If you already work remotely, you may have some experience with a workcation and the benefits the arrangement can offer. For example, maybe you’ve visited family for the holidays or accompanied a spouse on an out-of-town conference, and took your laptop with you. Though if you are normally in a traditional office, then a workcation is probably new territory for you. In this blog post, we’ll learn about some do’s and don’ts of workcations, and why it may be a great option for you and your staff members if your business uses a hosted VoIP phone system.

Working remotely + Vacation = Workcation

You may be asking: How could you possibly work AND take a vacation at the same time? It’s entirely possible, and gives employees an amazing work-life balance. A large part of the business world has been successfully working from home for the past four years. A true work from anywhere situation gives you the flexibility to work remotely from any location.

On a workcation, you put in your typical workday from anywhere you’ve traveled to. Whether you’re on your resort WiFi in Cabo, visiting your extended family in Southern Cali, or relaxing on a terrace in Barcelona, you can take less time off and still travel. After a full day of meetings, emails, and calls to clients, you have the freedom to go watch a sunset over the ocean, enjoy a breezy seaside dinner, or attend a nighttime concert of your favorite singer.

Taking a Workcation Instead of Using PTO

Taking a workcation can be very appealing. 11 days is the average number of PTO for private sector employees who have completed one year of service, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s 2 working weeks for an entire year. When you take your work with you on trips, vacations & getaways, you can avoid using all of that PTO while still getting a great work-life balance. You’re still putting in a full day of work—you’re just in a new, scenic location. You can save your actual vacation days for special trips, mental health days away from the computer, and vacations that you want to fully immerse yourself in.

Another benefit is that you don’t have to delay any important projects or assignments that are on your plate. You can continue to move forward on those tasks. Many people don’t take trips because they feel anxious about deadlines, and workcations are a good way to be able to stay on top of things while still getting away.

How VoIP Helps Achieve a Productive Remote Work Vacation

Being able to work from anywhere and stay connected is a huge perk of utilizing a VoIP phone system. Your VoIP phone system utilizes any internet connection to make phone calls, video calls, SMS and more. This means you can use WiFi from any resort, AirBNB, cottage, etc. to complete your work calls and enter your video conferences.

Mobile App & Web Softphone Connect You While You’re Away

Employees don’t need a physical desk phone with them to have complete control over their business phone number. With our CallHarbor Web Softphone and Mobile App, workers can make and take calls from anywhere.

By using our mobile app or web softphone, employees don’t have to be tied to a specific desk or phone. They can utilize their work phone number and all the other great VoIP phone system features from anywhere. You can start new phone calls right from the web softphone, begin new chat or SMS conversations with your coworkers, view your settings and toggle answering rules and greetings, and even more.

Tips For a Successful Workcation

Achieving this ideal work-life balance can still be difficult. You also want to make sure that your company is onboard for your travels, too! The tips below will help you build a successful plan for your workcation.

Get Any Required Approvals Ahead of Time

Depending on what your flexible work situation is at your company, you need to make sure to get the proper approvals. Making sure that you, your boss, and your team are on the same page is very important. For some work situations, you don’t even need to tell your boss, you can simply continue work as normal. If you usually have a hybrid work schedule, or if there is a big time difference, you’ll definitely need to keep everyone informed so they know what to expect/not expect from you.

Choose a Connected Location

Make sure that wherever you are going for your workcation, you are still connected. Being reachable and having a good internet connection is an important part of continuing work as normal. Going off the grid is not your best option for a workcation.

Bring All Work Technology That You Need

Make a list of the tech and accessories you need ahead of time so you don’t forget anything. Each day the week before, note what you use/don’t use, so you have everything you need and aren’t toting around extra bulky gear. Whatever you need to power your productivity while working from a new place should be on your list too. It’s essential that you pack items like your work laptop, chargers, headset or headphones, thumb drives that you may need, etc. This will help you remain as productive as normal.

Think Security First & Foremost

With all of this work-sensitive hardware that you’ll have on hand, take precautions to secure it. Set up password protection on all of your devices, enable two-factor authentication, and make use of the hotel room safe. Be aware if the WiFi connection you are using is public, and what info you are sending out.

Communicate Your Schedule to Your Team

If you are working different hours than normal, and have gotten them approved by your boss, you’ll also want to inform your team. Whether it’s in an email, marking the hours on your calendar, or posting your availability each morning in your team’s messaging app, it’s important that your colleagues know when they can contact you. Remember, the key to making a workcation work is to be open and honest about when and how you can be reached.

The post Mastering the Workcation: Essential Tips and Mistakes to Avoid appeared first on CallHarbor.

