Four ways UC can create an effective mobile office :: Eastern ...

This blog first appeared on Best in UC.

The mobile office is changing. And its metamorphosis is growing more rapid each day.

In years past, a mobile office typically was utilized only by traveling sales staff. These road warriors would stuff their cars with sample cases, a bulky car phone, and a paper-based order book.

How things have changed in just a few years. Today, a mobile office can carry with it several descriptions and definitions:

• The business owner or entrepreneur may be tethered to their business. But today, that no longer means they are tied to the office. With the right communications systems and connectivity, this power user can finally enjoy a vacation with the family ? and still know what?s going on at headquarters.
• The solo practitioner can set up a mobile office at the local coffee shop or bookstore. Any business with free Internet access can attract the consultant, who utilizes a mobile office to work and conduct calls with clients.
• The commuter can create a full- or part-time work-at-home arrangement with their employer. This can benefit everyone. Many companies have mandates for fewer brick-and-mortar locations, and the employee avoids the long trek through traffic to the office each day.
• The next-generation worker can gain the flexibility they crave. More employers are touting work-life balance as a benefit. With a mobile office, the workforce isn?t tied to a cubicle at all times and has the ability to work around other life events.
• The customer service representative can be available at all times. What if a therapist only needs a part-time person to book appointments? Or if an entrepreneur needs to troubleshoot customer complaints in real-time? In either case, a mobile office makes the dream a reality.

So why has the concept of a mobile office changed so dramatically over the last few years? It all comes down to technology. Anybody with a smartphone can check email from any location. The Internet and web mail enable employees to work on applications and communicate remotely. And perhaps most significantly these days, unified communications solutions are allowing the workforce to operate in an efficient, streamlined way ? from anywhere.

If your office hasn?t embraced unified communications, or if you are using only a portion of its functionality, consider these strategies. With unified communications, your workforce can be more responsive and flexible than ever:

1. I?m following you. How many phone numbers do you have? Some folks have a home phone, personal mobile phone, office phone, office mobile phone, etc. With a unified communications solution, you can easily have your phone calls follow you from one system to another, and callers only have to call one number. That way, you?re never out of communication with team members and customers.
2. Give them the green light. Presence information has become standard in many forms of communication. For example, when people use instant messaging programs, they can see whether a contact is available, busy or offline. Unified communications solutions offer this same status information on office and mobile phones, increasing productivity for the team.
3. Enjoy one inbox. With tools from ShoreTel and other unified communications vendors, you can easily access your company email and voicemail. This means getting your messages however and whenever you wish ? at home, in the office, or on the go.
4. Go live. Today?s unified communications solutions are integrating telephone connectivity and video conferencing, both in the office and on the go. With telephone and video conferencing capabilities on a mobile phone or tablet, you can easily feel like you?re right in the office or at a client?s location ? even if you?re on vacation.

Related posts:

1. Give your workforce mobility to get the job done
2. Workers more likely to embrace UC on their own mobile devices
3. A mobility solution to crush your cellular phone bill
4. Little steps add up to big productivity gains, with unified communications
5. Moving to a new office? Stay productive and connected!

Source: http://blog.easterndatacomm.com/four-ways-uc-can-create-an-effective-mobile-office/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=four-ways-uc-can-create-an-effective-mobile-office

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