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  • Got Questions About UcaaS? We Have Answers

    For organizations looking for ways to increase flexibility and resilience with cloud technology, a unified communications solution is often the first step. With UCaaS, teams can stay productive, engaged, and connected, whether they are working from home, in the office, or on the go. Before adopting any new technology, however, it’s important to learn as much as you can about how it works, what it can and cannot do, and potential challenges. We’ve put together this list of UCaaS questions and answers to help you start the research process.

    What Is UCaaS?

    UCaaS, or unified communications as a service, is a cloud communications solution that offers all the main types of business communications from one platform. Users can access everything from one app.

    What Features Are Included?

    This is something that can vary a lot between cloud providers, so be sure to do your homework and ensure the platform you use has everything you need. Often, UCaaS comes with video, voice, chat, and file sharing,

    You’ll also want to look at the more granular details such as advanced voice features like voicemail, call waiting, and caller ID, as well as a contact center solution to power your customer success. Other details to look for include rich video conferencing features, including interactive presentation tools, screen sharing, and HD video, and a real-time backup and restore function for your file management.

    What Do Users Need to Access the Technology?

    As a cloud solution, users simply need to download the application to their device and log in to the platform to get started. Your employees can chat with co-workers, launch video meetings, share files, and more from any location as long as they have an internet connection.

    The software is hosted on secure off-site servers, so there’s no need for on-site hardware, nor for extra IT resources to manage and maintain the technology. You can, however, purchase specific hardware such as desk phones, headsets, and webcams to work with your technology.

    Does My Company Need a New Phone System to Make UCaaS Work?

    UCaaS relies on VoIP (voice over internet protocol) technology. This means voice data is transmitted over the internet, so there’s no need to have a traditional phone line to make and receive calls. In fact, this is one of the largest draws of cloud phone systems – your business can likely save on your phone bill by switching from a traditional phone system to VoIP technology.

    Can Employees Use Desk Phones Through the UC Platform?

    Yes, they can! You can use feature-rich desk VoIP phones to make and receive calls, send messages, and more, all through the same unified communications app you have on your computer, mobile phone, or other devices. These desk phones are plug-and-play, so you can set them up yourself right away.

    Is Communicating Through a UC App Secure?

    As with any type of cloud technology, security can be a big concern. To ensure your teams can use your UCaaS solution with confidence, it is important to inquire about the security practices your cloud provider uses.

    Your provider should be able to explain how they offer a worry-free experience. Here are some of the security best practices to expect from your cloud services provider:

    • Third-party audits to validate their security controls
    • Adherence to all applicable compliance standards such as HIPAA and PCI-DSS
    • Advanced encryption for email services
    • Ongoing network monitoring and detection
    • Highly secure data centers with security guards, controlled access, and 24/7 monitoring
    • Rigorous background checks for employees

    How Can UCaaS Increase Productivity?

    With a unified solution, employees no longer have to juggle between applications for communication and collaboration. This prevents workers from losing focus every time they have to switch apps, while also saving time overall by making everyday tasks like sending an email or sharing a file more efficient.

    Also, a lot of UCaaS solutions integrate with common business applications. This streamlines workflows even more. And, because users can log in from wherever, work tasks don’t have to wait for someone to return to the office.

    What Does the Onboarding Process Look Like?

    Unlike onboarding for on-premises platforms, onboarding for UCaaS is refreshingly simple with the right provider. Keep in mind, however, if your provider tells you to do the migration yourself, you may run into more complexity.

    For the best onboarding process, work with a cloud provider that moves your IT to the cloud for you at no extra cost. This way, your users can get started with minimal interruption.

    How Reliable Is UCaaS?

    Reliability is critical. If your software doesn’t work for your teams, you could run into problems with productivity and employee frustration. To ensure the UCaaS solution you adopt will perform, look for, at least, 99.99% service reliability and accessible technical support.

    How Much Does UCaaS Cost?

    One of the huge benefits of UCaaS technology is its affordability. Because it uses a subscription-based payment model, there’s no need to make a large IT investment to get started. You pay for the number of users you need.

