As much as the Internet and VoIP technology have allowed us to run businesses remotely during the COVID crisis, teleworking can also open the door to other problems you might not experience working from the office. Let’s discuss some additional common IT issues related to the pandemic and explore possible solutions.
Remote Hardware Failures
If a piece of equipment fails at the office, chances are you’ve got a system in place for dealing with it. But what happens when a coworker at home can’t hop on a video call because their VoIP equipment has gone down? Depending on who their provider is, you could be looking at potentially days of downtime while that teammate tries to get their equipment repaired or replaced.
Solution: Explore the option of equipping your teammates with a uniform set of hardware under a single provider. Even better, coordinate that effort with a managed IT plan. You may be able to transfer some equipment from the office to facilitate this plan, or you may even consider renting equipment for short-term teleworking. This way, if something fails, you’ll be better able to pinpoint the problem and get that employee up and running again faster.
Inadequate Training on VoIP and Other Features
Sometimes, IT “issues” occur not because of a malfunction or virus, but just because someone doesn’t know how to use the required features. This problem can be amplified when you’re coordinating remote teams because each team member may have VoIP features they don’t know how to use or equipment they don’t know how to hook up? At best, that person might be the one who stays constantly muted during a Zoom call. At worst, that person might just have to miss conference calls or referrals because they don’t know what they’re doing.
Solutions: In addition to the solution mentioned earlier of having an IT company coordinate your equipment, consider hiring a virtual IT “help desk” to train and troubleshoot with your team members. In this way, no team member will get left behind or become non-productive because they don’t know who to call or where to get answers
Bottom line: Working remotely does not mean your employees have to be on their own when it comes to VoIP and IT. Nowadays, virtual IT solutions aren’t limited by location—it’s possible to coordinate and connect people in multiple locations for as long as necessary. NetServ can help your Orange County business utilize the Internet and VoIP technology to run just as efficiently as if the office were still open. Call us at 1-877-NetServ to discuss your options.