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Category: SO/SMB Solutions

  • Unified Communications for Small Business: 6 Features to Seek Out

    Communication and collaboration are critical to any business. Enabling your employees to do both of these effectively requires the right tools. Unified communications provide small businesses with everything they need. If you are considering switching to a new platform, it’s important to define what features matter most to you. Let’s take a look at the top ones you should seek out.

    The Small Business Communication and Collaboration Challenge

    Small businesses typically pursue strategies based on efficiency and productivity. They know they need to operate lean to find success. These businesses often have distributed teams, even more so now with the transition to remote work. Because teams are not in a central space and cannot interact with partners and clients in person, the demand for communication and collaboration tools is skyrocketing.

    The problem that many small businesses face is using multiple platforms for chat, video conferencing, and file sharing. If tools are in silos, teams may be as well. With the rise of cloud-based unified communications, small businesses can now afford integrated solutions that enhance communication and collaboration.

    Choosing Unified Communications for Small Business: Must-Have Features

    Your small business should consider unified communications to resolve the use of disparate systems, save money, and improve workflows. When comparing offerings, there are some must-have features you should include.

    Ability to Scale

    Every business has growth aspirations. As you add team members, you’ll need to consider how your technology can scale. It should be easy and straightforward. Unified communications platforms provide you with this control. Ideally, you want to be able to add users in a few clicks. Be sure to inquire about this when comparing providers.

    Support for Business Continuity

    Business continuity is vital for any organization. Natural disasters or other disruptions can put your company at risk if communication systems aren’t available. Unified communications helps support business continuity. The system can ring all endpoints for every call. If no one answers, you can route calls to a number of your choosing, including mobile or an automated attendant.

    Cloud-Based Phones

    Unified communications frees your staff to answer and receive calls from anywhere via VoIP (voice over IP). Employees can take calls from their desktop computer or mobile phone. You’ll experience the same call quality, no matter where you are. Cloud-based phone systems also streamline management from a single web-based portal. You’ll enjoy all the features of any standard business phone, including voicemail to email, hold and park, transferring calls, and call recording.

    Call Analytics

    Measuring the performance of sales and customer support is possible with call analytics. You can track the usage of your teams through reporting. These reports help you analyze the efficiency of your teams and the quality of the engagement with customers. If phone calls are a medium for your sales and support teams, this is a feature you absolutely need.

    Video Conferencing That’s Secure and Easy to Deploy

    Video conferencing has never been more necessary in the business world. It offers your team the ability to connect when in-person meetings aren’t feasible meaningfully. While many unified communications platforms include video conferencing, they aren’t all the same. It’s especially important to determine the security of the system to ensure privacy and compliance.

    It should also be easy to deploy. It shouldn’t require your team to sit through hours of training or download lots of applications. A browser-based solution means users can start meetings with a click and work from any device.

    File Backup and Collaboration from Anywhere

    Having a secure, accessible repository for documents is paramount to simplifying collaboration. Your team members can work together on a document, even editing at the same time. This functionality eliminates the need to email back and forth with multiple versions of a document. Unified communications allows you to achieve the next level of collaboration, and users can have access from anywhere.

    Security is also a factor with a file repository. Advanced security technology should keep files safe. Backup of those files automatically also means you can recover them quickly in the case of a ransomware attack or other data loss incident.

    Enable Better Communication and Collaboration with Unified Communications

    Unified communications is a smart, reliable toolkit for any small business. Your team will have all the resources it needs to communicate and collaborate, all on one platform. As you search for the right solution, keep in mind these must-have features.

    Elevate by NTELogic offers all of these and so much more. 

  • 10 Must Have Tools for Remote Working

    10 Must Have Tools for Remote Working

    With an unprecedented number of businesses encouraging or mandating personnel to work from home, both business leaders and employees are suddenly faced with the challenge of operating effectively as a distributed workforce.  Suddenly there are a lot of questions about what it takes to support remote employees.

    Fortunately, a lot of companies have already blazed the remote workforce trail and we can learn from them.  What’s more, learning how operate as a distributed team may be useful anyway as 65 percent of surveyed workers state they are more productive at home than in a traditional office.  But what does it take to work successfully from home?  To give your remote workers the opportunity to do their best, they’ll need the right set up.