    You can also scale up or down by adding or subtracting users. To enjoy the cost-efficiency benefits, look for a provider that offers transparent, flexible pricing and doesn’t require a contract.

    Start Benefiting with a Leading UCaaS Solution

    Whether you want to save money with cloud-based communications, unlock your teams’ potential, boost resilience, or all of the above, UCaaS can be game-changing for SMBs. Elevate from NTELogic is a comprehensive unified communications platform that comes with all the features your business needs to thrive. Reach out to our team today for a quote.

  • Building, Onboarding, and Managing Remote Teams

    Is your business implementing a hybrid or fully remote work model for the first time? Wondering how to successfully onboard and manage work-from-home employees without impacting workplace productivity, collaboration, or culture? With the right tools and processes, managing remote teams effectively is possible. Here’s an overview of what companies who are shifting to a hybrid or fully remote work model are doing to build, onboard, and manage remote teams.

    Tips for Building and Onboarding Remote Teams

    When building a remote team, you can focus on hiring based on skills, expertise, and culture fit rather than location. This gives your company a wider pool of applicants to draw from and makes it easier to create a dream team for your company.

    To build and onboard a remote team, you’ll need the right people, processes, and tools to make it work.

    • Designate HR staff to focus on hiring and training remote employees. The work experience is different when you’re working from wherever, so it’s important to have someone who understands how to engage, teach, guide, and provide support for remote workers.
    • Set expectations from the beginning. Establish the rules for work hours, specific times remote employees should make themselves available online, and time tracking from the beginning.
    • Create clear processes around communication – what channels should they use for collaboration, one-on-one meetings, and work questions? Who should they connect with for different types of communication and group work?
    • Empower your remote teams with easy-to-use and full-featured communications solutions that integrate with your business applications. As a lot of work happens through technology, it’s important to use platforms that enable productivity and minimize frustration. The essentials for keeping remote teams connected include unified communications, video conferencing software, and cloud phones.

    Tips for Managing Remote Teams Successfully

    Because your remote employees aren’t in the office, it can feel like you have less insight into how they spend their time, making management difficult. The reality is, working from wherever doesn’t have to impact productivity. With a smart, practical approach, you can still bring the best out of your employees. Here are a few tips to help you manage your remote employees:

    • Set up regular meetings. With remote teams, it’s more important to be proactive about meeting with your staff. Whether you do quick, one-on-one check-ins every morning or a weekly meeting with small groups, making face-to-face interactions part of the routine helps to keep everyone engaged.
    • Be upfront about work goals. Set benchmarks for individuals and groups – what should they be able to get done each day and each week? Also, be open to feedback from your employees. Check in with them to ensure they don’t feel overwhelmed with their workload and make adjustments as necessary.
    • Consider time tracking to gain clarity over time spent on tasks. Time tracking reveals how much time different employees take to do certain types of work and where they are devoting most of their work hours.
    • Provide tips and tools to help your remote employees create an optimal work environment. Talk to them about privacy and quiet when working from home, ways to set up an ideal home office, and what expectations they should set for themselves. Your company may need to provide hardware such as VoIP phones, work supplies, or ergonomically correct home office furniture.
    • Encourage a healthy work-life balance. Working remotely can be a positive experience that increases engagement and job satisfaction. However, employees do need support from management to make this happen. Regular feedback, supportive conversations, and help with the challenges of working from home, such as loneliness or a lack of physical movement, can help your remote teams thrive.

    How Many Businesses Are Relying on Remote Teams in 2021?

    A few short years ago, remote work was the exception, not the norm. In 2012, only 24 percent of employees worked from home 80 percent of the time or more.

    Throughout the pandemic, millions of employees traded their daily commute and nine to five at the office for a work-from-wherever lifestyle. Working remotely provided the adaptability and resilience necessary to ensure business continuity during the global health crisis. And now in 2021, 41 percent of the US workforce is fully remote. More than half work from home at least part-time.

    As a result, more employees and employers have experienced the benefits of remote work – the cost-savings, flexibility, and the potential for increased focus and satisfaction with work. So, it’s no surprise that the American workforce is moving ahead with some level of remote work.

