Monthly Archives: September 2018

Why VOIP Is the Perfect ‘Out-of-Office’ Phone Solution

Business woman using VOIP in a mobile phone out outdoors

How easy is it for your customers find you?

Email, chat, texting, and social media have brought us a long way, but in business you always need to have a phone number. For whole industries and tiers of your supply chain, the phone is the primary form of contact. For many businesses, certain things can only be confirmed on the phone or in person. And, of course, there must be a way for you to be contacted by clients or your boss.

Multiple Business Numbers

This means that you need a business number: A line of contact you can put on your website and business cards. A number you will almost always pick up during business hours. But this is easier for some professionals than for others. People who work at the same desk all day long have it easy, they can pick up their desk phone at any time during the regular work day. However, if you are a field service professional, visit clients, or travel often, you rack up a lot of ‘out of office’ hours where everyone must reach you at a second–personal cell–number instead.

Providing a Unified Company Number

Professional phone lines aren’t free. Businesses buy package deals but must still install the hard lines one by one to connect desk and office phones. On top of this, professionals who travel for business are often provided with company cell phones. In part to provide them the privacy of also having a personal cell if they choose to. This means that any professional with both a desk and a company cell carries the cost of two unique phone lines.

In the age of wireless technology, this is no longer necessary. VOIP, also known as internet phone, allows a business to provide each employee with exactly one phone number. A number that will follow them around on any device with internet access. Because you log into it like an app instead of needing a line or SIM card. This one little change from wired and cellular phones to internet phone simplifies so much about business communication.

Now, professionals who travel often or work in the field can give their clients and colleagues one number that can reach them any time during business hours. You can set it to ring through to your current device on a schedule or even schedule off-hours that go straight to voicemail. But it gets better.

Connecting In the Field

Staying connected while traveling is a constant search for signal coverage areas. Based on how 2-5G cell networks and wireless internet work these days, connectivity is almost identical between when a cell phone and a wireless hotspot can connect enough to make a call. But VOIP can do even better.

There are a great many places that have a wired and local wifi internet connection but do not have cell signal, and in these places, VOIP is always superior. No matter where on-the-go professionals find themselves, any device with an internet connection can make and receive calls, keeping you in touch almost everywhere.

Staying Connected in Emergencies

When traveling for work, equipment emergencies are the worst kind. If your laptop or cell phone break down on the trip, it could mean disaster. But accidents happen anyway. Your cell phone could fall out of your pocket, get soaked, or sat on and you would be left out of touch. Unless you have a VOIP number.

Most VOIP providers work like an app, where you can install and log into the VOIP platform then access your number from any capable device connected to the internet. Unlike a cell phone with a unique SIM card, VOIP numbers can be answered from your office desktop computer, your laptop, a tablet, your phone, or even borrowed device or hotel lobby computer. VOIP is the ideal phone number solution for emergencies in the field.

Traveling for work and working in the field both require you to be away from your office much of the time. But that doesn’t mean you have to give out your personal cell number or be tethered to a company cell. VOIP allows on-the-go professionals to answer one number from any device on any available network. For more information about how VOIP can improve your workflow, contact us today!

How Can Managed Service Provider (MSP) Help Your SMB?

Corporate Manager Pushing MANAGED SERVICES

Do you have a team of engineers to tackle your next problem?

Many small businesses and medium-sized businesses have to make the decision to seek help from local specialists and experts to help them solve various problems on an impromptu basis. The lack of clarity with the “fix it when it breaks” model can be very damaging to a promising business. Furthermore, this type of model does not provide the necessary functions an up-and-coming business will need, including the following:

  • disaster recovery
  • IT management
  • network security
  • applications management

If your small business is currently operating under a model that lacks the necessary expertise and key functions, this will likely mean you are falling behind due to the push towards mobility, the use of cloud applications, and operating in a complex business industry.

Where Can Managed Services Help Your Business?

A Managed Service Provider will have the necessary tools and experience to solve any issues you may be having, and any issues that may arise in the future. A Managed Service Provider(MSP) will take care of the main responsibilities of your business and allow your employees to focus on other key business operations.

