Remote employees, those that spend a significant amount of their time outside the corporate offices in places like home offices, airport terminals, and coffee shops, are becoming the norm for many organizations. In fact, the global mobile workforce is estimated to reach 1.87 billion in 2022, a 38.8% increase from 2016.

While the trend is on the rise, organizations are struggling to ensure these employees are not only productive when out of the office, but also able to be profitable for the company. Many are looking to unified communications (UC) to help solve some of the challenges they face when integrating remote employees into their business strategy.

1. Manager Confidence – If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is even more valuable. Not only does video conferencing and calling allow remote employees to collaborate better with colleagues, but many c-level execs and managers enjoy being able to do a visual check of employees while they are working in the field. While some might see it as a “big brother” situation, the fact of the matter is that remote employees are held to a higher standard of accountability and must be willing to reassure their managers that they are working as hard in the field as they would in the office.
   
2. Improved Productivity – From calendar integration to IM&P, mobile voice applications and mobility features in the platform, UC gives remote workers the ability to remain connected to the office no matter where they are calling “the office.” In the past, field employees had to get back to an office to update CRM notes, log calls and notes, and even print documents for customer signatures. As technology continues to be developed with the mobile worker in mind and these challenges decrease, remote workers are now becoming more productive than ever.
   
3. Better Customer Experience – Let’s face it. We live in an “instant gratification” world. Gone are the days of leaving a message with an assistant and waiting to for a return call. UC removes the “out-of-the-office” barrier and improves communication between remote workers and customers. Whether they are answering support calls from a home office or closing business with a new client, UC features like simultaneous ring, visual voicemail, and text messaging give the customer better access to remote employees, thereby improving the experience all around.

If you have remote employees and want to learn more about how UC can help you better manage and empower them, give LanYap Networks a call. We have years of experience helping our customers navigate the waters with UC providers and solutions and would love to help you leverage technology to be more profitable and productive in today’s increasingly mobile world.