    No matter what stage your business is at right now – whether you have a few remote employees, are developing a hybrid work model, or you’re considering going fully remote, build your foundation for success with cloud communications for remote teams. At NTELogic, we provide essentials such as Elevate, Online Meeting, and Contact Center. We also offer impeccable customer service, a 99.999% uptime service level agreement, and leading-edge cloud security.

    To learn more about how using NTELogic can help your business transform, get in touch with our team – we’d be happy to talk to you about how our tools can help you better manage remote teams.

  • 6 Webinar Trends Every Company Should Consider

    Webinars have been an important marketing and engagement tool for years. During the pandemic, the use of virtual events skyrocketed. Between February and March of 2020 alone, the number of B2B brands in the United States using live webinars increased by 36 percent. Whether your company is new to hosting virtual events or not, you should familiarize yourself with the latest webinar trends. This space is more active than ever – take a look at what other brands are doing to help inspire your company’s webinar strategy.

    1. Live Interaction Features Keep Attendees Engaged

    Gone are the days of watching a virtual presenter share their screen and calling it a day. Interactive webinars are on-trend. Live polls, chat, and other real-time attendee engagement tools transform the traditional one-sided webinar into a dynamic conversation that pulls the audience into the experience.

    2. Less Is More When It Comes to Webinar Duration

    With marketing webinars, consider keeping your event relatively short. According to research from 2020, the preferred duration for a webinar is 30 to 40 minutes. If you plan a longer event, you may turn away some potential prospects.

    You don’t need to create a jam-packed virtual event to convert leads, but rather, focus on the most relevant, actionable information you can. If you can’t fit a full presentation into 40 or 50 minutes, consider breaking up your webinar content into two or more different virtual events.

    3. Thought Leaders and Micro-Influencers Boost the Appeal of Virtual Events

    Using this webinar trend can help to attract more people to your event. Draw upon the trust, reach, and unique insights offered by thought leaders and micro-influencers in your industry by inviting them to prevent at your virtual event.

    With the right webinar platform, you can count on high-quality HD video broadcasting and still support up to a dozen presenters at once. This allows you to go from a single presenter to a panel of experts and provide even more value to attendees at the same time.

    4. Global Webinars Expand What’s Possible

    After a year of virtual meetings and digital connections, people worldwide are comfortable using webconferencing technology. This makes it easier to branch out to an international audience.

    To reduce friction for your non-local attendees, make sure your platform offers international dial-in numbers. This way, if they want to participate by phone, they don’t have to worry about the cost of an international phone call.

    5. Custom Experiences Raise the Bar on Virtual Events in 2021

    Create a more personalized experience for webinar attendees with customized invitations and reminder emails. Other perks, such as being able to use your own logo and branding for the webinar background, can enhance the experience further while making your brand more memorable.

    6. More Internal Webinars Empower HR

    With the rise of remote work during COVID and the current shift to hybrid work models, HR teams are relying more on technology to train employees. In 2020, the attendance rate for training webinars was 65 percent. Internal webinars can be an excellent way to onboard employees and gain real-time feedback from them at the same time.

    Essential Webinar Features for Keeping Your Attendees Engaged

    Whether your company is focusing on virtual events for marketing or training and onboarding purposes, you’ll need a fully-featured solution to host effective webinars. The right tools give you the capabilities to reach more people and grow your business. Here are some of the features you should look for in a webinar platform:

    • Live polls engage participants while giving you real-time insights into what everyone is thinking.
    • A Q&A feature makes it easy to field questions from your audience. You can sort, edit, and respond quickly. This makes it easy to keep the flow of the conversation without losing anyone’s attention.
    • HD video broadcasting ensures a professional experience, even with hundreds of attendees and multiple presenters.
    • Cloud recording allows you to record the entire event, including screen share slides, videos, and more, which you can then send to your attendees by email or repurpose as other content for marketing purposes.
    • Built-in reporting reveals who attended, for how long, and feedback from interactive tools such as your surveys and quizzes.
    • A presenter green screen gives you and your other presenters the chance to practice and organize the event before going live. This is a key tool for delivering professional virtual events that leave a positive impression on attendees.