To succeed in a remote-first environment, call centers need powerful, cloud-based communication tools. These tools keep agents connected, customers supported, and managers informed—no matter where teams are located. Below, we break down the essential tools every modern remote call center needs to deliver seamless, reliable customer communication.

Top 5 Tools for Call Centers:

• Call Queues
• Desktop Softphone & Mobile App
• Dashboards & Call Analytics
• Auto Attendants
• CRM Software / Integrations

Call Queues

Although immediate support for every incoming caller may not be feasible at all times, implementing a call queue significantly improves the waiting experience. Call queuing is a simple process that involves placing incoming calls in a queue. This allows them to wait for a response instead of being directed straight to voicemail.

Call queues can be customized to ring in different ways, such as ringing all at once, in a pre-defined listed order, or round-robin. You are also able to add a user to a call queue, having that queue follow the user’s answering rules, or add only specific user devices, such as physical phones, softphone, mobile app, or cell phone forwarding. Call queues can also contain Music on Hold, which occupies the caller while they are waiting.

Desktop Webphone & Mobile App

With an increasing number of call center agents working from home, it’s crucial for your call center software to offer features that facilitate seamless remote communication. Opting for a cloud-hosted call center solution, as opposed to on-premise, provides your team with flexibility to handle business calls from their existing devices. Moreover, agents will benefit from virtual business numbers, eliminating the need to use personal lines for customer support.

All your remote agents require is an internet-connected device, whether it’s a laptop, smartphone, or tablet, to efficiently manage business call. With CallHarbor, you simply download the mobile app, sign in with your user access login, and you’re ready to kick off operations. Before finalizing a VoIP provider, ensure that their app is compatible with your operating system if you plan to go mobile, such as iOS and Android.

Dashboards & Call Analytics

Ensuring the highest quality of customer service with speed is the primary objective for call centers. However, in the absence of reporting and call analytics, gauging the status of these metrics and identifying areas for improvement becomes challenging. For call centers, the indispensable tool lies in comprehensive reporting.

To determine whether your call center is meeting its goals, it is crucial to assess whether your cloud contact center software provides real-time reporting and analytics. Ideally, the reporting should encompass key call center metrics such as:

• Call Volume: Keep track of the number of live calls (both inbound and outbound) being managed concurrently. Ensure that you have an adequate number of agents to handle the demand effectively.
• Average Handle Time: Evaluate the duration of each customer service call. If the average call time exceeds expectations and contributes to long queues, educate agents on strategies to reduce call times.
• Service Level: Tracks the number of calls that meet your customizable service level agreement, such as X number of calls handled in Y amount of minutes.
• Customer Sentiment: Assess how customers feel about their interactions with your agents by analyzing sentiment. Determine the effectiveness of your agents in delivering satisfactory service.

Auto Attendants

An auto attendant is an automated business phone answering feature that directs inbound calls to the right person or department. It can also give the callers the option to hear a message (such as hours or location), leave a voicemail, join a conference call, and more.

An example of an auto attendant would be when you call a company and are directed to use your keypad to reach the desired department. As a virtual receptionist, you can automatically route calls to your employees or other call queues without needing a live operator.

CRM Software / Integrations

With increased collaboration between sales and customer support teams, it is logical to ensure seamless integration between your call center software and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. Verify if your call center solution offers CRM integrations with widely used tools such as Salesforce or HubSpot. Ideally, your contact center software should facilitate the bi-directional syncing of data, providing a comprehensive overview of customer interactions.

Some call center tools go a step further by incorporating a built-in CRM tool equipped with features like Screen Pop. This functionality utilizes the incoming caller’s phone number to search for a corresponding entry in your CRM. If relevant data is available, you will have access to the caller’s:

• Name
• Company
• Survey response
• Account value
• Customer experience score

In conclusion, the evolving landscape of remote work has significantly impacted call center operations. An increasing number of agents are working from home or co-working spaces. To adapt to this shift, it is essential for call centers to invest in communication software that empowers remote agents and enables seamless customer communication from any location worldwide.

The top five call center tools identified for effective remote operations include call queues, desktop softphones & mobile apps, dashboards & call analytics, auto attendants, and CRM software. Implementing a call queue enhances the waiting experience for customers. Cloud-hosted call center solutions with desktop and mobile app features provide the necessary flexibility for remote communication.

Dashboards and call analytics play a crucial role in ensuring the highest quality of customer service. They allow call centers to assess key metrics such as types of inquiries, call volumes, average call time, and customer opinion. Auto attendants serve as automated answering services, directing inbound calls to the right person or department, enhancing efficiency.