    Empower your employees with the right toolkit to work from home

    Remote workers can benefit from having an ideal setting and robust technology at their disposal to be more efficient and effective. When working with your remote employees, you should empower them with the must-have ingredients to work successfully from home.

    A Distraction Free Space

    Ideally, it’s good to have a separate room that operates as a home office. Many times, spaces have to play double duty, but whenever possible, your remote staff should have a distraction-free space with available desk space and comfortable chair. A distraction-free space usually means the ability to shut the door, so interruptions from other family members don’t constantly bombard them.

    Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi

    Most of us assume that Wi-Fi reliability is a given, no matter if your team is in a metro or rural area. However, that’s not always the case. Talk to your employees about internet service providers in their location and the different speeds. The minimum speed that avoids lag is 20 Mbps. If you are unsure of your internet speed, test it with these instructions.

    Beyond speed, you also need to consider reliability. Research any concerns about the provider’s ability to maintain near-perfect uptime and what challenges may impact reliability, such as frequent storms or areas prone to power outages.

    Computer Hardware and Peripherals

    The type of work your remote employee does will often prescribe the right computer.  An easy way to make a home hardware checklist is simply to replicate what they have on their desk in the office.  For extended remote working environments, a stand-alone laptop is usually not enough.  Rather, a standard desktop set-up, supported by the right peripherals, is important for productivity.

    Beyond the computer, they’ll need screens.  Most employees benefit from operating at least one external monitor, increasing productivity and making it easier to run multiple applications.  For those with computer-intensive roles, a reasonably-sized monitor can also help prevent eye strain.  A high-quality headset is also important for easy interaction with colleagues and customers over the phone or during video conferencing.  Additionally, for video conferencing, a webcam is necessary and should have the ability to stream HD.  Finally, a keyboard and a mouse with ergonomic features completes the hardware requirements.

    Cloud-Based Phone System

    With a cloud-based phone system, your team will have access to telephony features no matter where they are. If you currently have a legacy phone system that sits on-site, it can be difficult to accommodate remote employees. With cloud-based phone systems, your team can have unobstructed mobility for those who work remotely all the time.

    In seeking out a cloud-based phone system, also look for automation features that deliver real-time information, like sending email alerts when the user has a new voicemail.  Remote employees can then respond quickly if necessary or forward to someone who can.

    Video Conferencing

    While your remote employees can handle most activities and tasks via team chat or email, there are times when it’s essential to meet virtually. With video conferencing, they can easily stream HD video with multiple participants. This feature allows them to easily connect and meet with clients or internal team members efficiently. When looking for a video conferencing app, consider these additional features:

    • Browser-based app: Users don’t have to download any software. They can quickly click a link and be part of the meeting. No plugins or installations required.
    • Screen sharing: This feature is essential for optimized collaboration. Your remote workers can screen share in real-time, which can expedite decision making, saving everyone time. Screen sharing is as simple as a click and offers users the option to share specific documents or tabs.
    • Screen annotations: While using the screen share feature, screen annotations are another vital tool. With screen annotations functionality, participants can draw on the document shared, making notes on actions to take post-call.
    • Meeting recording and automated note taking:  Rather than scrambling to take notes during remote meetings, pick a video conferencing tool that allows your team to record their meetings or automatically types up their meeting notes with automated post-meeting distribution.  Both features save time and tired fingers.
    Team Chat

    Instant communication is critical for remote worker productivity. Your employees need to interact every day to share knowledge and make decisions. Email threads can become long and complicated, and most employees don’t have time to be on long phone calls. Thus, using the right team chat application can eliminate these time wasters.
    Here’s what to look for in a team chat platform that drives productivity:

    • Accessible on desktop and via a mobile app with instant synchronization across channels
    • Ability to add attachments
    • Status settings: this lets team members know who is available, busy, or away
    • Usable while employees are interacting with other communications tools (i.e., sending chats while on a call)

    Team chat delivers the right tools for your employees to stay in touch and resolve issues fast, increasing what they can do every day.

    File Collaboration

    Almost every document your company creates needs the eyes of more than one person. Sharing files can become a nightmare if you’re not using a file collaboration tool. You could end up with multiple versions and a lot of confusion.
    Instead, use a platform that makes file collaboration harmonious. The most up-to-date version will be available to those that have permissions, and all members can co-edit without the fear of overwriting. Employees can also access those files from any device so they can review on the go.
    You’ll also want to make sure your platform has file backup in real-time to ensure that nothing is lost. File restoration is another feature to ask about, which can quickly reinstate your documents in the event of data loss.