A Managed IT Service provider will also allow a small business or medium-sized business to perform better even with fewer resources. A Managed Service Provider(MSP) will regularly evaluate your business’s IT infrastructure and the current network. The MSP will also perform repair and maintenance activities remotely, and this will include upgrades and updates.

Not only will the right Managed Service Provider(MSP) partner provide you with the proper protection if something breaks or fails. With the assistance of the right MSP partner and expanded availability, your small or medium-sized business will less likely experience any interruptions or downtime. Your SMB can also avoid employing more in-house IT workers as your business grows because the right MSP will provide you with the workforce your growing business will need.

You may need managed service to manage some of your basic technical needs or you may want to outsource the entirety of your business technology and IT infrastructure. The majority of MSPs will have a pay-as-you-go plan, and this means you will be able to get the services you need without breaking the bank. You can choose a plan that will align with your business needs and requirements.

Productivity Increase

When you partner with a Managed Service Provider, you can expect your business processes and systems to be simplified. A managed service provider will take on issues that come to light because of technology. How can a Managed Service Provider(MSP) take on these issues? An MSP will be able to successfully fight these issues through the use of monitoring and experience. Even before issues come to light, an MSP will be able to uncover the problems, carefully plan for them, and prevent them from becoming worse through all the elements of a managed service plan.

Reduce Downtime

An MSP is able to do more than uncover issues and track them; it can also predict how big of a threat each event may be. When an MSP is able to predict how dangerous an event may be, this will allow them to use a strategy that will prevent it from occurring in the first place. This means your SMB will be able to continue running with no interruptions.

Someone On Your Side 24/7

How much would you like having instant access to IT professionals and experts on a 24/7 basis? An MSP will not only give your business access to IT professionals, but your business will also have access to the following:

  • virus protection
  • firewall protection
  • infrastructure management
  • internet monitoring
  • disaster recovery

An MSP will have everything you need when it comes to monitoring and managing your IT needs. An MSP will also address any problems you are having, keep your business data safe, and ensure your business operation is functioning as it should be.

Are you ready to have an IT plan that will be a perfect fit for your business? Please do not hesitate to contact us today for more information on Managed Service Providers(MSPs).

Remote Work and The Technology That’s Made it Possible: Everything You Need to Know About Telecommuting

Man woking remotely from home, web conferencing with VoIP systems

Flexibility to work from home is key for a lot of people

Recent years have seen a drastic increase in the popularity of telecommuting (employees working remotely from home). In fact, from 2007 to 2017, the number of Americans working remotely increased by 115% with 43% of Americans reporting they worked remotely at least part of the time by 2017. While telecommuting continues to grow across most sectors, it has become particularly popular amongst businesses in the tech industry as well as among those in finance and media (telecommuting is least common in education and retail).

 

The Primary Reasons Telecommuting is on The Rise

Seeing the statistics above, you may be wondering why telecommuting is on the rise. Wouldn’t having employees together reduce hassle and increase productivity? However, studies have shown this assumption to be false. Here are just a few of the benefits telecommuting can provide.

  • Telecommuting Increases Productivity
      • Offices Can Be a Distraction: While many would think it would be to everyone’s benefit to have all employees in the office, the fact is that modern offices have become very distracting places full of unnecessary meetings and constant distractions from fellow employees. In fact, a recent study found that employees who worked from home performed 13.5% more efficiently than when they were in the office due to reduced distraction.
      • Commuting Reduces Productivity: Not only does being in the office reduce productivity, but so does the act of commuting to the office. Studies have found that long commutes have a drastic impact on employee health by increasing rates of obesity, heart disease, and depression, which resulted in absences and poor work performance. Telecommuting can then make employees happier and healthier while simultaneously increasing their productivity.
  • Telecommuting Saves Businesses Money: Perhaps the greatest way businesses can benefit from a remote workforce is in the money they will save on business expenses by having employees telecommute. Every employee who works from home limits the amount of money a company will have to spend on office space, furniture, technology, supplies, and utilities, which can represent substantial savings. In fact, it is estimated that each year companies save upwards of 100 million dollars on their office leases by using remote employees.

Increased productivity, a happier workforce, and substantial savings on business expenses are just a few of the many reasons why telecommuting continues to rise in popularity amongst businesses. However, part of the reason why there has been a rise in telecommuting in recent years has been due to the advent of technology that has made remote work possible.