The integration of CRM software with call center solutions is emphasized, promoting seamless collaboration between sales and customer support teams. Some advanced call center tools even incorporate built-in CRM functionality. They enhance the caller’s experience by providing relevant data such as name, company, survey response, account value, and customer experience score.

Ultimately, the most successful remote call centers are those that invest in technology built for flexibility, insight, and scalability. With the right tools in place, your team can deliver seamless customer communication from anywhere—today and well into the future.

The post Revolutionizing Remote Call Centers: Top Tools for Seamless Customer Communication appeared first on CallHarbor.

Create Your Own Space

While working remotely, it’s very beneficial to have a designated area that you use only when working. This could be a separate office room, or part of your living room that you’ve turned into a professional and organized space for work tasks. Many people initially try setting up a work space in their bedroom, but this sometimes associates working with resting, which you’ll want to avoid if possible.

Make sure you have a simple and distraction-free space behind your work area, and ensure that there are not too many windows behind you, as this can make you look like a silhouette during virtual meetings. If you’re in an area of the house where you’re tempted to watch TV while working, try turning on some white noise or relaxing music instead. There’s always time for Netflix once you’re off the clock!

Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on your office decor and accessories (if your budget allows for it). Making the space inviting and aesthetically pleasing will help you look forward to your workday more. Add some plants to your desk or an end table, hang up an inspirational quote that speaks to you, or plug in some aromatherapy to stimulate your senses and make for a relaxing vibe throughout the day. Remember, working remotely gives you the potential of taking control over the way you experience work (which most likely takes up a decent amount of your day), so you might as well make it gratifying and appealing! 

Time Management & Workday Structure

It’s all about time management and staying focused when working remotely. If you’re just diving into a remote position, you might want to consider scheduling regular breaks, making sure you don’t work intensely for more than 90 minutes at a time. Just taking two-minute “microbreaks” has been shown to improve cognitive performance.

Allowing yourself to take multiple mini-breaks will also increase your overall productivity throughout the day, as you’re less likely to get burned out. Giving yourself (and your brain) a few minutes to breathe can be incredibly beneficial for your mental and emotional wellbeing. Some people use the Pomodoro technique: 25 minutes of uninterrupted work, with five-minute breaks throughout the day. 

Additionally, many companies have moved away from micromanaging their remote employees, so it’s important to create your own work schedule if your employer does not provide you with one. Set aside time each morning to check your email, respond to anything urgent, and plan out the rest of the day’s priorities (whether it’s hour-by-hour or task-by-task). Keeping up with all of your responsibilities in a structured way will not only set you up for success, but you’ll end each workday feeling rewarded and confident – all from the comfort of your home!

Communication is Key

It’s nearly impossible to over-communicate with your coworkers and supervisor(s) while working from home. Communication is really the foundation of good remote work,” says Brie Weiler Reynolds, a career development manager at FlexJobs. Since you don’t have the opportunity to collaborate in person, you’ll need to find other ways to stay in touch effectively and clearly. Some great ways to do this include:

• One-on-ones and routine check-ins
• Team meetings/video conferencing
• Slack or Microsoft Teams messaging
• Project management software
• Email

Don’t forget to ask your coworkers what their communication preferences are, as they may be different from yours. Some people prefer to receive an instant message via Slack or Teams rather than having to reply through an email, while others would rather collaborate through a video meeting. No matter what the preferred method is, frequent communication will undoubtedly help everyone stay on the same page and build better connections and trusted relationships across the team.

Final Thoughts

Working from home requires self-discipline, time management, and strong communication skills. It can take a few weeks to get into the swing of things when starting a new remote job, but you’ll soon experience the rewards that come along with it. While some people might be starting to return to work full-time or in a more hybrid capacity, the trend towards remote work is here to stay. 24% of professional jobs are still available as fully remote, so find the one that’s right for you and start reaping the benefits of remote work!

Sources

(1) Apollo Tech

(2) 8×8

(3) US News

The post Tips for Succeeding in a Fully Remote Position appeared first on CallHarbor.

There are many benefits to remote work that companies are unaware of. Working from home is not only beneficial to employees but to businesses as well. Here’s why your business should be investing in work-from-home tech in 2022.

1. Demand for Remote Work Continues to Increase

According to recent studies, about 25% of professional jobs in America will be remote by the end of 2022, and opportunities will only continue to increase in the years ahead. The pandemic may have been the reason for our shift to remote work, but it doesn’t seem to be going away in this post-pandemic environment. There is an increasing need for flexible work opportunities, as remote work provides employees with the work/life balance they need to really excel in their careers. 