    Getting Started with Webinars in 2021

    Webinars are a useful tool because they have the potential to be deeply engaging while enabling your brand to connect with a large number of people at once. Unlike blog posts, videos, and other types of marketing content that your company might create, publish, and leave for customers to digest, webinars offer a virtual hands-on experience. They can feel intimate, even when hundreds of people are tuned in together online. This is because they allow for face-to-face interaction at scale.

    And, with advanced webinar tools, you can create a truly immersive, high-value experience that will deliver the wow factor you need to stand out in a competitive marketplace.

    Online Meeting from NTELogic is a powerful webinar and video conferencing solution designed to help businesses thrive in the digital space. You’ll have all the features you need to create engaging webinars that convert and more. Learn more about how Online Meeting from NTELogic can enable your company to grow.

  • Seven Customer Experience Trends to Have on Your Radar

    Every company strives to deliver exceptional customer experiences. However, customer expectations changed a lot in the last year and are constantly evolving. To meet customers where they are, you’ll want to have these customer experience trends on your radar.

    The pandemic influenced many of these trends, and you can expect many to become permanent fixtures. Let’s look at the trends making an impact and how you can integrate them into your processes and communications.

    1. Honesty, Transparency, and Visibility Are Nonnegotiable

    Getting a customer to trust you is no easy feat. It takes time to build trust, and you must be consistent to maintain it. COVID-19 accelerated this trend, as customers craved transparency and visibility around how businesses responded to the pandemic.

    Customers want to know about safety, hygiene, practices, and actions. No matter what business you’re in, your buyers want reassurance that they can trust you to serve them in the best way. While the health crisis is subsiding, customer feelings about honesty, transparency, and visibility won’t.

    2. Convenient Interactions

    Customers want options when it comes to contacting you. They need convenience in interactions and resolutions. That means omnichannel communication capabilities. They can call, email, or chat with your contact center agents. Thus, it’s imperative that you can integrate all these channels into one solution so that your employees can quickly address customer needs.

    In addition, intelligent routing allows you to ensure that customers talk to the right agent and don’t get passed along or end up waiting in long queues. Having this type of contact center infrastructure enables you to serve customers quickly and more adeptly.

    3. Prioritizing the Employee Experience

    Engaged, happy employees deliver better service. That’s undeniable. If your customer-facing teams don’t feel valued, it will reflect in their interactions. Conversely, those that have support and believe their company cares for them will perform better.

    How do you engage employees? It’s a lot of different things, from ensuring they have the right technology tools to developing a robust onboarding and training program to showing everyday appreciation.

    When you invest in employees, they have more reasons to remain loyal and excel at their job. Considering the cost of turnover, it makes sense to prioritize your team members.

    4. Data-Driven Decision-Making

    Data is the fuel for every business initiative in the modern world. You can gather and analyze lots of data around customer experiences with the right tech stack. For example, contact center software offers insights on queue performance, call volume, team activity, like time on calls and issue resolution, and more KPIs (key performance indicators).

    With this information, you can find themes and patterns that may result in follow-up training, process changes, or new workflows. That improves the customer experience and supports your employees.

    The more data you have, the better your decision-making. You aren’t guessing about what frustrates customers or causes negative experiences. You have the map and can then connect the dots to reduce friction.

    5. Contactless and Self-Service Options Are Here to Say

    Whether on-site or online, customers are okay with doing it themselves. This customer experience trend isn’t new, but the pandemic did boost its adoption. Now that customers changed their buying behaviors, they aren’t likely to fall back into old habits.

    If you want to keep up with customer expectations, then you need to embrace contactless and self-service. However, that doesn’t mean human interaction no longer matters. It’s just that customers may not choose this course unless they need to escalate. Keep this in mind that when self-service goes wrong, your customer service folks need to be responsive.

    6. Personalization Matters

    Customer service once meant that a business knew your name and your story. Of course, it was easier decades ago when there was economic segmentation and localization. Now, it’s a global world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t know your customer.

