Winter isn’t coming, winter is upon us. While we still have sunny skies in Colorado, now there is the chance of snow on the ground. And sometimes, lots of it. This can’t mean anything good for your commute. Chances are, there will be several days when working from home just makes sense. (Those of you who live in parts of the world where you don’t have to worry about snow, we’re jealous. Your desire to work remotely will require some other explanation.)A business does not have to lose productivity, they just need to effectively manage their remote employees.

For some reason, when your boss imagines you working from home, he/she sees you lying in bed catching up on Friends. Well, maybe they have good reason. If you are unable to be in as close of contact when working from home as you would be were you in the office, “Houston, we have a problem.”

FluentStream believes in working with mobility and flexibility. We know that when employers and employees are given the freedom to make decisions about their own path, they will be more productive. Hosted VoIP solutions offer several key improvements to establishing and maintaining high standards for remote employees:

1. Insist that your remote workers share a phone system with your office(s). Set your remote employees up with mobile apps, FluentStream’s own WebPhone for their laptops and home computers, and maybe even physical IP phones that will allow them to be reached from home or while on-the-go in the same way they would be reached at a desk in the office (with an extension, a direct dial business number, etc.).  Sharing a phone system across all locations will also allow for easy conferences – everyone will be able to dial into a conference “room” from wherever they may be.
2. Give your finance department some peace of mind. A Hosted VoIP solution like FluentStream’s will include everything at a predictable per-user cost. Say goodbye to the reimbursements you paid to your employees who used their personal cell phones to stay in touch while working remotely. The features that allow your business’s phone system to extend beyond the four walls of your office are included!
3. Keep track of what’s getting done! With reports you never have to wonder who’s answering the phone and making calls. If you need some help remembering who it was you spoke to earlier today (before you had your coffee), you can check out the call detail records for your specific extension- the history will be there.