2. Remote Work Reduces Costs

For any business, budget will always be an important factor to consider when implementing new technology and working strategies. Investing in work from home technology might be costly at first, however, it’ll definitely pay off in the long term. Businesses will need to invest in things like cameras and flexible cloud-based UCaaS and CCaaS technology, but they’ll be saving money on a range of other expenses, like maintaining a physical office or work environment.

Providing equipment for an office full of employees can be costly. After all, computers, printers, copy machines, paper, work desks, and office chairs aren’t cheap. By having employees working remotely, many of these costs can be dramatically reduced, or eliminated altogether. For some businesses, the majority of the work is able to be carried out remotely, so it may be possible for a company to get rid of a centralized office space, and simply pay to rent meeting rooms or co-working space as and when they are actually needed.

3. Access to a Wider Range of Professionals

When employee attendance at a physical workplace is required, recruitment efforts are limited to the nearby area or people willing to relocate; however, work from home technology has made it easier to manage remote teams, thus widening your company’s talent pool, and allowing you to hire the best minds from across the globe. Companies are able to hire potential employees based on their qualifications and suitability for positions, regardless of where they live. This not only allows companies to more effectively pursue top talent, but can also help create a more diverse and inclusive workforce. 

4. Improved Employee Wellbeing

Since the pandemic, in particular, companies have been increasingly focused on the importance of keeping employees happy and healthy. With work from home technology, companies can provide their employees more opportunities to work remotely for the benefit of their physical and mental health. Well-being is positively correlated with employee productivity, organizational profitability, customer satisfaction, employee loyalty, and employee retention. When your staff sees you’re willing to invest in their wellness, they’re more likely to stick with your business in the long-term.

5. Better Team Performance

Investing in work from home technology can empower your employees to work effectively from any environment. According to studies, around 90% of part-time or full-time remote workers say they’re more productive or just as productive when working remotely. Around 84% of employees also believe working remotely makes them happier, which can directly impact workplace outcomes. With the right technology, your employees can focus on tasks and accomplish what they need to from wherever they may be. 

Check out this blog to read about what you need to work from home: https://callharbor.com/2021/10/20/what-you-need-to-work-from-home/

Sources:

https://www.uctoday.com/unified-communications/top-6-reasons-to-buy-work-from-home-tech-2022/ https://blog.bit.ai/why-companies-need-to-invest-in-work-from-home-technology/

The post 5 Reasons for Businesses to Invest in Work from Home Technology appeared first on CallHarbor.

Make Online Meetings Fun

Meetings typically are not peoples’ favorite part of the work day. However, virtual teams need to have periodic meetings to share updates, progress, and share information. So why not make them a little more interesting and refreshing?

How is everyone feeling this week?

One idea to break the ice during a quiet meeting is to have team members share a short update on how they’re feeling this week. Feeling overwhelmed with a home improvement project? Did you find a new hiking trail over the weekend that brought out your adventurous side? It doesn’t have to be work-related. This is an opportunity to share worries and triumphs about personal things as well.

What’s new with you?

Feel free to also share something new with your teammates to get a conversation going. It could be a new album you’ve been enjoying lately, or maybe a new a recipe that you made over the weekend. Did you find a new show on Netflix that you binge-watched? Share anything new that you discovered that week or month.

Share a funny picture, meme, or gif

We all know there’s a meme and gif for anything and everything. Incorporate this into the conversations you have with coworkers and take turns with each team member to share a funny picture, meme, or gif for a few minutes during a meeting. Funny pictures could include their pets, children, travels, or anything at all. Invite them to explain what’s happening in the picture and why they selected it.

Don’t feel like you have to use all these activities at once. Choose whatever works best for your team and you can always change it up if you want something different.

Virtual Team Building Icebreakers

Doing an icebreaker at the beginning of your virtual meeting not only helps your employees establish rapport, it can also increase interaction. When your employees take part in a virtual icebreaker, they will feel more comfortable and willing to speak up. 

Create and share music playlists

Who doesn’t like listening to and talking about music? Ask your coworkers to share their favorite playlists for when they’re working, driving, working out, or just relaxing at the end of the day. You might discover teammates who share similar tastes or have attended the same concert. It’s a fun way to know more about a person and get some great music suggestions!

Messy desk showcase

When you’re working from the office, there’s an expectation that your desk will be relatively neat and organized. It’s a whole different story when working from home. Some people might sit at a desk at home, but others might like to work from the kitchen table or living room area. Have team members share pictures or even a short video clip showing their messy work space at home, and see whose is the messiest!

Guess who?

This virtual team-building activity requires a little prep work, but there can be prizes involved to make it more competitive. Have your manager ask everyone to share some fun, unknown facts about themselves. They will then compile this into a master document and everyone has to guess who each fact refers to. After a week or so, share the answer key and give a prize to whoever guesses the most correctly.

