Monday, March 18, 2013

5 Innovative Tips For Working From Home

5 Innovative Tips For Working From Home

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MP900284938 5 Innovative Tips For Working From Home

Does your job require you to be on the road more often than you’re in the office? Are you worried about staying on top of work while you’re away on vacation? Recent advances have made working from outside of the office easier than ever, so make sure you’re taking advantage of the most up-to-date technology available to improve your efficiency when you are away from your desk. Check out these useful tools and watch your productivity level soar!

1. Get Access to Your Company’s VPN

If you travel a lot or know that you’ll be out of the office for a vacation, make sure you get your company’s network administrator to give you a log-in for the VPN or access to the secure network. This way, you can get to your files that you store on the shared drive wherever you have internet access. An alternative to the VPN is a service called LogMeIn which allows you to log into your office computer and work remotely from anywhere. Since you never know when you’ll have time to get work done when you’re on the road, you won’t have to rely on your colleagues to email you documents that you need!

2. Store Your Files on The Clouds

Let’s say your office doesn’t have a VPN. If you haven’t become familiar with them yet, it’s time to get on board with Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) and Dropbox. You can upload files to these online storage applications and work on your projects from home, a hotel, or anywhere with an internet connection. This cuts down on email interruptions that may disturb your workflow, and allows you to collaborate with your colleagues in real-time even when you’re out of the office.

3. Take Advantage of Your Company’s Cloud Communications Systems

You’re in luck if your company uses a cloud communications system in the office because this likely means that you’ll never have to be out of touch. Cloud communications providers like Broadview Networks offer systems that can be hooked up to your mobile phone so that you can be reached on the road. Your cellular phone will carry both your office line and your mobile line so that clients, vendors, and coworkers can get in touch with you wherever you may be.

4. Swap the Conference Call out for a Google Hangout

Sometimes email doesn’t cut it, and there is a need for face-to-face communication to effectively deliver a message. If you find that this is the case, look into free video conferencing options like Skype and Google Hangouts. Skype is great for one-on-one conversations, and Google’s hangout feature allows several users to connect for a conversation.

5. Gather the Team with GoToMeeting

Need to give a presentation from outside of the office? GoToMeeting is a tool that allows coworkers to dial into a central conference line and view related documents on their own computer screens. The meeting administrator controls what the rest of the attendees see on their screens, and can talk them through meeting agendas, slideshows, examples on the web, etc. This is a great tool that allows remote workers to be present for important meetings, even if they are hundreds of miles away.

Leslie Steinberg works for cloud communications providers, Broadview Networks, which has helped countless companies find the best business phone systems to improve efficiency in their offices. Leslie is a regular contributor to several business blogs, and enjoys writing about small business strategy. She has picked up many tricks of the trade from working with various clients over the years, and loves keeping up with all of the emerging technologies in the telecommunications and internet industries.

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