If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that unexpected situations can cause major disruptions to the workplace. Whether it’s a global pandemic or a power outage, preparing for unforeseen situations means putting a communications readiness plan in place so your business can keep moving no matter what life throws at you. Let’s look at some essential things to consider when developing a communications readiness plan for your organization.
The safety of your employees always comes first. Managers need a way to account for team members as part of the initial safety assessment. Your plan should include options and instructions for employees to check in with leaders and update the team during an emergency.
Cloud-based phone systems give your employees essential features like call routing and auto-attendant to keep employees connected from anywhere. Although remote employees may already know how to use these features, training each employee on how to use mobile features and softphones ensures that they are comfortable with the system when it matters most.
In some non-life-threatening scenarios, particular team members may need a place to continue working to serve customers. A list of co-working spaces, libraries, or even coffee shops can give teams options for places to set up a temporary command center for managing communications. Access to tools like group chat and video conferencing can help them run communications until they are able to get back into the office.
Sometimes, face-to-face meetings are mandatory. While some of your remote team may be comfortable with video conferencing calls, others may not have the training to effectively launch and manage these meetings during a crisis. Your plan must include training for video platforms to make sure that all employees know how to leverage these tools in the event that they become necessary for collaboration with team members.
As a part of your communications readiness plan, be sure to evaluate any mobile apps that help employees stay connected. Most unified communications providers offer a mobile app that gives employees all the features and functionality (ex: voice, video, chat, presence) of a desk phone on their mobile device.
Life happens. With a communications readiness plan, you can be sure that your employees are ready no matter what. Want to develop a plan? LanYap Networks can help. Just give us a call and let’s talk about how to design a plan that covers all the bases.
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