In this issue, we discuss some of the most common problems facing businesses today, and how to approach them to achieve the results you’re looking for in the areas of technology planning, sales, and customer care, business performance, hybrid working, and cloud migration…

Contact me today to discuss how TCI’s products and services can help your organization get more out of its technology investments – now and in the future.

(703) 321-3030 | cornbrookst@tcicomm.com.

With budget season here and 2022 right around the corner, now is a great time to start aligning your office technologies with your strategic business goals.

A TCI Technology & Business Review gets you prepared for the year ahead, whether you’re considering…

We'll get you up to speed so your business can connect more easily and become more productive than ever with better tools.

Schedule your 2022 technology planning session with TCI today. Call (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Hopefully, your customer care and salespeople are busy – responding to prospects and clients, juggling different tasks, taking customer orders, and closing sales. But how can Cloud Voice help them conquer the challenges of a slow season?

With so many current and potential customers, your people need historical records and detailed customer profiles. When your CRM is integrated with your Voice service, salespeople have ready access to all the information they need to personalize their conversations – even when it’s the customer calling your office.

Cloud-based phone solutions not only track call records but also allow salespeople to attach client details and notes so they can follow up more effectively in the future. Employees can even record calls to playback whenever there’s a need to reference them.

As the sales day comes to a close, salespeople review the day’s work and tie up any loose ends. They gain renewed confidence that they won’t drop a call, won’t lose track of important client information, and, most importantly, won’t miss a sale.

Customized Cloud Voice gives salespeople the apps they need to make more calls, send more emails and collaborate more efficiently.

Provide your people with the tools they need to ratchet up sales in any season… Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Businesses can rarely perform at their best with ‘one size fits all’ technology solutions… Among the best aspects of TCI’s offerings are the innovative ways we support the needs of different industries and business models.

We support Public, Private, and Hybrid deployments and we will always recommend and deploy the best-fit solution for your business.

Many multi-site businesses are looking for a hybrid approach. Some want a Private Cloud arrangement serving their headquarters and Public Cloud services connecting their branch locations – all integrated together and centrally managed.

Whether you want to simplify your technology or take control of your communications infrastructure, our cloud experts are ready to connect your business. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most of us to try out new working arrangements. For many, work-from-home and remote working became real alternatives. However, some jobs require fieldwork and cannot support the work-from-home setup. In such a scenario, a hybrid workplace can strike a balance between the two.

The hybrid working model has enormous advantages. It gives employees a sense of freedom and fulfillment at work. But there are some challenges that employers and employees are facing for the first time. At the top of this priority list are employee engagement and employee well-being. But let's first reflect on the definition and advantages of a hybrid workplace…

The hybrid workplace, which includes both in-office and remote workers, can have many advantages:  

But a hybrid work arrangement has its own set of complexities, particularly when it comes to fostering employee engagement because two distinct cultures emerge: one in the office and one online. As a result, managers can find it difficult to supervise and engage their distributed teams. Here are 4 ways to keep employees engaged in the hybrid workplace:

1. Encourage Creativity - Managers can check on employees to learn about their interests, hobbies, or how they spent their weekends. Contests and activities like a fun MiTeams icebreaker session can help employees feel more connected and stimulate team bonding. Doing these is especially crucial for younger generations who look for meaning, purpose, and connection in their work.

2. Provide the Right Equipment - Even if employees work from home, organizations must be conscious of their remote environment. Simple things like their desk setup, availability of a high-end microphone or speaker, and adequate lighting can enhance the employee experience in terms of comfort and health. So, leaders should provide employees with the necessary equipment ahead of time.

3. Minimize Burnout - Advise employees to turn off email and work notifications after working hours and encourage them to take breaks during the day. Encouraging them to participate in some wellness activities can help them feel and perform better. Minimize burnout by having well-defined meeting agendas with specific goals. Identify the people who need to attend a meeting, for example. It can make the most efficient use of everyone's time while also making each employee feel valued and productive.