Team Building Games For Remote Employees

With many employees working remotely for the foreseeable future, it’s more important than ever for us to foster that sense of community through team building. This in turn can strengthen relationships and boost engagement by as much as 50%.

Virtual escape room

A virtual escape room can mean a lot of fun for your team. There are many virtual escape room options to choose from. Your team will have a host who will guide you through the room while you and your team work together to escape. Not only is it good fun, but it also encourages team members to bond and problem solve together.

Trivia contest

Who doesn’t love a good round of trivia? Try recreating this classic pub game virtually with a host or get a trivia app. Invite teammates to play in real-time, join teams or battle it out individually. Virtual trivia can help you build a stronger, happier, and more productive team.

Online lunch date/social hour

One thing everyone is sure to miss with remote working is going out to lunch or drinks after work on Friday. Set a date and have everyone order from their favorite meal delivery service while you kick back and relax. If someone in your team knowledgeable about mixing cocktails, you can host a virtual happy hour as well. Everyone can join in with their favorite drink!

With remote working at an all-time high, now is the perfect time to reevaluate your company’s team-building opportunities and strengthen your bond through various activities. A flexible and fun work culture allows employees to maintain a healthier work-life balance, which leads to better productivity. So, which team-building activity will you try first?

The post 3 Ideas for Virtual Team Building Activities appeared first on CallHarbor.

The hybrid work model is an important one. There are three primary factors to consider when choosing technology that will future-proof your business; collaboration tools, mobile tools and project management tools.

Effective Communication/Collaboration Tools

Any employer would agree that investing in the right tools is important, and worth it. It ensures employees are as productive when they work from home as they are from the office. Phone conferencing solutions are so yesterday. Today, when it comes to having meetings with remote employees, you want video. Since these employees often cannot attend in-person meetings, videoconferencing has become one of the most “helpful technologies” for both in-house and remote employees. Smart video conferencing cameras allow remote workers to feel as if they’re in the meeting room with their in-office colleagues.

When considering which of the many video conferencing collaboration tool options on the market is best for your company, usability indicators to look for include:

• Accessibility from any device
• Meeting lock and knock function
• In meeting controls
• Dependability and 24/7 customer support
• User centric design

Mobile Tools to Work from Home

Employees that work from home often work from different places and heavily rely on their mobile devices and laptops. By making mobile a key part of your workflow strategy, you offer more flexibility and create better efficiency. For instance, make it easier for your employees to use mobile devices by deploying mobile-based apps or providing them with VPN remote access.

You can further improve collaboration with cloud-based business apps, such as those related to project management and communication. These give your remote employees the same level of access your in-house staff enjoys. Integrating apps for remote workers takes some planning and thoughtfulness, but the rewards and payoffs are worth it.

Project Management Tools

When employees are spread across different locations, project management tools allow them to communicate and collaborate synchronously (via chat tools) and asynchronously to get their work done. To ensure remote team members feel included, it’s better to over-communicate so they don’t feel isolated. Through using communication applications, such as Slack, you can create continual permission for employees to bring up issues that aren’t coming up in team meetings or one-on-ones, or to ask quick questions they would normally do in person. 

The main advantage is that it allows for creating separate groups and channels for different projects and teams. It is reliable and powerful with hardly any major instances of downtime. As for the do not disturb concept, there can be constant messaging going back and forth, but there is a, “turn off notifications” option within Slack when carving out chunks of time when you’re not available. Set the expectation that you won’t respond right away.

No matter the type of remote team you’re working on, there’s a project management software for you.

The post What You Need to Work from Home appeared first on CallHarbor.

The “shift” to remote work has become permanent

Large call center offices are a thing of the past. In today’s world, a contact “center” is actually just a bunch of team members distributed across different locations. We’ve seen firsthand how the pandemic has shifted and accelerated the work from home solution. Many businesses are staying remote. According to the consulting firm Gartner, seven in ten contact centers will exclusively employ remote workers once the pandemic ends.

Being able to successfully and easily accommodate to these changes, though, takes a special scenario. Teams need to have the ability to stay connected from anywhere. Management has a big role to play in this as well, by making sure their employees are well equipped. (Check out our blog article on remote management for more info on this). Cloud-based communication and collaboration platforms are crucial in ensuring employees are ready to help customers from a remote environment.

Why a remote contact center yields happier customers

A remote contact center has the ability to directly and positively affect your customers. Remote contact centers that utilize a unified communications platform such as CallHarbor will be ahead of the competition in many ways.

