One key to survival for small business owners has been enabling remote work for employees. Many small businesses have not only stayed afloat but managed to grow when they have taken a “work is what you do, not where you are” approach.
In other words, when your employees can engage with customers, suppliers, and each other no matter where they are or what device they use, businesses have been able to adapt more readily.
This approach is most successful when it is powered by an integrated, cloud-based VoIP communication platform. Can your existing system support this type of business communication? There’s an easy way to check.
Are your business communications in one stream, or multiple?
If you or your employees must juggle calls, multimedia, notifications, and messages between their personal cell number and their business number, you run the risk of confusing customers and suppliers. You also increase the potential for missing vital communication that could help you close an important deal, and you risk damaging your brand by not returning calls or being available to your customers.
Are you equipped to maximize connections?
Imagine you have made a cold call that is evolving into a productive conversation – but the prospect needs to end the call to attend another appointment. Does your current service allow you to recognize the number you called, save it, and follow up with a text or video message? Do you have to disconnect a call and call someone back if you need to move from your office or home to another location?
How often do you have to cancel or postpone team or one-on-one meetings because a conference space and/or equipment was double-booked, or is not functioning properly?
Do you find yourself struggling to reserve conference space? If your crew is working from home, do you have to spend extra time catching people up to keep them in the loop because they were unable to connect via video conference? Is it easy for presenters to use multimedia or share their screen with remote viewers? The simple act of having a staff meeting becomes a nightmare if your solution has both poor scheduling capabilities and poor connectivity. Maybe you have investigated third-party conferencing solutions, but the costs add up fast – and it doesn’t integrate with your current communication platform.
How easy is it to set up a new user or troubleshoot?
Does it require specialized expertise or network access to be able to set up a new user with a phone number, voicemail, or call flow automation? Are you able to integrate collaboration applications like G Suites or Microsoft 365? How easy is it to track billing, general usage, or resolve errors?
If you are not satisfied with your answers to those questions, it’s time to explore your options. At Dice we specialize in helping small businesses like yours improve the way they operate by finding the right communications tools to get things done. We can help you enhance employee productivity, collaboration, and responsiveness without breaking the bank.
