Recent challenges have shaken up the business world and, in the process, have acted as a catalyst for a change that was already happening. Workplaces were already starting to go remote at a growing pace, but with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses jumped (or were pushed) head-first into the transformation.
Many have found that their team remains just as productive and motivated, if not more so, with the added flexibility and control over their working lives.
However, your team can only remain productive if you enable them with the right equipment and tools. Here are three best practices you should follow whenever updating your equipment, but especially when you’re deciding on the long-term remote work equipment to provide your employees.
Identify Who Needs Updated Solutions
First of all, it’s important to understand that not everyone is going to need an entirely new workstation to keep working from home. If you use a BYOD policy, employees may simply need access to work resources and boosted security connections to use their own devices from home.
However, teams that require tools that keep them connected to clients and to one another might need new means of fulfilling those needs. For instance, you may need a software solution that can integrate collaboration tools for your design team, or your clients might rely on project management software. If you don’t have cloud-based solutions that are accessible to remote workers, then it’s probably the right time to consider upgrading your processes and tools.
Determine How Your Needs Have Changed
The conditions of working remotely will likely have changed your business’s IT needs and plan as a whole. For instance, if you’re planning to rely on both remote and onsite working, can you ensure that your hardware and software scope is ideal for both environments? How do you manage the transition from onsite to remote? How do the tools at your disposal streamline processes and facilitate communications between your team?
From customer support to data management to sales, you need to think about how the needs of each department and process have changed and what resources they need to work successfully in the new remote environment.
Don’t Settle for Equipment that Doesn’t Suit Your Needs
There are many options that might seem to provide a fix for your problems on the surface, but don’t really address the specific needs of your company.
While you might feel rushed to make a choice in order to quickly equip your team, your investment in technology should provide a long-lasting solution instead of being a choice made merely out of necessity. It’s worth it in the long run to choose an option that will enable your company to work productively for years to come than one that is convenient to choose right away.
Getting custom hardware or software made with custom technology production services can be the solution for finding tailored programs and equipment that meet the exact and unique needs of your team. When you have equipment that’s specifically designed for you, you don’t have to compromise or pay for superfluous features that you do not need. This can help you become more efficient rather than wasting the time and energy of your team by forcing them to adapt ill-suited equipment to work to their needs.
Adapting to a remote working operation might take some getting used to, but when you get the right equipment in place by using the above steps and tips, you can help your business remain more efficient, flexible, and productive in the long run.