    One of the best modern examples of this is when customers contact you, and your agents have access to their history. That’s easily achievable when your contact center software integrates with your CRM (customer relationship manager). Agents can quickly get up to speed so that customers don’t have to repeat themselves. Additionally, there are software features that allow customers to connect back with their initial agent.

    7. Relationships Over Transactions

    The last 2021 customer experience trend is one that matters the most. Engineering your customer experience playbook to emphasize relationships over transactions is critical. In some ways, you may look at these interactions as transactions, worrying about the time it takes and the haste in correcting issues. That’s important, but having a strategic approach to relationship-building is imperative to be successful.

    You can build relationships by being responsive, empathetic, consistent, and trustworthy. Every action, initiative, or plan needs to be rooted in these attributes. Cultivate these relationships by delivering convenience, personalization, and options.

    Capitalizing on the Customer Experience Trends: Why Technology Matters

    In most of these trends, technology is a key component. Different platforms can help you capitalize on them. One of the most important is contact center software. Having a flexible, feature-rich solution provides your staff with a vehicle to optimize every customer experience.

    Contact NTELogic today to learn more about how our contact center platform can support your journey to create exceptional customer experiences every day.

  • Essential Features to Look for in a Cloud Communications Platform

    Enabling communication between your employees and with customers is critical for any company’s success. The key to streamlining it and promoting flexibility and mobility is to use a cloud communications platform.

    The reality is that more businesses are leveraging the cloud to power their communications and collaboration. It’s a wise choice since it’s cost-effective, secure, and accessible. If you’re looking to migrate from a legacy on-premises solution or are currently using a platform that doesn’t fit your needs, it’s time to find a better way to communicate.

    Why Cloud Communications?

    Adoption of the cloud continues to grow. The last year, in particular, saw remarkable growth. Remote workforces and the acceleration of digital transformation made it imperative to migrate.

    Cloud communications delivers so many advantages. It keeps all your tools in one enterprise hub and allows staff to work from wherever. It’s scalable, cost-effective, and highly secure.

    However, not all platforms are the same. Most will have the same basic features, but not all will fulfill your needs and deliver on reliability and affordability.

    So, which features do you really need?

    Cloud Communications Platform Features to Seek Out

    PBX Phone System

    A PBX phone system is a fundamental building block for your solution. It uses VoIP (voice over IP) to route calls. That means your team can use it from anywhere, as long as they have a connection.

    While this is a standard feature, there are some more advanced features you’ll want to seek out:

    • Call analytics: Great for measuring the performance of sales or customer service.
    • Desktop and mobile app: Team members should be able to make and receive calls through an app.
    • Virtual voicemail: You can manage voicemails through the app—no pin required. A transcription of the voicemail can also arrive via email.
    • Spam caller protection: This technology can detect spammers and block them or send them directly to voicemail.

    Team Chat and Business SMS

    Chat is a great channel for internal communication, allowing co-workers to get quick responses. It’s much more efficient than long email trails. You can chat within the app or via SMS. One other thing to consider in this feature is if the chat has a presence indicator. This will show you if someone is available, away, or in a meeting.

    Video Conferencing

    Video calls are now part of the normal day-to-day of your employees. You’ll want this as part of your cloud communications platform. Look for these specifics:

    • Browser-based so you can start meetings in a click without the need to download.
    • HD video capabilities.
    • Screen sharing so that users can share any application on their desktop. Also, the ability to annotate on these supports better collaboration.

    File Backup and Sharing

    A secure way to store and share files is a critical feature for cloud communications solutions. It enables access, no matter where the employee is, and provides a way to co-edit documents in real-time.

    Backups of everything are automatic. This ensures quick recovery should a ransomware attack occur. It’s a must-have for business continuity.

    What makes this different from public shared folders like Google Drive is that you control access to the files in a more secure way. With cloud storage, you can also consolidate where you keep documents. One hub means employees can find what they need faster.

    Integrations

    The ability to integrate other applications with your cloud communications platform provides a productivity boost. From Office 365 to CRMs like Zoho and Salesforce, the ability to integrate streamlines processes and creates new efficiencies.

