It’s Time to Start Achieving Your Top Business Priorities

Take advantage of what RingCentral MVP has to offer and start seeing a difference in your quality of work today. With the simple transition from your current on-prem solution to RingCentral MVP, you will unleash the full potential of this easy, intuitive all-in-one tool with support from our dedicated teams, layered security, and a full force of advanced integrations.

Explore the possibilities of cloud communications… Contact TCI today: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

eBook… How to Fortify Your Business for an Uncertain Future

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Connections matter – it’s one of the big lessons we’ve all learned in the past 2 years.

When it comes to business you need to keep collaborating, keep communicating and keep working from anywhere.

But how do you know if your business communications are strong enough to withstand future challenges?

Maybe you’ve put some quick technology in place to make it through the pandemic. Or maybe you’ve been chugging through it all with a legacy system.

That may be working for now, but what happens when the next crisis hits? The answer to these questions, and more, are covered in The Only Certainty is Uncertainty

This whitepaper by industry thought leader Frost & Sullivan will give you expert advice, statistics-backed insights, and clear recommendations to help you fortify your business for whatever comes next.

Need remote and hybrid working solutions that go beyond band-aid communications tools? Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Enabling Innovation & Productivity in Your Hybrid Workforce

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Innovation and productivity are key factors in the growth and success of any company. When workers were suddenly forced home in March 2020, many thought innovation and productivity would plummet during the pandemic lockdown. Against expectations, by November of 2021, productivity had increased.

A study by Microsoft showed that 82% of company leaders felt their companies were at least equally if not more productive than before the lockdown. Now, after two years, some experts predict productivity across the economy will rise by 5% as a direct result of remote or hybrid work.

What Factors Contribute to Productivity?

Productivity now hinges on employees’ adaptability and ability to function independently in non-traditional work environments. Here are three important elements that play into productivity…

  • Tech Savviness: Getting all employees up to speed using video calls, text messaging and file sharing may take time in the beginning but pays off in the end by ensuring that everyone is seamlessly connected to the workflow and that communications occur naturally.
  • Time to Focus: Some workers feel less distracted when working from home, while others desire the structure of the office. The challenge for managers is to find the balance between giving employees the independence to work on their own and making sure they remain integrated with the rest of the team, no matter where they’re located.
  • Employee Engagement: Employees who are deeply connected to their companies are 55% more productive than those who don’t have the same feelings. Listening to employees’ needs is important, as well as ensuring that those who choose to stay remote feel integrated into the community.

What About Innovation?

Innovation happens best when teams come together and create solutions. Companies that encourage creativity stay ahead of the curve, while those that don’t make the same investment will quickly fall behind. Structures that support innovation include…

  • Effortless Communications: Teams that have free and open conversations with each other innovate on a higher level. The creative energy that arises from the ability to iterate ideas is what drives companies to develop new products and stay at the top of the field. Apps with shared documents and instant communication features allow coworkers to collaborate easily without getting bogged down by slow connections or switching between applications.
  • Time for Teamwork: Whether employees are in-person or remote, prioritizing structured time for everyone to come together is important for fostering new ideas. Creating an intentional schedule specifically for brainstorming sessions ensures coworkers have the time to build trust and feel comfortable sharing ideas. Using screen sharing and video chatting apps can facilitate innovation by enabling everyone to feel like they’re in the same room.
  • Community of Trust: Fostering an environment where it’s safe for ideas to fail as well as succeed is important for innovation. Finding ways to establish connections is always a challenge – even more so without the nuances of personal interaction. Being able to seamlessly switch from text messaging to video chatting removes some of the barriers to communication between coworkers and helps everyone feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts.

It’s clear that investing in communications technology and ensuring that everyone is up to speed will be key factors in supporting productivity and innovation in 2022. For example, communication solutions with integrated collaboration and team meeting apps help bridge the gap between remote and in-person work, providing ways for everyone to feel confident and connected.

Your local TCI team is ready to support your innovation and productivity initiatives with customized technology solutions. Contact us today: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

The Future of Work… Balancing Space, Place and Pace

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Many organizations are building on the lessons of the past few years and finding a balance between remote and in-person work. As many companies prepare to welcome some employees back to the building (while others may not physically come back at all), it’s unlikely the workplaces we return to will look or function the same way they did before the pandemic.

A “Space” Where Collaboration is Easy

Regardless of your industry or company size, one thing is certain – creative use of unified communications technology can bridge the distance between remote, in-office, and hybrid workers and create an environment and culture sure to keep employees productive and engaged today, tomorrow, and beyond.

Companies will need to find ways for in-person and remote workers to collaborate in ways that feel natural, using UC solutions to ensure seamless communications no matter where they are.

The Connected Work “Place”

When employees return to in-person work, it may not look like the same place they left. Many companies are imagining adaptable workspaces with shared “zones” for whoever is in on a given day and large screens for videoconferencing with employees working remotely.

With the right technology, the workplace of the future will keep employees productive and happy as they seamlessly shift from one workplace to another. TCI offers solutions that make the line between remote and in-person work virtually disappear, allowing colleagues to seamlessly switch from text to video chat and whiteboard ideas in real-time with screen sharing.

Say Hello to the New Work “Pace”

Until recently, the constant connectivity of email and cell phones meant people were often on call around the clock. Instead of reporting from 9-5, workers will instead build their schedules around collaboration, finding times when teams are available to brainstorm together, before breaking apart to complete their tasks.

The right technology is required to make this vision a reality. With a single app, employees can text, video chat, share documents, and collaborate on projects. TCI’s solutions are flexible and easy to use, so employees will feel like they’re sitting next to their coworkers, even if they are on opposite coasts or even different continents.

The Future of Work

The lessons learned since 2020 will be used to build stronger connections. Forward-looking companies will turn to integrated communications to empower employees with the tools to work together seamlessly, regardless of where their “office” is located.

TCI is ready with the technologies you need for the re-imagined future of work. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.