When you feel like your team isn’t performing at their best, the first reaction is usually to look at individual team members to get to the bottom of why this might be. Are some members not interacting well? Does their workflow need an overhaul? Are you, as a boss, not communicating your expectations properly? While sometimes these are great places to start, here’s another option: your team might not be functioning as well as it could because your technology isn’t functioning as well as it could.
Let’s look at some common team problems and how technology solutions might be able to swoop in and save the day.
Problem: Your team has conflicting office hours or work-from-home days and can’t get anything done because they’re never in the same place at the same time.
Fix: Cloud Computing.
An increasing number of companies are starting to move their operations to the cloud. Cloud computing has a lot of benefits, not the least of which is helping manage multiple team members who may have conflicting needs. Cloud computing means having your business information hosted off-site on a remote server. As long as you have a device, an internet connection, and the right security credentials, you can access your company information anywhere.
Collaboration via the cloud operates almost like a giant Google Doc, which really comes in handy when your team is working together on something. It gives them the freedom to work on documents in real time, while the corresponding data is stored centrally, so the document you’re reviewing in your corporate office is the same version a team member will be viewing off-site.
This is a great option for companies who want to give their employees more options to work from home, or who work with freelancers and consultants who may not even be in the same geographical space.
With cloud computing, suddenly your whole workflow becomes more collaborative and less reliant on everyone being in the exact same location.
Problem: You don’t have an in-house I.T. department, and getting help for issues slows your team down.
Fix: Outsource Your Help Desk.
In an ideal world, you will have mapped out a disaster recovery plan for every scenario before a problem ever occurs. In reality, it can be hard to anticipate what kind of help you might need down the road, so this is something that gets left at the bottom of the to-do list, especially when you’re occupied by the day-to-day tasks of running your company.
With an outsourced help desk, you don’t have to worry about scrambling when a technology problem comes up—be it big or small. Your team can submit tickets easily and get issues addressed quickly. With all the requests stored in a central location, your I.T. team has a better view of the department or company’s issues as a whole, meaning they can also recommend larger-scale fixes that might enhance your team’s workflow and communication.
Not only does a consistent, outsourced I.T. help desk free your team up to focus on their day-to-day tasks, but it means faster and more effective solutions to problems when they actually come up.
Problem: You want your employees to be able to access company information with their mobile phones … but you’re worried about security.
Fix: Mobile Device Management
In a day and age when everyone—including elementary school kids—has a phone on them all the time, it makes sense to give your employees the freedom to handle business on the go. Working via a mobile device is no longer a novelty; it’s an essential tool that gives your team flexibility and provides your business with more opportunity.
With mobile access, your employees can close deals in a cab on the way back from a client meeting, or respond to an urgent client request while visiting a job site. Employees can communicate effectively and share information from their mobile phones even if one—or all—of them are out of the office.
For many businesses, the major sticking point regarding cell phone usage is security, especially when it comes to making confidential corporate information readily accessible. That’s where mobile device management comes in. MDM services can help you secure corporate data and documents, secure emails, comply with government regulations, and integrate personal and company devices.
This helps you move into the present and gives your team more options while prioritizing safety, security, and simplicity.
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Employees always work best when they have access to centralized data, can communicate optimally, and don’t have to spend time worrying about tasks that aren’t part of their job. Technology can help everyday business operations run much more smoothly, whether it’s configuring company phones so teams can do remote work, having a consistent and convenient plan for I.T. support, or looking at entirely new methods of data storage. So if you’re wondering how you can bring the best out in your team, maybe it’s time to look at the technology they have at their disposal and see if you can find new ways to allow them to get their work done.
JMARK offers managed I.T. services and solutions with one goal in mind: helping you achieve your goals. For thirty years, we have been helping organizations of all sizes use I.T. to improve operations, and we do so with a “People First, Technology Second” approach, which means that we ensure that your technology works for you and your employees, not the other way around. Give us a call at 844-44-JMARK, visit this website’s Contact Us page, or email us at JMARKIT@JMARK.com, and see what the right I.T. can do for you.
