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This is not another article about COVID-19

Steven Karachinsky, CEO
March 12, 2020

It goes without saying that the topic of COVID-19 is everywhere—and for good reason. As we see more and more cases appearing around the world, the need to mitigate risk for those within the population who are most affected is paramount to ensure the safety of not only our loved ones, but also of the general public.

That said, there is also the need for all of us as a global society to use our best judgment, all the while being the calming voice within the fray. So, with that sentiment in mind, I thought perhaps a topic that might assist wth the COVID-19 situation would be advisable, as well as helping people avoid potential risks without actually focusing on the proverbial elephant in the room.

The general consensus over the last few weeks has been to avoid travel and public gatherings, along with asking people to work from home. The most interesting part of this consensus is that the idea of a remote-worker is relatively new to many people. The question is, why?

On any given day, we all witness people using mobile devices to connect with coworkers, using video chat to experience a more personal connection with loved ones, and accessing information from around the world. So would it not be safe to say that the idea of working from virtually anywhere should not be as shocking as it is currently perceived?

The true dilemma for many organizations remains the fact that mobility and connectivity is largely driven by consumer-based applications—ones that far outpace the current communications infrastructures that reside within business environments. Simply put, an iPhone or Android device has more options than an office phone system.

However, that doesn’t have to be the case. In today’s ever-connected world, implementing a Unified Communications (UC) platform and environment is not only easy, it’s also a necessity. All potential viral outbreaks aside, we now all live in a world that is built on connectivity. The idea that a business can only thrive within its own physical four walls should be ancient history.

Even with the simplest examples—the sales person who travels the world and must be connected to the office—is something that has been around for years. But are we not yet at the point where we should be asking why the travel? And to be clear, of course, one-to-one interaction is incredibly important, it’s more the idea that spending excess dollars on potentially unwarranted travel is no longer needed when video conferencing can be done in a seamless 4K video experience. But even that example is nothing groundbreaking.

More interesting is that entire customer-facing infrastructures can now be moved outside of the office walls. And whether that is call center functionality to enable large groups of people to work remotely, or implementing chat, text and SMS functionality, and more, nothing needs to be tied to the office anymore.

The most intriguing part of this is that so many still see this as a link to disaster recovery or, more importantly, business continuity—and with the latest news of a virus impacting large geographic regions it makes sense that continuing with business should be a top priority. The reality is that perhaps this latest reason to work remotely may in fact spark new ideas of what an office is, what business is, and what unifying people across the board is really about.

Yes, there is the right-here-right-now situation that everyone is dealing with, but from this should we not all embrace connectivity long after this is all behind us?

So, to help with the idea of getting used to a UC platform and environment that can increase productivity, minimize costs, and create exceptional customer experiences, here’s a link to a few services that can get you up and running within 24 hours or less.

And with that all said, I truly hope that everyone stays safe, happy and, most importantly, healthy.

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