Telecommuting is on the rise. Today 4.7 million employees in the U.S. connect remotely at least half the time, a number that has grown 159% since 2005, and will continue to rise in the coming years. Telecommuting requires a whole new set of skills and tools to stay connected, productive, and in sync with the rest of your team. This week, OTELCO has five telecommuting tips for the modern telecommuter, and over the next few months, we will dive a little deeper into each of the featured tools.
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1. Stay Organized with Outlook
The essential tool in a telecommuter’s digital workbox is email. Outlook is a dynamic email platform, with numerous add-ons, and inbox organization options, but Outlook is more than just email. It is also a tool that telecommuters can utilize to stay organized and on top of tasks. It’s to-do list, and task manager features are a straightforward way to plan your day and allow you to assign team members important tasks. The calendar feature makes organizing meeting painless. You can even integrate Team’s groups to schedule daily, weekly or monthly recurring meetings.
2. Keep in Touch with Teams
Teams is the modern chat tool of telecommuters’ dreams. Beyond one on one chat, you can create group spaces where your team can schedule meetings, share documents, and talk amongst themselves. It integrates video, voice, and screen sharing, even allowing you to bring in out of network users. More so, the Teams app is straightforward and makes staying in touch while traveling simple. Using a collaboration tool like Teams is one of our top telecommuting tips.
3. Work from Anywhere with One Drive
Another of the most important telecommuting tips is to get a handle on storage. Anyone with more than one device knows that managing files from one gadget to another can be a nightmare, especially if you are switching from Mac/iOS to Windows/Android. OneDrive eliminates that hassle altogether. Save all your files to the cloud, and access them from the On-Drive app, or your preferred browser. OneDrive is a secure and accessible place, where you can save all your files and use SharePoint integration to collaborate on documents with your team.
4. Collaborate with SharePoint and Microsoft Classics
SharePoint’s cloud technology adds modern convenience to the classic Microsoft apps we know and love, such as:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Publisher
Create a document, save it to One Drive, and then share it with your whole team. Collaborate in real-time or see edits they have made while you were away. It is easy way to work together when you are apart.
5. Manage Everything in One Place with Microsoft 365
Managing all these apps is effortless with Microsoft 365 through OTELCO Cloud and Managed Services. You can manage all your apps from a single online portal, granting you access on any internet-connected device. Administrators can manage users and usage from their portal, ensuring productivity when their team is out of the office. As a bonus, OTELCO offers a secure email filter, ensuring security across the entire system. The best part of using Microsoft 365 through OTELCO Cloud and Managed Services is that we handle any problems that come up, so you and your team can focus on business, not technology.
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If you are considering a Managed Service solution, it may be beneficial to schedule a complimentary Managed Services Consultation with one of our IT experts.
This obligation-free assessment can help you:
- Establish your existing technology environment.
- Determine your business’s unique technology needs.
- Find the most cost-effective solutions.
- Gauge your ability to manage those solutions.