4. Prioritize Employee Recognition - Workplace incentives and perks must be well-structured to engage employees. It would help if you recognized extraordinary effort, new ideas, team contributions, and leadership.

As new technologies emerge, the hybrid workplace will continue to evolve. However, proper attention to employee engagement practices will determine the success of these arrangements.

TCI is ready to support your changing workplace arrangements with technology and services that will keep your business in the fast lane. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

So you’ve done your homework and you’re on board that the Cloud is right for your business, but “how do we get there?” is the most important question you need to answer. Every step in your journey to the Cloud matters, and not every business will approach the process in the same way.

Some businesses might be ready, willing, and able to make the end-to-end journey to the Cloud in one phase. Others might need to take a more cautious, step-by-step approach over a longer timeline. The keys to success are tailoring your approach to your needs, clearly defining where you are, where you want to be, and how you plan to get there. To lay the foundation for a smooth migration and eliminate trade-offs, businesses should consider 3 key steps:

1. Build a comprehensive plan that supports clear objectives

2. Pursue internal activities to set the stage for success

3. Obtain guidance from your trusted, objective technology partner

Reaping the full benefits from your move to the cloud requires a clear understanding of the following:

1. Objectives - It’s important to understand exactly what you’re trying to accomplish with your move to the cloud and make your goals as measurable as possible. For instance, one key objective may be to take advantage of the superior security the cloud offers. If so, document what specific security issues you are hoping to avoid or lessen. Your goals may also include improving the quality and reliability of your remote work environment. With increasing numbers of employees working from home full- or part-time, it’s essential to ensure they stay connected regardless of location or what devices they’re using.

Look for ways to measure improvements in remote worker productivity and satisfaction. And if your organization is moving to the cloud to ensure employees can take advantage of next-gen software and tools, anticipate what productivity improvements you might gain when employees have earlier access to the latest updates and features, as well as the cost savings you may achieve because IT no longer needs to perform system maintenance. Look beyond the date your migration is expected to be complete. Identify where you want to be by next year, in three years and in five.

2. Timelines and Milestones - Chart the step-by-step journey that makes sense for your business. Ask yourself: “In what order should the steps occur to ensure a smooth migration and minimal disruption to the business?” Identify when you’ll need certain features, and ensure timelines are realistic.

3. Potential Business Disruptions - Despite the best-laid plans, business disruptions can occur. Having a plan B to mitigate and minimize those risks will give you peace of mind. Maybe you’ll plan for part of your system to be unavailable as it is being upgraded. What’s your workaround? Identify what unintended disruptions could occur. Which ones are most likely, based on your objectives and planned journey? When could they occur, based on your timeline? Craft a technology and staffing plan that addresses what you can do if they occur, and when you will need to be ready.

It’s advisable for some businesses to start their journey to the cloud by taking preliminary, internal actions first. These activities can lay a solid foundation for the eventual move. For example:

1. Consider consolidating multiple sites and SIP services to make your business run more smoothly.

2. Identify and capture institutional knowledge that will facilitate the journey.

3. Reach out to key stakeholders within your organization who may have specific requirements.

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ journey to the cloud. Some businesses have existing systems that they can leverage with cloud-based technologies and retain existing infrastructure. Others will be better served by hustling straight over to full cloud integration. Different regions, different vertical structures, and different business sizes and histories will all play a role in how a specific business approaches the cloud.

That’s why having a flexible and knowledgeable partner is so important. TCI will get to know your specific requirements and help identify which systems may be well-suited to a lift-and-shift straight over to the cloud. We can also help you determine which legacy applications should not make the move to the cloud right now, or ever. Every step on your cloud journey should provide value to your business today. We’ll help you figure out which approach works best for you now, and which approach is worth looking at later or not at all, giving you peace of mind.

Get the best advice… Talk with our TCI team about your cloud migration plans. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.