Large Talent Pool

Before, contact centers could only hire people in the area within a commutable range. By utilizing a remote contact center, the talent pool that employers use for hiring opens up so much more. Being able to hire the best talent from across the country means that customers interact with more talented workers. Employees from every level can be selected from the best. Because of this, the base employees will already have the necessary skills to excel. This also means that management is going to be top tier, and give great training and guidance.

Happier Employees

Many studies throughout time have proven the fact that employees are more satisfied when they have the ability to work from anywhere. Workers who work outside of the office, at least some of the time, are happier, feel more trusted, are less stressed, are more inclined to recommend their employer to a friend, and are less likely to leave their current position than their office-bound colleagues. The study asked respondents if they feel happy in their job, to compare employee happiness between workers who have the ability to work outside of the office, as opposed to on-site only workers. They found that workers with the ability to work from anywhere said they were happy with their jobs 29% more than on-site only workers.

Better Data and Reporting

Supervisors and managers can utilize our robust reporting and analytics to look into how their contact center is doing. Reporting and analytics are very important when it comes to the success and productivity of a company. CallHarbor offers detailed reporting and analytics with your platform. Contact center leaders will see where the company is at in terms of call volume and service level. They can view online agents/employees, missed calls, outbound marketing calls, and more. Having the ability to easily and readily get these analytics will help the company to stay on top of things. This allows them to continue to set and meet goals, as well as improve their customer experience overall. Using VoIP’s call analytics and data regularly can help your company boost call quality, customer satisfaction, customer retention, and determine ways for your business to improve over time.

Flexibility in Communications

Being able to work from anywhere mean having flexibility to the max. This means being able to work and operate outside of normal office hours from comfortable locations. Sick days are also reduced, since employees can work from home when not feeling well, or head to the doctor and make up the extra time at home instead of calling off hours. When it comes to work events and traveling, you know longer have to worry about missing important calls or not being connected to your team. Flexibility is very important to employees and employers, also showing a relationship with retention. 30% of employees have left a job due to lack of flexibility.

Money Savings

By switching to a VoIP system as opposing to a traditional phone system, you’re saving big bucks.

Along with these baseline savings simply by switching, employers have also reported saving money on building expenses, after giving employees the benefit of working outside of the office while still staying connected.

As for employees, they save money by not having to commute into work, and by not having to be forced to call off work for inconveniences that can be avoided by being able to work from outside the office.

The post 5 Reasons a Remote Contact Center Benefits Your Customers appeared first on CallHarbor.

1. One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Everyone has their own working style. One difficulty of remote management is that you miss out on learning an employee’s particular quirks and habits. These things you could usually pick up on at the office. Some people prefer independence, while some like hands-on management. It’s up to you as the manager to work on accommodating these different styles so that everyone feels comfortable. If you are able to help with these different styles, you can maximize productivity in each employee’s own way. 

2. Establish & Maintain Clear Remote Communication

Being able to staying connected from a distance is absolutely essential for a team. Not just for keeping each other updated on projects and deadlines, but also simple to maintain the strong relationship that is needed for effective teamwork. Video meetings are a great and easy way to do this. They should be conducted with the entire team at least once a week, like you would have in person update meetings in the office. Video meetings can be much more effective than phone calls/conferences, keeping employees engaged, focused, and aligned.

Other great ways to stay connected to your employees with clear communication are chat platforms such as CallHarbor Inner-Office Chat, Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc. However you choose to communicate, make sure your employees feel like you are available and ready for communication. You don’t want to get stuck in a situation where remote workers feel isolated or out of the loop.

3. Be Transparent About Your Availability

Being transparent about your availability is a very important thing to remember when managing a remote team. A huge perk of remote work is that employees can gain a little bit of work-life balance back. A disadvantage though, is that many remote workers actually work more hours because of how convenient it is. Especially if your remote team is dispersed in different time zones, you have to be transparent about your availability. Setting limits and being open and honest will help to avoid burnout, and make you a better leader!

4. Give Remote Feedback Regularly

As any manager should, you should be checking in with your team regularly. Is everyone doing okay? Are projects and deadlines on track? Does anyone need anything or have questions? Sometimes employees won’t reach out to their manager because they assume they are too busy, so reaching out can help break down that boundary and let them know that you are available for them. Employees should be getting consistent feedback so they know what direction they should be heading, and if they are doing enough.

5. Send Announcements & Updates

Whether it’s an email, a video, or a Slack message, you should be sending out regular updates/announcements. You can even wrap this into your weekly check-in’s or meetings to make it easier. Having everyone up to date and on the same page will create more synergy across the board. Let’s hear from some leaders on sharing news/updates with employees.

