A few weeks ago we contributed as a guest blogger for UC Today. In the blog post, we discussed how unified communications can help with challenges that international companies face when trying to foster a positive work environment. Take a look at some real-life examples of how employees use UC to collaborate with their international employees here.
Although we are not experts, Bicom Systems has employees all over the world. These employees need to work together collaboratively on a daily basis. Keep reading to hear some of our tips to collaborating with different time zones!
Use VoIP
An international company means international long distance fees. If your company is using VoIP to make phone calls, they can assign a Canadian telephone number even if the call is being placed from the UK. VoIP will cut down on overhead costs and make communicating efficiently.
Install a UC Mobile Application
Having a UC mobile application will make you available at any time. It may not happen often but sometimes, things can not wait until the next day. But employees cannot be expected to stay at their desk 24/7 in the event an emergency could occur. By installing a UC mobile application, like gloCOM GO, you can save the hassle of a potential problem happening because you weren’t available.
Have Patience
Patience is a virtue and its important to have patience with employee response times. Working in different time zones means different offices. You do not have the luxury to walk over to their office and ask them questions. Sometimes e-mails get lost, so to ensure the message gets in front of the recipient you should send it over instant message. This will alert them right away and you will be able to tell if they read the message or not.
Be Aware
Be aware that even though it is 9am in your time zone and you are starting your day, it could be another employee’s lunchtime or even their end of the day. Bicom Systems UC desktop application, gloCOM allows users to update their present status. Employees should always use presence and look at other peoples to ensure they are available to chat. It is difficult to demand an answer when someone is about to get off work for the day. Being aware of the status of other employees and sticking to deadlines will make collaborating easier.
Meet Face to Face
Meeting face to face sounds expensive, but I don’t mean physically, I mean virtually. Just because you can’t meet with them in the lunchroom doesn’t mean you are unable to have a face to face conversation with someone. It is important to keep that personal connection even though you are communicating virtually. Video conferencing and video chat are great ways to do that. Bicom Systems gloCOM integrates with Skype for Business so users can also video chat with external clients who are not using gloCOM.
Use Project Management Tools
This last tip is one of the most important. Collaborating with colleagues in different offices across the country can be difficult. To make sure tasks are completed and everyone is on the same page, you should be using a productive management tool. Wrike is an example of an online project management software used by many businesses. It allows you to open projects, create tasks, submit requests and so much more! Wrike simplifies planning and keeps everything organized.
What kind of tips do you have to collaborate with different time zones? Let us know in the comments below!
To learn more about Bicom Systems UC tools like gloCOM and gloCOM GO take a look at our website or send our sales team an email at sales@bicomsystems.com.