The Technology Needed for Telecommuting

The current rise in telecommuting has been made possible by current technologies that allow for remote collaboration. While telecommuting can prove beneficial for many businesses, there are a few technologies that businesses must first invest in to make this possible such as:

  • Cloud Computing and Electronic Document Management Software: An essential tool for developing a remote workforce is cloud computing and electronic document management systems. For companies looking to develop a remote workforce, electronic document management is key as this will allow individuals to locate files and retrieve information digitally rather than needing to physically locate these files from a drawer somewhere. Cloud computing software then allows individuals to access these files, as well as software and applications, remotely and securely through the cloud from wherever they are working.
  • Web Conferencing and VoIP Systems: Another critical piece of technology companies developing a remote workforce need is a modern VoIP phone system. These phone systems utilize the internet rather than a traditional phone line to send and receive calls, which allows individuals to use their phone service wherever they are as long as they have an internet connection. This allows employees to use their work phone line to communicate with colleagues, business partners, and customers from the comfort of their own home. Modern unified communications systems can be particularly beneficial for a remote workforce as these systems also often include features such as web chat and video conferencing, which can be vital in allowing remote employees to collaborate together from anywhere in the world.

Telecommuting continues to grow in popularity not only because of the benefits it can provide to businesses and employees alike but also due to the fact that technological advancements have made remote work easier and more convenient than ever before. Contact us to learn more about telecommuting and how it could benefit your business.

IT Monthly Management Reporting: Incident Tracking

IT meting over monthly management reports - IT help desk

Communication on a help desk is key to providing quality service

Consistent and organized IT monthly management reports will give your organization or your business will help keep all of your strategies on track. We understand it may take some time, energy, and patience to get past some of the common management reporting issues that other businesses and organizations have faced. Once you have moved past the common issues, you will be able to improve your entire process and the monthly management reporting will be worth it.

Your IT monthly management reporting software will only be as good as the vendor or provider who will offer it. One of the questions that many people have about monthly management reports is what are the features of a well-built monthly management reporting system. You may already have a sound report format or you may just want to be sure that you have covered everything, we hope we can help provide you with the information you need.

Your IT help desk or service desk solution may already come with a set of reports, but sometimes these reports are not the most essential metrics for your team to track. You should focus on the metrics that will help you achieve the most critical aspects and objectives of your business.

Response Time

Incident response time is the number of hours, minutes, or days that have passed when the issue was reported and a resolution was actually found. A fast response time with moderate reopen rates will specify effective customer service.

Resolution Rate

The resolution rate consists of the percentage of problems that were resolved the first time they were brought up. First-time resolution rate will not consist of any repeated calls. When your organization has a high first-time resolution rate, this will generally correlate to outstanding customer service and outstanding customer satisfaction.

Where Are The Highest Incidents?

You will have an opportunity to determine what business departments have the highest need for products and services. Reviewing incidents per department will give you the best chance to identify any holes in your service and provide as an aid in assigning agents correctly.

Current Tickets

Another thing that you should be reported is the number of tickets that are currently active. When you are aware of the number of current tickets you have, you will not be caught off-guard and you will not be overwhelmed by the tickets. Keeping track of the active tickets will also prevent you from having unsatisfied customers because you will not let your tickets get backed up.

Revisiting Tickets

Do you keep track of the percentage of tickets that have to be reopened after the initial contact? If a ticket needs to be reopened after it was marked as resolved may provide you with the insight you need to improve your training. This can also result in a need to perform maintenance and/or repairs on your hardware.

No Resolution

If you have incidents that did not receive a resolution can mean that you have holes and gaps that need to be filled when it comes to your agents. There can also be holes and gaps when it comes to knowing how to properly manage the system.

When you are able to keep track of the number of tickets, incidents, and resolutions, you will be able to do the following:

  • identify tendencies
  • identify what areas have the highest ticket volume and the lowest ticket volume
  • schedule agents appropriately during the high-volume times

You want to ensure your end users and customers are happy and satisfied at the end of the day, and proper IT monthly management reports can provide you with the assistance you need to ensure this does happen. Contact us today for more information on IT management reporting.