“Our entire company gets together at the office every Friday for a free lunch on us. We use this time to vent, laugh and discuss essential company issues and announcements. I find that having a regular, low pressure and open place to address these items results in less anxiety for employees when big announcements are coming up.”

– Brandon Stapper, Nonstop Signs

“Since everyone is mostly on Slack and working, I use our company-wide channel to announce these things. That way, everyone can comment or ask questions in a way that others see and can get involved in. This is particularly helpful since most of my team is remote.”

– John Rampton, Calendar

6. Show You Care

Make brainstorming remote-friendly. There’s so many choices of software for exactly this purpose. Don’t let collaboration die just because people aren’t physically in the same space. Never cancel one-on-ones. Reschedule if necessary, but try to not make it a habit. Cancelling or constant pushing tells employees you couldn’t care less about checking in with them or things they may want to share during a dedicated chat session. Holding events, happy hours, Christmas parties, or simply making employees feel appreciated will go a long way.

7. Show Your Trust & Be Flexible

Even if some employees prefer regular input on their work, there’s still a line between giving regular feedback and being a micromanager. Yes, it’s hard to visualize everyone working away when they may be on a couch rather than at their desk, but it’s imperative that you trust your employees and show it. Odds are many of them are working parents or live in different time zones than you do. Being flexible and allowing your employees to work when and where they are more productive will help your team succeed, up employee retention, and keep a positive company culture.

“Challenge minds, not schedules.” —Inc.

8. Be Open to Feedback About Remote Management

If you are regularly sharing feedback to your team about their performance, turn it into a two-way street. It’s harder for people to approach managers remotely than a casual desk drop-by when body language and facial expressions allow for more casual conversation. Sending anything via text or even on a video call inherently feels more formal. 

Ease worry and tension by reminding employees that we’re all in this together, and you have an open ear to anything you can do to help improve the work environment. We’re not saying tell them every week—that can come off as more of an order than a suggestion. But once in a while in a group video call, throw in a light reminder that you’re open to suggestions and feedback on your management style to keep the team thriving.

The post 8 Tips For Remote Work Managers appeared first on CallHarbor.

Taking a “workcation” means that you can enjoy the benefits of a vacation without putting your workload completely on hold. Many people have been able to spend an extra week on vacation without having to take time off, or spend long weekends visiting friends and family since they can take their work with them. In this blog post, we’ll learn about some do’s and don’ts of workcations, and why it may be a great option for you and your staff members if your business uses a hosted VoIP phone system.

What Is a Workcation?

Working remotely + Vacation = Workcation

You may be asking: How could you possibly work AND take a vacation at the same time? It’s entirely possible, and gives employees an amazing work-life balance. A large part of the business world has been successfully working from home for the past almost year and a half. A true work from anywhere situation gives you the flexibility to work remotely from any location. There is a huge difference between WFH and WFA, and we go more into detail in our previous blog post.

On a workcation, you put in your typical workday from anywhere you’ve traveled to. Whether you’re on your resort WiFi in Cabo, visiting your extended family in Southern Cali, or relaxing on a terrace in Barcelona, you can take less time off and still travel. After a full day of meetings, emails, and calls to clients, you have the freedom to go watch a sunset over the ocean, enjoy a breezy seaside dinner, or attend a nighttime concert of your favorite singer.

Taking a Workcation Instead of Using PTO

Taking a workcation can be very appealing. 10 days is the average number of PTO for private sector employees who have completed one year of service, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s 2 working weeks for an entire year. When you take your work with you on trips, vacations & getaways, you can avoid using all of that PTO while still getting great work-life balance. You’re still putting in a full day of work—you’re just in a new, scenic location. You can save your actual vacation days for special trips, mental health days away from the computer, and vacations that you want to fully immerse yourself in.

Another benefit is that you don’t have to delay any important projects or assignments that are on your plate. You can continue to move forward on those tasks. Many people don’t take trip because they feel anxious about deadlines, and workcations are a good way to stay on top of things while still getting away.

How VoIP Helps Achieve a Productive Remote Work Vacation

Being able to work from anywhere and stay connected is a huge perk of utilizing a VoIP phone system. Your VoIP phone system utilizes any internet connection to make phone calls, video calls, SMS and more. This means you can use WiFi from any resort, AirBNB, cottage, etc. to complete your work calls and enter your video conference.

Mobile App & Web Softphone Connect You While You’re Away

Employees don’t need a physical desk phone with them to have complete control over their business phone number. With our CallHarbor Web Softphone and Mobile App, workers can make and take calls from anywhere.