    It can also improve customer experiences. When your employees have access to information in CRMs or other platforms, they have more context and can help the caller faster. Your customers will appreciate you saving them from repeating their issues.

    Security and Protection

    Security features can vary across options. There are some specific things you should be looking for in this category. Providers that are security-first will have:

    • Encryption capabilities for data at rest and in transit
    • Endpoint protection that includes remote wipe of PCs if compromised, MDM (mobile device management), and detection and response
    • Access controls with role-based access assignments
    • Password management and policies
    • IAM (Identity Access Management) features like single sign-on and two-factor authentication
    • Infrastructure security with intrusion prevention and detection, enterprise-class firewalls, and DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection
    • Compliance with regulations like HIPAA or PCI-DSS
    • Security credentials like SOC 1 and 2

    Responsive 24/7 Support

    The last thing on your list should be the support the platform offers. While these applications are intuitive and easy to use for most, you still want to have a good support team in your corner. Look for those with 24/7 support and short wait times.

    Support shouldn’t seem like a burden to your provider. If you get this impression, you should probably keep looking. Companies that win awards for their support and voice their commitment to it will go above and beyond to ensure you have what you need.

    Choose a Cloud Communications Platform That Satisfies All Your Requirements

    If you’re ready to move to the cloud, make sure you opt for a solution with all these features. It will likely exceed your expectations and make a real impact on your workforce’s daily tasks. We invite you to explore Elevate from NTELogic, a unified communications platform that delivers all these features and more.

  • 5 Cloud Communication Myths Debunked

    NTELogic.com | 5 Cloud Communication Myths Debunked

    Cloud-based communication and collaboration tools such as video conferencing software, file sharing, and UCaaS (unified communications as a service) empower teams to stay connected and productive wherever they are. After a year that saw a massive rise in remote work — the number of employees working remotely at least five days per week shot up from 17 percent to 44 percent after the pandemic hit — a lot of businesses are adopting cloud communications to make work more flexible. Before you invest in a cloud solution, it’s worth it to take the time to understand what exactly this technology can and cannot do for your business. Here are five cloud communication myths and the facts about how this technology works.

    Myth 1: Our Data Will Be Less Secure if We Use Cloud Communications

    Security concerns are one of the main reasons organizations hesitate to dive into cloud technology. Data is stored off-premises, which means it’s not just protected by your company. Instead, your cloud provider handles the security for information stored in their data centers.

    Using a security-first mindset when it comes to making business technology decisions is a smart move. After all, a data breach can cost your business a lot of money. In 2019, the global average cost of a data breach was $3.9 million.

    However, using cloud communications tools doesn’t mean your data is less secure. Most cloud providers today are using enterprise-class security protections to counter today’s ever-evolving cybersecurity threats. Also, because their entire business revolves around the cloud, chances are, they are using more advanced security than your business is able to implement with an in-house data center.

    Our data centers are monitored and guarded around the clock and protected with strict access control measures. We use multiple redundant, enterprise-class firewall systems, run several intrusion protection systems, and are regularly audited for all the leading security and compliance standards, including CPNI, PCI-DSS, SOC-2, GDPR, and HIPAA. Learn more about how secure our cloud communications solutions are.

    Myth 2: With the Cloud, Our Business Loses Control

    When your business switches to cloud communications tools, you still retain control over how the software works, who can access it, and even what devices your employees use to access it. The software is hosted in the cloud, but that doesn’t mean your administration team can’t manage how the technology is used.

    When comparing cloud communications platforms, make sure the one you use has sophisticated administration tools for onboarding and managing users and devices, as well as great customization features. You should also be able to access insights on employee and system quality performance to help your team make well-informed administrator decisions.

    Additionally, part of having control is knowing you have a team to help you when you run into a question with your software. Make sure the provider you choose prioritizes customer service. You should be able to access technical support and expert help through a chat feature or by phone 24/7.

    Myth 3: Getting Started Is Difficult

    This is one of the biggest cloud communication myths. One of the reasons for this is the confusion between cloud migration and cloud adoption.