    Email and Calendaring

    As email remains the most used channel for business communications, a good remote work environment dictates the need for a smoothly operating inbox for employees to tackle all those additional messages sent across the distributed team.  In particular, with remote work environments, advanced security should be top of mind.  Look for solutions that come with advanced security features such as: anti-phishing and anti-malware protection, real-time link scanning, encryption, data loss prevention and comprehensive IT administrator control.  You’ll want to rely on your eMail provider to identify threats and resolve them in real-time so your remote workers can focus on deliverables rather than worrying about malicious intent.

    Mobile Device

    BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is already a standard policy across most companies.  In a remote work environment, keeping a smart phone or tablet charged during business hours is important because they are the ultimate utility tools.  As the number of virtual meetings inevitably increases, it is not uncommon to be stuck on a less important conference call when another party urgently needs to reach a team member for a quick discussion.  Ideally the conversation can take place concurrently via chat but sometimes that’s not enough.  That’s when remote workers will be thankful that they have their cell phone charged up.  Additionally, In the case where a home Wi-Fi drops service for any amount of time, a mobile device may become the back up for calls, texts, emails or even video conferencing through your cellular network.  It’s an instant-on business world and extended disruptions of any kind are frustrating.  As remote workers set up their home workspace, be sure they install the mobile version of email, calendaring, chat, video conferencing, and file sharing apps on their mobile phone so they’ll be ready to handle any scenario.

    Webinar Platform

    For the company all-hands meetings, customer presentations or any other virtual meeting beyond 10 participants, consider a webinar solution to support your team in delivering their presentations.  Webinar solutions are specifically designed for broad communications across a distributed audience.  Look for offerings that support HD video broadcasting with easy screen sharing, audience Q&A, real-time polling, and custom invitation functionality.  the moment a company employee takes the virtual stage and an audience is paying attention, you won’t regret having selected the right toolset that is easy to use.

    Working Successfully at Home Starts with the Proper Setup

    For remote workers to be successful, they need the support of management to ensure they have the proper setup and environment. Businesses can provide this with the best technology and guidance. With these aspects, you’ll be better able to manage your remote teams as well.

  • Office Tips & Tricks: Proof Listening with Word's Read Aloud Function

    Proof Listen with Word’s Read Aloud Function

    Sit back and let your ears do the work

    If you’re a business owner, you write daily. Emails, notes, documents, blog posts, social media, you name it. It’s your business, you’ve got to write it. Like many, you either stress over “its” versus “it’s,” or you don’t. You write what you think is correct and if it isn’t, you hope the reader can forgive you.
    It seems a simple task to proofread your own work, however for most, it’s not. In fact, it’s painful. Many experts say you shouldn’t proofread your own work, and here’s why – you already know the story. Your mind will skip over typos and other errors, instead filling in the correct version. That’s why it’s usually better to have someone else proofread your work, however that’s not always possible. Why not sit back and let your ears do the proofing?
    Word’s Read Aloud function is a nifty tool that can ease the pain of proofing your work. It’s been around since Office 2003, and was known as Text-to-Speech. The Read Aloud function is much improved over previous versions. It can read your document out loud like an audio book. In addition, it highlights each word simultaneously as it’s being read.
     
    NTELogic.com | Word's Read Aloud function is found on the Review tab of the Ribbon

    Get Started Using Word’s Read Aloud Function

    To use Word’s Read Aloud function, just click Review > Read Aloud on the ribbon. Easier than that, simply press Ctrl+Alt+Space Bar and Word’s Read Aloud will start automatically from wherever the cursor is positioned.
    You can adjust the reading speed and change the voice pitch from the settings. Click the Settings button on the Read Aloud menu. If you have additional language packs installed, you can use the read Aloud function in the language of your choice. (Bonus tip: you can use Word’s Read Aloud function to learn a new language!)
    While Word’s Read Aloud function isn’t perfect, it’s pretty close. If you prefer to not have someone else proof your work, the Read Aloud function is a great substitute. So grab a beverage, sit back and let the proof listening begin.