What would you prefer to do? Sleep for an extra hour or spend that time commuting to work? The choice is obvious, isn’t it?
Our social media is full of fancy remote working pictures from all over the world, ever since it became popular—thanks to COVID-19. The bar has been set so high and the images are so mystifying that our fascination is now bordering on incredulity.
For example, there are people working from exotic places like a beach without the fear of water penetrating their laptops.
However, this visual narrative is deceptive and far from the real picture of a remote working environment. There are several myths associated with this new model doing the rounds.
Some of these are assumptions about agents’ productivity, collaboration and similar aspects.
This can be attributed to the lack of awareness around promising cloud technological advancements—especially cloud telephony.
Through this article, we will bust such myths and misconceptions and learn how cloud telephony debunks them with its cool features and benefits.
Myth #1: Collaboration suffers during remote work
It is often believed that collaboration suffers in a remote work model. But the truth is, collaboration is as seamless as it is with a physical work set-up. It’s important we understand that collaboration is not dependent on the work arrangement. Instead, it relies on the effort put in by team members to maintain an engaging and productive relationship with each other.
When organisations prioritise inter-team collaboration in a remote work arrangement, there is no reason for it to suffer. Businesses that thrived through this transition did it with the help of cloud-backed telephony applications and software.
With advanced cloud telephony features like inter-agent call transfers, call forwarding, centralised access to caller data and more, seamless collaboration is guaranteed. However, these are just a few tools to help you with inter-team collaboration.
To inculcate and foster a collaborative culture, leaders are required to put in consistent efforts. Informal video calls and call conferencing are some other means to establish the same. Cloud telephony solutions help you with all this and a lot more.
Myth #2: Security is compromised during remote work
A tech-focused myth is about data security. Many feel that remote work is not possible without compromising on data security and making personal information like security and business details vulnerable to cyber attacks.
This myth is half true. How, you ask? Because the risk to data is inevitable when your employees are working with critical or sensitive information, be it from any location––office premises or their own homes.
It is obvious that business data will always be at risk. However, there are several cloud service providers who offer multilayer security that saves your valuable data from cyber threats and natural calamities. Some of these measures include number masking and OTP verification.
However, the first step to a secure remote working model is educating your employees about the nuances of data security. Data security issues have more to do with how aware people are rather than any location.
Simple precautions, taken on a daily basis, can save you from massive data breaches. Some of these include regular activity logging and monitoring, defined user-access, and more.
Switching to secure applications and software is another way to keep your data secure. Cloud telephony features like OTP verification, SMS and email verification, and two-factor authentication guarantee secure communication and data protection.
Myth #3: Customers would go astray
With all that talk around communicating and staying in touch with your loved ones during the pandemic, we have already started realising the importance of regular check-ins.
As the remote work model became the norm, businesses became apprehensive about losing customers amid all the chaos. And rightly so––everyone was stuck home, in the middle of a pandemic with no instructions to follow.
In a situation as bleak as that, there were some simple tools that came to everyone’s rescue. Brands were able to keep customers informed with the help of social media, SMSes, emails and practically everything else that virtual.
In addition to these tools, there is cloud telephony, our unsung hero. Solutions like toll free numbers, bulk SMSes, call blasting, etc. facilitate fluid conversations between companies and their customers.
The first step to great customer service is regular and transparent intimation. Customers appreciate getting timely updates. With features like SMS and voice broadcasting, custom message-on-hold, outbound IVR and more, the myth about them going astray due to remote work is busted.
Myth #4: Remote working costs a fortune
It is common to assume that remote working is an expensive business model. Businesses hesitate in allowing their employees to work from home, thinking of all the added equipment and tools needed for smooth functioning of a remote work setup.
However, this is simply not true. Fixed costs or overhead costs decrease because large office spaces are now redundant. Moreover, switching from traditional telephony systems, with heavy and complicated wiring and hardware, to cloud telephony solutions brings down expenses considerably.
This is due to the fact that cloud telephony solutions do not require any dedicated hardware or infrastructure to run on—a stable Internet connection is enough. In addition, the maintenance cost is also eliminated as your provider looks after all of it.
Myth #5: Network issues can cause disrupted communications
Another stereotype associated with remote work is that it impedes the quality of conversation due to network coverage issues. However, it isn’t necessary that remote employees will face network concerns.
Trusting a good cloud telephony solution provider can take you a long way in customer communication. With a guaranteed uptime of 99.99%, chances of missed calls or call drops are negligible.
Considering cloud telephony relies on Internet services rather than local service providers, the possibility of poor network connectivity is considerably reduced. Hence, the myth of unstable communication, when it comes to remote work, is again busted with the latest cloud telephony solutions and its uptime.
Myth #6: Remote work environment leads to procrastination
Last, but one of the most popular myths related to remote work is about the lackadaisical approach of the employees. It should be noted that any employee can slack while working, regardless of where they’re working from––home or office.
Employees tend to feel disinterested and overwhelmed due to various reasons like lack of communication or monotonous work. Having said that, it is easier to make an assumption about employees and their productivity levels.
However, remote work employees tend to work harder and more than set hours than they would in an office set-up. This is because there remains no segregation between work and home. Moreover, cloud telephony tools allow you to track and supervise an employee’s performance remotely and get the best out of them.
Remote work: The reality
With clear communication about expectations and goals, and regular and consistent feedback, remote work is the coolest trend to follow for all businesses. Employees today are all the more cautious and careful about the type of culture they indulge in.
No employee wants to waste their precious time on water-cooler gossip but wants an impactful journey within the organisation. Therefore, remote work is gaining traction even among giants like Google, IBM and Twitter.
So do not let these myths misguide you. If you’re still on the fence about adopting the remote work model for your organisation, make sure that this decision is driven by facts.
When your employees feel happy and safe, that’s when they will engage the most with the organisation and that is all you need to overcome any challenge that comes your way.
If you are still looking for a reliable cloud communication service for your business, you can connect with one of our experts and explore the best options suited for your work environment. Give us a call at 1800-120-4132 today.
