5 ways your technology should support the future of work

The way we work has changed forever, that’s for certain – and for most it’s a change for the better. We’re no longer all tied to the office. We’re giving colleagues greater freedom, offering remote and hybrid working and ultimately creating a better work-life balance and happier, more dedicated employees. But how should we adapt to this new way of working?

We’re working from different places across multiple devices and collaborating across numerous platforms. However, with the wrong technology this isn’t always easy to manage and can cause complications. Having the right technology to enable and adapt to these changes is crucial, and there are so many ways businesses can do that, with Microsoft Teams leading the way.

So, what are the 5 things that your technology needs to embrace to work in this new way?

Ways your technology should support the future of work

1. Scalability.

Change is certain. Your tech needs to scale and flex to support both upscaling and downscaling teams as your customer needs fluctuate, ideally at minimal effort and financial impact. Solutions like cloud telephony are great for this where you can easily add new seats depending on your staff requirements at any point in time. Companies often need to increase staffing levels at peak times of the year to handle higher call volumes, or to adapt to their fast-growing business – a flexible solution is key for this.

A customisable solution is also a great way to manage your budget as all employees will not necessarily need the same call functionality if they’re managing different roles. For example, your customer services team will need real-time visibility of call volumes and easy visualisation dashboards of performance against support SLAs (which we can deliver using our cloud telephony and Call Manager Plus solution) whereas your finance team will take less calls so wouldn’t need this feature, however, PCI compliance may be an absolute necessity.

2. Mobility.

Today’s teams are often on the move. Ensure your phone tech is cloud-based and mobile-enabled to allow your colleagues to work from one version of the truth, wherever they are. A great example of this, as mentioned previously, is Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is accessible from any internet connected device, allowing you to work from wherever you want, be that at home, on the go, or abroad. Being able to move your business calls to your mobile device is also a great way to work on the move. Call technology like Audio Announcement announces whether the call has been diverted from your business number, allowing you to answer the phone appropriately and professionally every time, even when on your personal mobile.

3. Ease-of-use.

Everyone’s used to easy tech in their home lives, like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, and therefore expect the same experience at work. It’s important to embrace intuitive and straightforward systems with no unnecessary or complicated features that get in the way of doing a great job. This is what Microsoft is great at with Teams – releasing new features monthly to give users the smoothest experience possible, making it a great collaboration tool to support hybrid working.

4. Integration.

With the proliferation of apps and tech it’s important that your systems are easy to integrate with. It’s becoming more common for business tools and apps to be integrated, such as LinkedIn and Teams, Teams and CRM systems, CRM systems and your cloud telephony solution, and many more. By integrating your tools to work together in a more cohesive way you can take advantage of joined up data and enhanced productivity from anywhere and for everyone.

5. Great support.

The easiest tech to work with, in a continually changing future, is one that’s underpinned by a trusted partner to advise and support. Therefore, it’s important to select a telephony provider who properly understands business telecoms requirements and can give the right advice and recommendations to solve all your user challenges, instead of trying to give your organisation a ‘one size fits all’ solution. If you get that right, you’ll be in safe hands for whatever future of work comes next.

If you’d like advice on how to adapt your communications and technology for the new way we’re now all working, then please get in touch. We’re happy to chat.