Productivity in the workplace is a simple concept, but productivity largely depends on the reliability and efficiency of the tools you are using for your business.

Certain business tools may seem great, in theory, but if they are underutilized by employees, inconsistent in their performance, and costly, then what is the point? RingCentral concluded that 68% of workers are toggling between apps as much as 10 times per hour, which totals to at least one hour of wasted work every day.

Skip the uncertainty and focus your efforts, instead, on these 4 proven ways to instantly streamline and improve your company’s work productivity:

  1. Switch to Cloud Computing
  2. Consider Workplace Mobility
  3. Incorporate VoIP
  4. Trust SD-WAN

561 Communications can help you find the best customized network solutions for your business, including SD-WAN, VoIP, mobility solutions, and more. Contact us today. 

Switch To Cloud Computing

A relatively newer form of collaboration technology, cloud computing is document storage and much more. Plus, it’s an amplifier for employee productivity; one study found it increased work productivity by as much as 400%! This is thanks to cloud computing’s ease of use, access to the latest work tools available, and uncomplicated integration with existing systems, to name a few.

With cloud computing, employees can communicate, share files, and collaborate on projects together in real-time thanks to the Internet, and whether they are physically in the office or elsewhere. There are also several tiers of cloud computing – SaaS, Paas, and IaaS – and one or multiple may be beneficial depending on your departmental, or company, needs.

Here are a few examples of each:

  • Software as a Service (SaaS) – Microsoft Teams, Google Suite, Zoom, Slack
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS) – Google App Engine, Heroku
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – Google Compute Engine, Microsoft Azure

Consider Workplace Mobility

What is workplace mobility, exactly? A strategy that could be mistaken for simply working remotely, working from home, or hybrid work, workplace mobility’s true definition is equipping employees with a digital workplace and flexible operations that increase employee satisfaction and, in turn, help companies achieve their long-term goals.

In fact, a global survey by Vodafone found that 75% of companies who introduced flexible working policies saw increased performance among their employees. And it makes sense if you consider a few specific benefits of workplace mobility:

  • Eliminates commute times
  • Promotes a healthy work-life balance
  • Creates constant connectivity
  • Streamlines interdepartmental collaborations

Incorporate VoIP

Short for Voice Over Internet Protocol, VoIP gives your company another employee, in a sense. A VoIP phone system uses a computer auto attendant that can respond to a caller’s questions, route their call to the appropriate department, and document the reason for their call. What’s more, the phone system is integrated into the rest of your company’s digital network (CRM, chat, video, etc.), eliminating the need to manually configure and manage different networks.

Leaving analog systems in the dust, a VoIP system not only gives your customer the answers they need if your employees can’t come to the phone, it also provides your employees with adequate data and information to set the customer’s request in-motion.

A great case study of a VoIP system in action is that of Utah State. Since there was no longer a need to fix downed systems, the university saved $120,000 a year on labor expenses, and the IT team regained 80 hours of productivity each week.

Trust SD-WAN

Improving leaps and bounds from the traditional and router-centric WAN model, which backhauls traffic from branch offices to a central hub or headquarters data center, SD-WAN is a virtual network that can send data between various locations securely and at faster speeds. SD-WAN technology is designed to support major SaaS and IaaS applications and other public cloud access, making it a great option for businesses practicing workplace mobility.

A SD-WAN solution also adapts in real-time to network conditions (e.g. outages, network congestion, etc.), ensuring optimal application performance and Quality of Experience (QoEx). Just as important, SD-WAN offers end-to-end segmentation by configuring security policies in a central place.

Cisco found a few ways SD-WAN improved business operations for several large-scale businesses: SD-WAN saved a retailer over $20 million on OpEx over a three-year period, completed M&A integration for a Fortune 50 healthcare provider in less than two weeks, and reduced cost/Mbps for a national insurance provider by 80%.

At 561 Communications, it’s our business to understand what will benefit your productivity. Call us today or fill out a contact request.