Posts

A Video Meetings Guide for Your Remote Workers

/0 Comments/in /by

Videoconferencing has suddenly become “business essential.” Now more than ever, teams are relying on videoconference meetings on a daily basis so they can get work done effectively and efficiently.

Many of your remote workers, however, may have to adjust to this way of communicating with their colleagues.

Here’s a checklist of what every remote worker must consider as they get up to speed…

  • Visual presence – Since you may be in your home office, or even the kitchen, you will have to pay attention to lighting, visual background and ambient noise.
  • Prepare the content – Take a few moments ahead of time to organize your thoughts. This can make all the difference between a frustrating call and a productive one.
  • Agenda – If you’re the organizer of the call, be sure to send out an agenda at least a day ahead of time. Identify what you expect from each participant.
  • Your role – If you’re not the leader, reach out to the organizer and ask for clarification on your role and how you should prepare. Think through what you’d like to contribute.
  • Other participants – Find out who else will be on the call. Just as with face-to-face meetings, it’s helpful to know beforehand who will be “in” the meeting.
  • Limit side conversations – Keep one-on-one chats to a minimum. Instead, take notes for follow up.
  • Internet connection – Your WiFi needs to be strong enough to handle both voice and videoconference calls. What’s fine for browsing or email may not be robust enough to facilitate real-time communications.
  • Up-to-date software – Make sure you have the latest version of the meeting software. Or use a web-based business videoconferencing solution where you only need to sign on.

The right videoconferencing application makes it easy to assign tasks, send follow-up emails and group messages, share documents and schedule future meetings – all from a single interface.

Need support arranging business-class videoconferencing solutions? Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

TCI Makes Getting Connected Easy… Get Mitel Licenses for more Remote Work Softphones

/0 Comments/in /by

Mitel softphones allow remote and mobile workers to take advantage of a full range of productivity enhancing tools right from their smartphones or laptops – no desk phone required. Your employees can stay in touch with the same features and tools they had in the office.

A software license from Mitel is required for each remote worker. TCI will assist in getting all the licenses you need and then set up and implement the softphones so your organization can continue running with minimal disruption.

Teleworking UCC / MiCollab options include:

If you are not a UCC Licensee, certain features can be purchased separately…

When it comes to maintaining staff productivity and supporting your customers, softphones are essential tools for doing business in these uncertain times.

We can equip your remote workers with softphones now. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

 

Remote Work Considerations as the DC Region Prepares for Coronavirus/Covid-19 Impact

/0 Comments/in /by

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst… The Covid-19 outbreak is moving fast and you’ll need to be flexible in the coming weeks to minimize disruptions to your business.

TCI is Ready

At TCI, our staff’s welfare and your need for support are top of mind. Rest assured that our customer and tech support staff are equipped to work remotely as necessary and will be able to continue to support you without interruption.

Preparing Your Business

You’re likely thinking about how your business will stay connected to continue operations and serve customers. If your employees need to work at home, there are several teleworking options available. Depending on the licensing and system levels of your phone system or service, TCI experts can help you coordinate…

  • Softphones – implemented via an app installed either on your desktop/laptop or smartphone
  • Twinning – having desk phone and cell phone ring simultaneously
  • Teleworker Phone – a physical phone that can be used at home and programmed with the same features and apps as the business phone at the office
  • Conferencing Services – enables virtual face-to-face meetings to complete projects and make decisions
  • Mass Notification Solutions – broadcasts information to teams, groups or the entire organization via text messages, phone calls, and email.

Arranging Call Forwarding 

In many cases, you may want to forward your main business telephone number to a primary point-of-contact’s extension. As a full-service provider, TCI can get this done quickly.

You can also Call Forward your desktop extension to your teleworker phone prior to leaving the office or set call forward to your smartphone. Make sure you have a way to cover any incoming faxes.

Do Not Delay

News about Coronavirus/Covid-19 is developing fast, so now is the time to arrange your contingency plans and test your solutions in case your main office has to close to protect your employees and customers.

Let’s talk more about safeguarding your business. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Unified Communications… Telework Included to Empower High-performance Employees

/0 Comments/in /by

With telework, your company’s business activities no longer need to be tied to specific times or locations. Your employees can work remotely and collaboratively – whenever they want – to access company data and expertise from their homes, across town, or around the world. The result is happier staff, lower overhead and improved efficiency for your business.

For many years these benefits were delivered through add-on telework packages that were tied to specific premises voice platforms. The cloud has changed all that…

Today when you adopt Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), you get a cloud-based enterprise-grade communication infrastructure with built-in telework capabilities to support your high-performance employees.

Successful decision making requires immediate access to the right information and the right people at the right time. With the consistent and responsive user experience offered by UCaaS your teleworkers can seamlessly communicate and collaborate as needed using their smartphones, iPads, laptops – whatever mobile device they prefer.

Your teleworkers will have instant access to the same productivity tools as their office colleagues. Automatic updates are performed in the cloud to ensure the latest features are always enabled for your users.

In fact, UCaaS simplifies everything for your IT staff too. They’ll be relieved of the daily hassle of system upgrades, maintenance and feature updates, or worrying about disaster recovery.

Let’s talk more about how telework can boost the performance of your business… Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Winterize Your Business with Telework & Mobility Solutions

/0 Comments/in /by

Providing employees with the ability to work remotely – with full access and security to their desktop voice and data and applications – has become an essential element of business continuity planning, especially in our area, where even a mention of snow can suddenly force streets and buildings to close.

Telework

With “plug and work” access to the voice and data network at the office, your team can use all of the features and functionality they need while at home or on the road, allowing your business to keep going until everyone can return to the office. This kind of resilience can be had for a very low cost: an IP Phone with access to a broadband connection.

Mobility

Another way to protect your business is to equip mobile phones with apps that not only allows employees to make and receive calls placed to their corporate phone number, but leverage important communication features like extension dialing to co-workers, use of the company dialing plans, and corporate phone directory lookups. Equipped for mobility, your team can produce anywhere.

Winterize your business now

TCI makes it easy to keep employees productive and your customers happy. While competitors scramble to find communication alternatives until the snow clears, it is “business as usual” for you.

Don’t wait for bad weather to arrive.  Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.