4 Communication Tools Your Employees Need to WFH

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Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a seismic shift in working practices across the world. Almost overnight, businesses had to find safe and effective ways to accommodate remote working.

Now that the end of the disruptions caused by the pandemic is in sight, the working world isn’t going to go back to the way it was before. Remote working and flexible contracts are expected to become a feature of the post-pandemic economy. 

A survey by Gartner revealed that up to 80% of employers are planning to let employees work remotely for some of the working weeks.

It was thanks to remote communication technology that people were able to work from home, with little disruption to their business.

With remote working set to become the norm, the long-term focus is on finding the right combination of tools and technology to allow employees to connect and communicate effectively.

If you’re planning on implementing a remote or hybrid working policy in your company, then here are four communication tools that your employees will need to work effectively. 

Video/Messaging Platforms

Working from home would not be possible without communication platforms such as Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. They all have a high level of functionality and have each received millions of new users during the pandemic. 

Microsoft Teams is perhaps one of the most popular. It combines messenger and video conferencing features alongside document sharing and other Microsoft office functionality. 

VoIP Telephony

Employees don’t need to be tied to their desks to answer their phones. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been transforming telephony for years now. Instead of calls being made and received through traditional fixed phone lines, they are made across an internet connection. 

Your team can contact each other anywhere in the world with just a handset (or softphone) and an internet connection. They can also make and receive calls from customers wherever they happen to be, meaning there’s no impact on customer service. 

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) 

One of the main drawbacks of remote working is the potential impact on security. With employees working off-site, you don’t know where they are working and the security of the internet connection they are using. This can lead to sensitive information being obtained by hackers. 

VPNs, initially created to bypass certain site restrictions by obscuring the location of the user, were then recognized for their security implications. Having employees connect to the internet via a VPN obscures their identity and protects them from hackers trying to access data. 

An Experienced Managed IT Services Provider

Building a resilient, fit-for-purpose IT system is vital to the success of remote communication. Finding an experienced IT company you can trust is the key to this. A Managed Service Provider (MSP) can analyze your needs and design a remote working solution designed to fit them both now and in the future. 

Working with an MSP allows you access to a range of IT professionals who can give you a cutting-edge IT solution, for a fraction of the costs of an in-house team.