Nearly 3 out of 10 workers currently telecommute full or part-time ? more than double 10 years ago ? and countless others will soon be joining the ranks of those who walk into their extra bedroom at home, turn on the computer and begin their work day. And in another 10 years, about 40% of all workers will be working for themselves as independent contractors and will be providing their services from home or on the road. The idea of going to work and sitting in a cubicle will soon be ancient history.
There are three essential tools that telecommuters need to stay connected with the rest of their workforce team ? a phone, conferencing ability, and an online connection. Communications is the key in managing and participating in a successful telecommuting program
Many businesses and organizations have adopted online instant messaging for texting.
It?s fast, easy and free. There are several popular instant message services. You can communicate with colleagues at any time and response is immediate. A couple of services are also good for live video communications with webcams, particularly between two people.
However, there will be times when a phone conversation is necessary among several people at once. This is where conferencing comes into play. With the right conferencing service, you can accomplish more with less.
By far, phone conferencing is the most popular method. Video works too but there are still a lot of people who refuse to show themselves on camera ? especially from home! When you don?t have to get dressed for work, sometimes you don?t get dressed at all!
Here is a quick summary of various phone conferencing services that are popular for telecommuters who need to collaborate on projects with colleague and customers.
1) Unlimited flat or fixed rate conferencing: This gives you 24/7 access and no reservations are necessary. You get to use the conference bridge for an unlimited amount of time and you pay a fixed or flat rate every month. This is the most popular telecommuting option for conferencing and provides a tremendous convenience. Managers and workers can all stay connected and never having to worry about racking up the minutes. You can talk as long and as often are you want.
2) Pay as you go conferencing, otherwise known as per minute conferencing: With this teleconference service, you only pay for the minutes you use. You can get this service with a toll free dial in number, or a non-toll free number ? whatever works for you.
You?ll want to get a toll free number for the convenience of customers and prospects, but for internal conference calls between colleagues it is probably less expensive to use a non-toll free number since long distance costs are so low. (Why pay more for toll free service than you do for long distance, especially if those calling are getting free long distance on their cell phones or bundled with their local service?)
3) Web conferencing: This enables you to offer PowerPoint presentations and whiteboarding. It also has the ability to ?deskshare? which means you can let everyone in the conference see whatever is on your desktop ? in other words, while you are talking on the phone, everyone can see what you?re looking at on your monitor. Moreover, you can get inexpensive services that will let you talk on the phone, share your desktop, and let you video conference ? all at the same time!
All in all, conferencing is the key in being able to successfully telecommute. Folks can be physically isolated, but everyone needs to be on the same page mentally and verbally.
Productivity is always an issue, regardless of the workplace setting, but managers will have instant access to the latest Software programs will monitor productivity so managers will instantly know if you?re spending too much time raiding the refrigerator.
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