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How to Keep Your Remote Employees Engaged, Happy and Productive

Posted by Mark Greim on Feb 14, 2022 10:15:00 AM

It is not new for a business to utilize a remote or work-from-home work force. Technology advancements and a global pandemic have contributed to the acceleration of businesses accommodating remote employees. However, just because you may have the Hosted VoIP phone system platform and other technologies that support remote employees, it doesn’t mean that your business has the experience to foster the positive remote employee relations needed to build a productive environment.

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Tags: virtual workforce

Technology Tips for Managing Remote Employees

Posted by Mark Greim on Jan 26, 2022 2:24:44 PM

Six Technology Tips for a Successful Remote Workforce

Managing remote employees can be challenging. Between keeping productivity high, communication break downs, distractions and interruptions, and isolation, there is a lot to manage. Focus on controlling the things you can, like the tools and technology.

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Tags: virtual workforce, small business phone service

Do Not Trust Your Business Phone Service to a Video Communication Platform

Posted by Mark Greim on Feb 16, 2021 9:15:00 AM

Business Communications fundamentally changed while the nation’s businesses adapted to a pandemic. When we prepare to exit from those conditions and return to normal, there clearly are lessons learned and a potential new normal in the business world. Although there were already alternatives for remote workforces available to businesses utilizing a Hosted VoIP phone service, many businesses were forced to patch together a hybrid remote communication system using a multitude of Video Communication platforms unlike ever before.

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Tags: virtual workforce, VoIP business phone services

Getting Back to Business with Hosted VoIP

Posted by Mark Greim on Oct 13, 2020 9:45:00 AM

Businesses coast to coast are getting back to business and adjusting to the new normal. Fortunately, technology like Hosted VoIP phone service can advance their communications and prepare them for whatever conditions may confront them in the future.

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Tags: virtual workforce, VoIP business phone services

Business Continuity with Hosted VoIP as a Strategy

Posted by Mark Greim on Mar 16, 2020 9:31:31 AM

For years, we’ve published articles on the virtues of a Hosted VoIP solution for your business relating to empowering a remote or multiple location organization. Now, with the coronavirus concerns and prevention efforts impacting businesses in an unprecedented fashion, the benefits of a Hosted VoIP phone system are real and significant.

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Tags: virtual workforce

Teamwork Requires Communication: Phone Solutions for Mobile Workforces

Posted by Mark Greim on Sep 16, 2019 10:38:00 AM

To compete in the 21st century marketplace, businesses need to align their workforce with their customer's behavior and preferences.  There are many tools available to support this practice, with a Hosted VoIP platform being a key for internal and external communication strategies.

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Tags: Phone Service for Multiple Locations, virtual workforce, VoIP Mobility

Tear Down Walls with Business VoIP

Posted by Mark Greim on Jan 30, 2017 10:30:00 AM

Leave the talk around building walls to the American political scene.  As a business owner, your business will benefit by figuratively tearing down walls and removing barriers to communication with the help of a Hosted VoIP phone service.  With Hosted VoIP, the walls of your business become translucent, as your phone system is no longer confined to your physical location.  Additionally, as the world becomes more and more "always-on" in terms of communication, your business can adjust communication practices to meet the evolving demands of your customers.

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Tags: Hosted VoIP phone service, Phone Service for Multiple Locations, virtual workforce, Business VoIP

Mobility Options with Hosted VoIP

Posted by Mark Greim on Jul 22, 2013 10:16:00 AM

Deploying mobility options is a great way to fully utilize your Hosted VoIP phone system for your business and drive customer satisfaction and office efficiency.  Hosted VoIP services provides a new outlook for your phone system, as you no longer are confined to the walls of the office for your communication practices.  Such options include the utilization of soft phones for your cell phones, tablets, and laptops, engagement of cell phones in the call flow, and the establishment of remote office options for personnel.

Soft Phones – Working in conjunction with or independently from your VoIP desk phone, soft phones can provide several advantages.  They are set up as your extension in your business on your laptop, tablet, or smart cell phone.  When you turn on these phones, you can dial out and deliver the caller ID for your business instead of that of your cell phone.  You can basically take and make calls anywhere you have an internet connection.  This mobility option provides a measured improvement in customer contact and satisfaction for associates who are on the road or out of the office frequently.  When using these devices, it is recommended that you are on a WiFi network and not relying on 4G or 3G cell service. 