By using our mobile app or web softphone, employees don’t have to be tied to a specific desk. They can utilize their work phone number and all the other great VoIP phone system features from anywhere. You can start new phone calls right from the web softphone, begin new chat or SMS conversations with your coworkers, see your coworkers’ availability statuses, view your settings and toggle answering rules and greetings, and even more.

Tips For a Successful Workcation

Get Any Required Approvals Ahead of Time

Depending on what your flexible work situation is at your company, you need to make sure to get proper approvals. Making sure that you, your boss, and your team are on the same page is very important. For some work situations, you don’t even need to tell your boss, you can simply continue work as normal. If you usually have a hybrid work schedule, or if there is a big time difference, you’ll definitely need to keep everyone informed so they know what to expect/not expect from you.

Choose a Connected Location

Make sure that wherever you are going for your workcation, you are still connected. Being reachable and having a good internet connection is an important part of continuing work as normal. Going off the grid probably isn’t your best option!

Bring All Work Technology That You Need

Make a list of the tech and accessories you need ahead of time so you don’t forget anything. Each day the week before, note what you use/don’t use, so you have everything you need and aren’t toting around extra bulky gear. Whatever you need to power your productivity while working from a new place should be on your list too. It’s essential that you pack items like your work laptop, chargers, headset or headphones, thumb drives that you may need, etc. This will help you remain as productive as normal.

Think Security First & Foremost

With all of this work-sensitive hardware that you’ll have on hand, take precautions to secure it. Set up password protection on all of your devices, enable two-factor authentication, and make use of the hotel room safe. Be aware if the WiFi connection you are using is public, and what info you are sending out.

Communicate Your Schedule to Your Team

If you are working different hours than normal, and have gotten them approved by your boss, you’ll also want to inform your team. Whether it’s in an email, marking the hours on your calendar, or posting your availability each morning in your team’s messaging app, it’s important that your colleagues know when they can contact you. Remember, the key to making a workcation work is to be open and honest about when and how you can be reached.

The post Taking a Workcation: The Do’s & Don’ts appeared first on CallHarbor.

Here are four easy ways to enact ideal perks you can offer your remote team today.

1. Workspace Stipend for Remote Workers

The pandemic forced many employees to set up an office at home with little to no notice. For some, their dining room table now doubles as an office desk. But, is this the most effective way for your employees to work? Consider offering your employees a workplace stipend that gives them a budget to purchase the tools and equipment necessary to set up an at-home office. This one perk alone can help to alleviate stress on your employees, increase motivation, and boost productivity.

Instead of giving a stipend, you can always offer to buy specific things for employee. For example, you could offer employees a comfortable chair, a good mouse, and quality headset or pair of headphones. This shows that you care about your employee’s comfort and productivity, and want them to excel as much as possible.

2. Voluntary Virtual Lunch/Coffee Breaks

A recent Gallup poll revealed that 21% of remote workers listed loneliness as their number one struggle of working at home. This sense of loneliness affects more than just an employee’s personal life. It can affect everything from their productivity to their customer service. It’s important to learn how to engage a remote workforce and keep them mentally healthy.

You can facilitate a better social environment by setting up virtual lunch or coffee breaks. Offer an option for employees to “hang out” and talk about topics other than work. Giving your employees a platform that enables them to communicate with each other can help them feel more engaged and connected. They will also notice that you recognize their struggles and want to host a platform to ease them. Of course, the voluntary part makes it so they don’t become overwhelmed or stressed with scheduling.

3. Flexible Scheduling

One of the best company benefits for remote employees is flexible scheduling. This perk is especially helpful for workers dealing with additional home-life responsibilities. If possible, allow employees to tweak their regular work hours to accommodate these added responsibilities. Some workers may need to start work later to take their kids to school or homeschool their children. Some may need to take an extra long lunch break to walk their dog or go to an appointment. If your industry allows flexible hours, it’s a great way to keep employees engaged and encouraged. It gives them time to get other things done during the day without feeling stressed and overwhelmed. This is a big example of how remote working/flexible working can give employees a better work/life balance.

4. Remote Workforce Wellness Perks

According to a recent study, up to 74% of employers plan to offer wellness programs to their employees. If your company is creating a wellness program, be sure to include your remote workers. Hosting virtual workshops, speakers, fitness plans, and meditation programs is a great way to include employees who are working from home.

In addition, if you offer discounted memberships to gyms and wellness facilities, consider partnering with a national brand. This way, your employees can reap these rewards no matter where they live.

With remote working at an all-time high, now is the perfect time to reevaluate your company’s employee perks. To learn more about creating a flexible work environment, check out our blog post, along with an article by Dish on How To Set Up A Home Office.

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