You’ve heard the standard tips and tricks of how to stay positive and productive when working from home- Keep a routine, make sure you’re active, get some fresh air, etc., but apart from the basics, how do you ensure you have the right technology tools to support you through this “new normal” we are facing?
With so much fear, uncertainty, and angst taking over our communities and daily lives, it’s hard to feel in control of both personal routines and business processes. Without a doubt, we are living in unprecedented times – add in the shelter in place orders, stir up of economic turmoil, and trying to work remotely – and you’re up for a challenge.
Businesses are being forced to shift their operations and focus on a digital and virtual business model. Don’t let technology disruptions stall your organization’s success– with Dean Dorton Technology, you can make your remote situation more stress-free and efficient with these top five tools from our diverse technology stack:
1. VoIP Systems: No phone technician, no problem! With our Voice-over IP (VoIP), your telephone system can be completely centralized to make communication with colleagues, customers, and prospects, more manageable and smoother. VoIP is not limited to local connections, so you can make or receive calls from anywhere. A few benefits of VoIP include:
- Cost reduction from your current phone service
- Single number reach to multiple devices and call forwarding. Office phones can be easily installed at remote employee homes
- Soft-phones on remote PC’s or smartphones to maintain business identity and protect your employee’s private cell numbers
- Voicemail to e-mail
2. Video Conferencing: How many times have you signed into a meeting and had to wait for someone to start sharing their screen and it didn’t work or got kicked out and had to dial-in a few times? With reliable tools like Cisco Webex, virtual collaboration has never been easier and more pain-free. You and your team can make the most out of every meeting (from the comfort of your own home!) with real-time mobility and “face-to-face” collaboration.
Yes, phone calls are great, but with all the stress around us, it’s critical to stay connected in a dynamic environment and continue maintaining personal relationships with colleagues and customers as much as possible.
3. Security Authentication: According to a security article from The Hill, researchers for cyber group Barracuda Networks found a 667 percent increase in phishing emails using the coronavirus to trick individuals into clicking links or downloading attachments that included computer viruses.
Don’t fall victim to ransomware and malicious encrypted messages- Dean Dorton has tools such as Okta, Duo, Crowdstrike, Cisco Umbrella, and many others to help ensure secure your user accounts and end-point devices are secure.
4. Cloud Accounting: Financial management is posing as a big challenge for some organizations that use on-premise solutions or have to maintain their servers onsite. With Dean Dorton’s premier cloud accounting solutions like Sage Intacct or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can access your financial and operational data from anywhere at any time, with the security of the cloud.
Accelerate your cash flow! With our cloud accounting solutions, go paperless with automated accounts receivable and accounts payable processes. This allows your finance team to avoid handling paper invoices and transactions, mitigating the risk for errors. You can also manage ACH payments quickly, letting you get paid faster and pay vendors faster during these trying times.
5. Team Collaboration: Apart from video conferencing, Dean Dorton’s team collaboration tools can make communication stronger and increase team productivity. With technology like Webex teams and file sharing, your entire organization and teams can chat in real-time and continuously be on the same page.
Overall, we don’t know how long this “work from home world” will last, but whether it’s three more weeks, one month, or six months or more, it is critical that your business is prepared to adapt and respond to unique scenarios like this. We also don’t know how many of our team members will want/expect to work from home permanently. Now is the perfect time to assess what technology you need for the current situation, but also plan for other “disaster scenarios” that could come in the future– will you be prepared to tackle those?
Don’t let technology disruptions get the best of your business. All in all, keep calm and carry on- and let Dean Dorton take the stress away when it comes to doing “all things digital.”