Not that long ago, the office was the center of business, but that has changed dramatically in the last decade. The number of people who work from home at least part of the workweek has exploded. According to independent research and consulting firm globalworkplaceanalytics.com , more than 3 million people telecommuted in 2011, the most recent year for which statistics are available. In addition to telecommuters, professionals in a variety of fields—from health care and real estate to law offices and financial services—have jobs that require them to be on the road or away from their desks most of the workday or to maintain contact between multiple office locations.
This more mobile workforce means that your business faces a new challenge—keeping employees connected to each other and to your customers. One of the key solutions to this challenge is a mobile system that allows employees to communicate with their coworkers and customers as if they were in the office while they’re on the road, working from a remote location, or away from their base of operations. These systems transform your employees’ cell phone wireless service, home phones, and phones at other office locations into a single point of contact and improve communication and collaboration, which can increase your staff’s productivity and efficiency.
How a Mobile System Streamlines Communication
This type of system provides your employees with a number of important advantages that help keep them connected, including:
— Gives any phone all the capabilities of their office phone: The system lets them take part in conference calls and video conferences, and allows them to send and receive faxes, in addition to making and receiving calls.
— Requires only one phone number, no matter how many devices employees use: Rather than having one number for their cell, another for their remote location phone, and one for the main office, all of an employee’s devices are tied into one extension. That makes it easier for customers and co-workers to remember their number and reach employees no matter where they are, which improves customer satisfaction and collaboration among employees.
— Lowers costs and increases access: With more employees working in the field or from home, the costs of your cell phone wireless service and data plan, long distance and toll-free calls, and voice and video conferencing services can get very expensive quickly. A mobile system can significantly cut those costs, because the system treats all calls, faxes, and conference calls as if they were placed using the communications equipment in your office. That eliminates the need for expensive cell phone plans, conference hosting services, and high use of your company’s long distance and toll-free services.
The Office is Everywhere
The workday is no longer 9 to 5 Monday through Friday and the workplace is no longer a bricks and mortar office. Providing employees with a mobile system that allows them to stay connected to customers and coworkers anytime, anywhere, can have a positive effect on your productivity and your bottom line. No more phone tag, no more time lost when employees are on the road or away from their desks, and no more frustrated customers.
To improve your level of customer service, collaboration, and productivity using a mobile system, go to mdtelephone.com or contact Maryland Telephone at (800) 296-7201.
Michael Cook is the president of Maryland Telephone, a premier telecommunications company serving the Mid-Atlantic Region. Maryland Telephone offers a wide range of telecommunication solutions including call recording to help businesses increase productivity, while attracting and retaining customers, with safeguards against interruptions of communications and loss of data, all at a cost saving. To speak with Michael, call (410) 583-4910.
This article is copyright free.