Productivity in business has been consistently dropping since 2007, according to recent Bureau of Labor statistics. Coincidentally, that was also when the smartphone rose to prominence, becoming an increasingly important part of our day-to-day lives. This begs the question, “Is the sharp decline in productivity over the last decade actually caused by technology?”
While some think that banning technology can increase focus and productivity, the truth is that with some discipline and effort, the same tech can actually be used successfully to make employees more productive and most tasks simpler and faster. Modern technology and applications such as VoIP can help everyday workers more efficient, increase their productivity and ultimately achieve their business goals. In addition, the rising trend of remote workers has led to an increased demand for on-demand data: data that is accessible at any time, from anywhere.
Here are some ways today’s technologies help increase the productivity of your business:
Connecting a dispersed workforce
As in-house staff levels contract and the mobile workforce expands, businesses are electing to make use of smaller physical office spaces. More and more companies are giving their employees the option to work offsite, allowing them to save money on the overhead required to maintain large workspaces. Allowing remote employees also allows hiring managers to cast a wider net into the talent pool, increasing the odds of finding a well-qualified candidate. Productive employees need instant access to business information, data, and their team; VoIP and mobility technologies are the best way to connect a dispersed workforce. Effective communication is crucial for team productivity, companies with 100 employees throw to the wind an average of $420,000 per year because of miscommunication. VoIP technology solutions offer team messaging, video conferencing, and collaboration tools that allow staff members working from remote locations to collaborate and share documents easily from a single platform for the same or less than most businesses pay today for traditional communications.
Incorporating automation tools
There are tools available today that automate everything, from scheduling and bill pay to email responses and contact update lists. Business need to incorporate tools that provide a way to digitize any manual processes as possible. Digitization makes documents searchable, which means employees and management can share and find information faster. Platforms such as Microsoft 365 allow employees to work on and share data at the same time and access that data from any device anywhere.
Stay organized across workflows with cloud-based project or task management software
If you’ve ever had a project delayed while you desperately searched for a needed document or had a laptop crash with all important files you know how critical have documents in the cloud can be to managing a project. Having all your projects, assets and milestones in sync and easily accessible can significantly improve overall team performance and be a bold competitive advantage. It is no surprise that today companies run 79 percent of their workloads in the cloud. Microsoft Planner, Glip for RingCentral and others allow you to integrate with CRM, analytics, marketing, manage tasks & timelines etc.
