Technology is the key to working remotely. But beyond phone calls and emails, there are many ways to optimize a home office that can enhance productivity and teamwork. Figure out which collaborative technology tools work for you and tailor your remote working style to get the most out of working from home while keeping up the collaboration and connection with your team.
Here are three must-have collaboration technologies for any home office.
#1 Videoconferencing helps you connect remotely
Seeing your colleagues clearly and reading their reactions help enable effective decision-making that can optimize your business. A quality video solution with a high frame rate and automatic lighting correction means you’ll get the most from videoconferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Amazon Connect and Chime and others.
#2 Collaboration applications that make meetings count
Your home office doesn’t have to be a lonely place. Similar to the office, collaboration applications such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Amazon Connect and Chime, GoToMeeting and many more are excellent ways to boost collaboration with remote team members and customers, and will also help ensure that you stay connected.
For instance, Microsoft Teams, which is part of Office 365, can help your staff stay organized and have conversations on any device, with both internal employees and external users. You can also make phone calls, host virtual meetings, create group chats/calls, share files and much more.
In Microsoft Teams, you can even record your Teams meetings and group calls to capture audio, video and screen-sharing activity. There is also an option for recordings to include automatic transcription, so you can play back meeting recordings with closed captions and search for important discussion items in the transcript. The recording happens in the cloud and is saved to Microsoft Stream, so you can share it securely across your organization.
# 3 The right audio devices for your home office
When attending a virtual conference call, the quality of your sound is just as important as the speed of your internet connection. If you have poor audio quality, it can negatively affect your productivity and your team’s communication. So whether at home, in a café or in transit – wireless, Active Noise-Cancelling (ANC) headsets can improve the quality of your business calls by reducing ambient noise in your environment. Having a high-quality microphone in the headset will also make your speech clearer for those listening.
Why it’s important to pick a UC certified audio device
Picking a certified headset will empower you to create a
superior and more intuitive experience. For instance, headsets and
speakerphones that are Microsoft Teams certified, such as the EPOS speakerphone
EXPAND SP 30T and their next-generation EPOS | SENNHEISER ADAPT headsets, will
have a version available with a dedicated Microsoft Teams button to instantly
invoke the Teams collaboration application. This gives you instant access to
control the call (i.e. start, end and mute) right from the headset or
speakerphone. The Teams versions also provide a purple indicator light when a
Teams notification occurs. EPOS | SENNHEISER headsets and EPOS speakerphones
are also compatible with Zoom, Amazon Connect and Chime, and other team
collaboration software.
EPOS audio solutions are designed with working remotely in mind. The premium headsets
and speakerphones enable you to work more effectively from your home office,
maintain professionalism and maximize productivity. Furthermore, they are
compatible with all major team collaboration software including Microsoft
Teams, Zoom, Amazon Connect, Google and many more.
To explore EPOS collaborative technology solutions for your home office, visit CDW.ca/sennheiser or contact your CDW Account Manager.