Engagement of Cell Phones in the Call Flow – Again, for employees who are highly mobile or out of the office, calls to their direct dial number or internal extension can be programmed to simultaneously ring or forward to their cell phones.  This increases the ability for key customer contact associates to receive that important phone call while they are away from the office.   If they are busy and do not answer their cell phone, the call is routed back to their office voicemail.  Of course, voicemails can be delivered to email so they can receive and listen to the voicemails and respond quickly.  One important note is that if the associate hits “ignore” on their cell phone, or if the phone is turned off or out of service area, the calls will be picked up by the cell phone voicemail.

Remote Personnel – Because the actual phone system is hosted by your VoIP provider, all of the desk phones are connected back to the host via the internet connection regardless of where they are located.  Therefore, companies are able to deploy a work from home option for their associates, or establish offices where a specific skill set of employees are better recruited and deployed.  Associates can have phones at the office and a duplicate phone at a home or vacation home and still take calls as if they were at the home office.  This opens up plenty of efficiencies and applications for businesses.

The key with all of these options is that they can be used to make the office more efficient, employees more engaged and available, and customers more satisfied.  We’d love to talk over your specific application and help provide a solution for you!

 

About the author:  Mark Greim is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at sipVine, a provider of a variety of digital phone solutions and services. Mark has extensive experience working for start-up or entrepreneurial organizations and has a passion for affordable, reliable, and purposeful technology solutions in those environments. 

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Tags: Hosted VoIP, virtual workforce, VoIP Mobility

Enable Your Virtual Workforce with VoIP Phone Solutions

Posted by Mark Greim on Apr 20, 2010 7:44:00 AM

Many small to mid-sized businesses utilize a Hosted VoIP phone service to extend their reach in the marketplace and move beyond the walls of their offices by going virtual with their workforce.  Utilizing a Hosted VoIP phone service can help facilitate this mobilization while providing the impression that you are all under one roof.

I'll provide several examples of how some of sipVine customers are doing just that:

  1. Out of State Employees - one customer has employees that office out of state, yet they want to have the appearance that they are in town.  They were provided phone numbers local to the corporate office so their outbound caller ID appears as if they were calling from the corporate office.  Also, from the company perspective, these employees appear like they were on the same phone system. Thus, the receptionist or other employees can simply dial the extension to reach them.  Additionally, they have been able to consolidate their phone service under one provider and save money.   Finally, because sipVine, like many other VoIP providers, provided unlimited local and long distance calls, they no longer pay for long distance charges for calls made to their own employees!
  2. Multiple Branches, One Receptionist - Another company we serve has multiple branch offices across the country and in Canada.  Phone calls coming into the corporate office or via their toll free line can be handled by a single receptionist (or automated attendant if they choose) and routed to the branch location closest to the caller.  Again, this customer benefits by having all of their branches on the same phone system handled by the same service provider.  They are also able to have phone numbers specific to the branch locations.
  3. Call Center at an Off-Site Location - Another company determined that they could establish a call center in a different city where the resources were more plentiful and less expensive than in their headquarter location. However, they wanted to have phone numbers assigned that made it appear that these customer service reps were in the area.  Hosted VoIP phone service allows for this, as well as provides for extension dialing or call transferring to headquarter employees as required by the call center reps.
  4. Work at Home Sales Force - I'll talk about our company, sipVine, for this. We have representatives located throughout our metropolitan area as they operate out of their homes.  We deploy the "hotel" concept for days when they come to the office.  Thus, we do not have to add unnecessary costs to our business by adding square footage as we have grown.  The reps have a VoIP phone at their homes that simultaneously rings their phone at the office.  Wherever they pick up the call is where the call is delivered. Additionally, we have their calls also ring a soft phone app on their cell phones so, our team can always be reached and they don't waste valuable time driving into the office everyday.

I hope this provided you with a few ideas of how a Hosted VoIP phone service can help you go virtual with your workforce.  Make every interaction with customers count with the help of sipVine's complete business communication solution! sipVine Provides Hosted VoIP services to businesses across the United States. A better phone system for your small business with advanced features to match your unique business needs! Make your company's business communications better by engaging better customer experiences at every touchpoint. Want to learn more? Our small business phone service representatives are here you answer any questions you have!

 

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Tags: virtual workforce

Power a Work at Home Strategy with a VoIP Business Phone System

Posted by Mark Greim on Apr 2, 2010 11:13:00 AM

Many businesses are sending their workers home, and not just for a holiday. They have found that there are some real benefits from deploying a work at home strategy.

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Tags: voip business phone system, virtual workforce

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