    Cloud migration is the process of moving some or all of your workflows and IT systems to the cloud. Because you’re shifting part or all of your infrastructure, cloud migration takes time and requires the help of cloud experts. It is a difficult and complex process.

    Cloud adoption involves adopting one or more cloud services, such as a software-as-a-service solution (SaaS). With SaaS, getting started is simple. You don’t have to worry about business disruption, and your employees can start using the software right away.

    A lot of cloud communications solutions will also integrate with your existing business tools, making it even easier to start leveraging your new software. This is something to look for when comparing cloud-based communication platforms — does the software you’re considering integrate with the specific tools your team is already using?

    Myth 4: Cloud Communications Call Quality Can’t Rival That of Traditional Analog Phones

    This is a common misconception. This myth exists because many people are familiar with free or low-cost consumer-based VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone services that deliver less-than-prime phone quality. Think of those spotty Skype calls you may have made to friends and family.

    When comparing business-grade cloud-based phones vs. analog phone systems, however, the opposite is true, as long as your business has a strong internet connection and enough bandwidth. Your teams will enjoy excellent call quality with a cloud-based phone system, whether they are calling locally or internationally. Also, users can make calls from wherever and still experience the same high-quality experience.

    Myth 5: Switching to Cloud Communications Will Cost More Than It’s Worth

    Not at all. Your business can save big time by switching to cloud communications. First, you’ll save on phone costs because you’re no longer paying for multiple business lines, international calls, and maintaining and upgrading communications hardware to operate an on-premises system.

    Second, using cloud communications tools makes scaling easier and more affordable. You can add or remove users whenever you need. And, your business can also realize financial benefits because cloud communications is more flexible. You can rely more on working with remote employees, allowing you to save on the costs of providing office space for fully on-premises teams.

    Discover How Cloud Communications Can Help Your Business

    Whether you’re looking for a cloud-based, all-in-one communications platform, video conferencing software, or a contact center solution, we can help. Reach out to our expert team and find out how cloud communications can help your business thrive.

  • Deliver Enhanced Patient Care From Anywhere

    The right communications tools can help you deliver a great patient experience — from wherever.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the shift to remote work happened virtually overnight. While some healthcare organizations began to adopt remote care initiatives pre-pandemic, there is a renewed sense of urgency to accelerate and broaden these capabilities to ensure patient needs are met in the safest ways possible.

    As your trusted IT provider, we can help your healthcare organization identify and implement cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant tools to keep your teams running efficiently while also communicating with patients—regardless of where anyone may be.

    We invite you to download and read “The Practical Guide for Virtual Healthcare” for best practices and insights on how your organization can:
    • Save money by streamlining operations with the right cloud communications setup
    • Improve virtual patient care
    • Give your employees the tools to work effectively in a remote world

    Read our “Practical Guide for Virtual Healthcare” today.

    Ready to get started today? Contact us at (209) 790-4560 or sales@ntelogic.com

  • Three Ways Auto Dealerships Can Improve the Customer Experience

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    Flexible and convenient ways to connect with customers are critical for car sales – wherever you, your team, or your customers may be.

     

    Auto dealerships need to rethink the buying experience and embrace the customer’s expectations for seamless, digital interactions. A fully integrated cloud communications platform goes a long way toward improving your marketing and customer engagement. It can help you quickly and easily transform customer experiences – from initial inquiry to price negotiations to after-sales service.

    As your trusted IT provider, we want you to succeed in this transformation. Download and read our useful tips – “Accelerating Sales and Improving Your Customer Experience with Cloud Communications” – for best practices and insights into how your organization can:

    • Use mobile communications to untether the sales teams
    • Schedule service appointments quickly and efficiently
    • Communicate seamlessly throughout customers’ preferred channels (phone, chat, text, video¬)

     

    Read our practical guide “Accelerating Sales and Improving Your Customer Experience with Cloud Communications” today.

    Ready to get started today? Contact us at (209) 790-4560 or sales@ntelogic.com

  • 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.