Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone systems give employees the freedom to make and receive calls from any location. More importantly, a good VoIP solution allows you to enable work-at-home arrangements that will keep your workers happy and your company productive. So how exactly will VoIP and working at home equal to a more successful business? Let’s find out.

It’s good for business

Many businesses have misconceptions about their employees who choose to work from home. They assume that their employees will be less productive if they are not within the office environment, but this could not be farther from the truth. VoIP services can empower your small business and work-at-home employees in a number of ways:

VoIP technologies allow you to keep your employees on track with an array of management tools like barge, monitor, and whisper, which allow you to coach and micromanage your employees.
The cost of business resources, furniture, space and sick days are reduced when there is an effective way for your employees to work at any location.
VoIP services promote continued collaboration between employees even if some of them are not in the office, allowing workflow to be more efficient.
As a business owner, VoIP gives your company more opportunity for growth such as by allowing you to communicate and hire people from different countries with minimal cost.

Perks for employees

Work-from-home policies with VoIP systems are also good for your employees. As more of their workload is digitized, working from home or anywhere else has never been easier. In fact, studies have shown that employees who took days to work from home were actually more productive. Part of this is because it gives them a break from the stressful office environment and, with a VoIP service readily available to them, they feel as if they haven’t missed a day’s worth of work. With the right VoIP systems installed, employees can easily collaborate with co-workers.

Using VoIP at home also saves your employees from long and costly commutes. They can simply pick up their VoIP device and join a conference meeting without physically being in the boardroom. What’s more, employees who want to recall important events during conferences or seminars can use the VoIP call recording feature. This way, employees can make sure they are correctly approaching their work in their own time.

VoIP requirements for remote workers

If you’re convinced that working from home is a good solution for your company, it is essential that your chosen VoIP service provider offers the following features:

• Voicemail – records missed calls and sends you an email of the audio file
• Call forwarding – allows your employees to redirect calls between VoIP devices and their smartphones
• Whisper, monitor, and barge – lets you monitor calls for quality control purposes and even coach employees without disrupting the call
• Third-party integrations – streamline processes and enable employees to give instant feedback when collaborating on platforms like Office 365

Many companies are now benefiting from a mobile and remote work environment. Although work-at-home strategies may seem like a risky venture, making the most out of your VoIP technologies will keep your employees happy and productive. If you want to learn more about the VoIP services that we offer, give us a call.

The post VoIP and remote work: The perfect combination appeared first on TechSolutions, Inc..

Windows 10’s Fall Creators Update is the next major update that Microsoft will roll out in September. Besides reusing the same “Creators Update” name and focusing on bringing the Windows experience to iOS and Android devices, here are some noteworthy features users can expect.

Timeline
It’s designed to grant Windows 10 users freedom to switch between multiple devices, including iOS and Android phones. Timeline lets you pick up from where you left off if you’re switching between multiple Windows 10 devices. With the Cortana integration, this will even extend to some Microsoft apps on iOS and Android. This useful new feature will be accessible via Window 10’s Task View.

OneDrive Files on Demand
This feature allows you to access all your cloud-based files without having to download them in order to optimize your device’s storage space. What’s more, you won’t have to change the way you work, because all your files — even those online — can be seen in File Explorer, and they work just like every other file on your device.

Cloud clipboard
The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update brings a cloud-powered clipboard that lets you copy information from one Windows 10 device and paste it onto another. And this isn’t limited to text alone either. On top of that, it supports Android and iOS devices if you use Microsoft’s SwiftKey virtual keyboard.

Pick up where you left off
As the name suggests, it basically allows you to start working on your PC and continue working on your phone when you are away from your PC (and vice-versa). Currently, the feature works only between Windows 10 PCs in the Windows 10 Creators Update — but with the upcoming Fall Creators Update for Windows 10, Microsoft will be integrating this capability into your phones as well.

My People
It was originally announced as a key feature in the April’s Creator Update, but will be launched in the coming Fall Creators Update. This feature lets you pin a number of connections to your taskbar — three, in the current Insider preview — and stay in constant touch with them. It defaults to Skype, but you can choose an alternative if you’d like.

These are just a handful of the nifty features users can expect from Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. For more information, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re more than happy to help.

We’ll keep you updated on the latest developments.

The post Windows 10 updates for Fall 2017 appeared first on TechSolutions, Inc..

As a business owner, it’s important to raise your company’s morale to be more productive. But you can’t just keep throwing office parties everyday of the year. Thanks to advancements in VoIP technologies, you can offer a better way to keep your employee’s spirits high by allowing them to work from home. This allows your employees to take a breather from the monotony of the office environment while still being able to get some work done in the comfort of their home. Not convinced? Here are a few reasons why work at home strategies paired with VoIP systems is a good idea.

It’s good for business

Many businesses have misconceptions about their employees choosing to work from home. They assume that their employees will be less productive if they are not within the office environment. However, this is far from the truth. As a matter of fact, according to a Harvard Business Review study, work at home policies for your small business tends to be more beneficial for your company. This is thanks to the combination of cloud computing and VoIP technologies, which can easily migrate the office environment virtually anywhere with an Internet connection. Along with this, VoIP services can empower your small business and work at home employees in a number of ways:

• VoIP technologies allow you to keep your employees on track with an array of management tools like barge, monitor and whisper which allows you to coach and micro manage your employees.
• The cost of business resources, furniture, space and sick days are reduced when there is an effective way for your employees to work at any location.
• VoIP services promote continued collaboration between employees even if some of them are not in the office, allowing workflow to be more efficient.
• As a business owner, VoIP gives your company more opportunity for growth. You can communicate and hire people from different countries with minimal cost.

Perks for employees

Work from home policies with VoIP systems isn’t just good for business either. It’s also good for your employees. As more of their workload is digitized, working from home or anywhere else has never been easier. In fact, studies have shown that employees who took days to work from home were actually more productive. Part of this is because it gives them a break from the stressful office environment and, with a VoIP service readily available to them, they feel as if they haven’t missed a day’s worth of work. With the right VoIP systems installed, employees can easily collaborate with co-workers.

Using VoIP at home also saves your employees from long and costly commutes in the morning. They can simply pick up their VoIP device and join the conference meeting without physically being in the boardroom. Furthermore, employees who want to recall important events during conferences or seminars can use the VoIP call recording feature. This way, employees can make sure they are correctly approaching their work in their own time.

VoIP requirements for remote workers

If you’re convinced that working from home is a good solution for your company, it is essential that the VoIP service provider that you choose offers the features listed below:

• Voicemail: a must for any VoIP device. This feature will record a missed call and send you an email of the audio file.
• Call forwarding: allows your employees to simply take and transfer calls between VoIP devices and their smartphones.
• Whisper, monitor and barge: allows you to check on your employees. If they’re in a business call you can still contact them without disrupting the call. This is also a good tool for call coaching.
• VoIP integrated to shared documents: products like Office 365 let your employees access Skype while collaborating on a Word document. This means your employees can give instant feedback and correct each other without the need to send emails.

Many companies are now benefiting from a mobile and remote work environment. Although work at home strategies may seem like a risky venture, making the most out of your VoIP technologies will keep your employees happy and productive. If you want to learn more about the VoIP services that we offer and where it will fit in your company, give us a call.

The post Empower work at home employees with VoIP appeared first on TechSolutions, Inc..