All businesses large or small are undoubtedly affected by the unchartered times we find ourselves in due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Here at Fibre 1, we are keeping our usual positive approach and outlook to working life supporting our customers to continue to work as close to normal as possible during these challenging times.
The change in how companies run their day to day business has shown how important it is to have a business continuity strategy in place allowing smooth transition to home working if required in situations such as the one we are facing now.
Now more than ever, a reliable connection for both phone and internet access is key to allow the vital lines of communication with customers and suppliers remain open.
The benefits of having a dependable VoIP system helps with this, allowing businesses to continue to work as efficiently as possible. With Openreach phasing out PSTN lines by 2025 and ISDN lines no longer available to purchase, the world of VoIP will soon be the normality. VoIP systems come with a host of benefits which can help customers save money as the monthly costs include all local, national and mobile calls ensuring customers are not caught out by the addition of hefty call charges.
The VoIP system gives customers greater control on how their calls are handled with a number of features as standard including caller display, hunt groups, voicemail (email alert can be sent to be played on any device with speakers), call redirect along with a number of others.
The Bria Stretto App is an addition to the standard monthly plan which allows an individual to have their office phone on their hand-held devices including mobile phones and tablets. The app increases the flexibility for employees who find themselves out of the office attending meetings etc. and means they can be contacted in the normal way without having to arrange for calls to be diverted to a mobile.
The app also has functions which allows screen sharing and video calls which adds much-needed flexibility to those who regularly find themselves out and about.
Staff may be finding that their home connection is not up to the task of remote working while some carriers have also been restricting their networks in an effort to give a better experience for all. Whilst Openreach are not doing visits to properties during this time, migrations of services are not affected as they require no work inside the property.
Although we primarily deal with business connections, for the time being we would happily look at reviewing home connections for staff to see if we can help give a better connection.
There is a lot of buzz around Microsoft Teams now and how it can help colleagues stay connected and work as they would if they were all together in their normal office environment. We are looking into the possibility of integrating Microsoft Teams with our VoIP systems and hope to have further developments on this in the near future.
Mobile phones are another key tool when it comes to staying connected while working remotely. Completion of a tariff analysis will ensure you are receiving the most cost-effective solution available. Having a modern up to date handset will enable access to all the latest app’s and mobile solutions available in the world of remote working. Working with several major network providers including O2, Vodafone and EE allow reliable coverage availability regardless of location.
FTTP is high on the agenda for 2020 and offers the highest internet transfer speed among all contended services in the UK. With more and more area’s having FTTP rolled out, it is a good time to look at your current connection to see if or how this can be improved. Having a reliable and fast connection can only be a positive for any business.
Lines of communication have never been more important than they are now. No one knows how long this is going to continue for or when we will get back to normal working life but one thing that we do know is that we are all in this together and we will get through it.
Try and turn this unknown time in to a time of positivity. A time where businesses took the chance to look at their strategies and services to help improve business and continued success going forward.