The answer
to remote work
small business
challenges
may be easier
than you thought

Many small business owners will know there is a difference between being able to recognize an opportunity and having the resources and expertise to capitalize on that opportunity. For some small businesses, remote working is one such opportunity.

Research from Gallup shows employees who prefer remote working do so for its increased flexibility, reduced commuting time, and improved well-being. Indeed, of those currently working remotely in some capacity, nine out of 10 want to stay that way. At a time of labor shortages, this means a remote work small business may have an advantage over in-office competitors regarding its ability to attract and retain talent.

Employers can also benefit from remote or hybrid working arrangements. One study found hybrid and remote employees are more engaged than their in-office counterparts, while 83% of remote employees said they are just as or more productive working from home than they are in the office.

For all these advantages for remote work small business, it is important to recognize small businesses may not have the same remote work resources available as large enterprises, many of whom were possibly using unified communications and collaboration tools pre-pandemic. For leaders of small businesses, this translates to an opportunity—one where adding the right collections of solutions for near real-time collaboration may lead to improved efficiency and happier employees.

It might be heartening to know many small businesses have gone through a similar process in recent years. One survey found 23% of small and medium businesses (SMBs) found ways for employees to work from home, 25% of SMBs accelerated their digital transformation due to COVID-19, while 31% of owners said embracing new technology helped their business during this time.

A separate survey found that 56% of SMB owners believed it was easier to lead a team, and they were more productive working from home. Additionally, 63% of owners improved their relationship with employees by trusting them more, and 55% believe they now have better communication with their workers.

You might be thinking this type of change is easier said than done—and you would be right. A remote work small business is 42% more likely to lose staff than an enterprise due to technology frustrations around remote working. Other challenges related to remote work resources identified by SMB employees in the same survey include:

• Almost a quarter said they lacked the right tools for remote team collaboration or to deliver appropriate customer service.
• Nearly three in 10 found it difficult to stay motivated and engaged while working remotely because of communication and technology issues.
• Almost half used their own technology to work remotely because their company did not provide any.
• More than one in five felt less productive because of communication and technology restraints.

One way to combat these challenges starts with unified communications and collaboration tools. By employing modern calling and collaboration tools, you can help your employees get past distractions, improve productivity and time management, and transform communication from a challenge to one of their most valuable remote work resources. By stepping into a vision of "persistent collaboration," you'll help bring your team together.

Team members will be able to access file-sharing history, threaded chats, what's been accomplished and what hasn't, the reasoning behind decisions, and what steps need to be taken next. Features like presence indicators can help bridge the gap between remote work and the physical office as statuses can show whether someone is offline, in a meeting, or at their computer.

To make this a reality, you'll be exploring tools like instant messaging and chat apps, phone and video conferencing support, and auto-receptionists.

How you provide remote work options may have significant input on your success. Keep these tips in mind as you're evaluating potential solutions and remote work resources:

Remote work is still evolving, so prioritize solutions that give you the flexibility you need as your workforce and your business environment adapt. Any solution you choose should be easy to deploy and plug and play, so you and your employees are up and running as efficiently as possible.

Cloud options may be a solid bet in providing efficiency, access, and adaptability. Cloud options are scalable so that they can easily grow with the business without requiring significant investment. They can also help you dive into mobile business intelligence and expand analytics and decision-making beyond the physical office.

Your employees will be working from home and in areas outside the home. Make sure any solutions you're considering prioritize mobile platforms. Mobile-first business phone systems, for example, can provide a simple and intuitive interface through a mobile app to help your remote employees manage calls from anywhere.