Tools that Make Telecommuting Easier

Telecommunications is an important part of any marketing company. Even for those working from home, it’s the backbone of most marketing plans mainly because the conversion rate of telecommunications are much higher than all other types of person to person advertising.

This sounds great, so why isn’t everyone doing it?

The problem is that this process can become quite complicated and expensive. If not managed properly, it can be downright overwhelming. Fortunately, there are a ton of inexpensive tools that can be used to make life much easier. Here are a few of the best:

Clearview Telecom Expense Management Software

Let’s face it, money is the most important factor of any business. The problem many new entrepreneurs have is keeping track of expenses – especially when it comes to telecommunications . That’s the reason they afraid to tap into this powerful form of marketing. Clearview Telecom Expense Management Software makes this process very easy. This software can take care away the headache of transitioning into telecom applications. The features include:

• Built and priced for all size businesses, not just for high end companies.
• Accessible from anywhere.
• Telecommunication expense reporting.

Vendor Management System

Vendor Management System  is like the above tool in that it offers expense management. However, it goes a step further and doesn’t limit users to just telecommunications. This system can be adapted to manage most aspects of a business, making it the most powerful tool in the industry.

Accessories

Okay, so this isn’t exactly one tool. Nevertheless, having the right accessories makes telecommuting much easier. An example of an accessory that makes telecommuting better is a headset. They give a higher call quality and–let’s face it–are much better than holding a phone to your ear!

A Bluetooth is another great accessory for the same reason.

Everyone uses Skype – or almost everyone. Either way, Skype provides several free tools and several inexpensive upgrades that can be utilized to meet the requirements of those providing services from their home. Skype offers online numbers for very inexpensive rates.

Contract Logix – Last but not least, we come to Contract Logix. They specialize in storing contact information and provide a very affordable option for those trying to keep their budget to a minimum.

The idea is to find telecommunications tools that make life easier. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive. In fact, most businesses will find the lower end tools much better suited to fit their needs.

http://eco-officegals.com/2012/06/28/5-tools-that-make-telecommuting-easier/

Here’s the quickest least expensive way to cut traffic congestion

Don McKee

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Millions are being spent on promoting the proposed one percent area sales tax for economic development, transportation projects and various amenities ranging from parks to sidewalks, while a faster, less costly way to relieve traffic is being short-changed.

The TSPLOST/TIA will not do much to unclog traffic anytime soon, if ever. That’s clear despite claims by supporters of the tax plan. The focus is on moving people instead of riding the technology wave in our changing work culture.

This is the time to be educating and encouraging employers and employees to enter the teleworking and telecommuting world. Wholesale commuting via autos, buses and trains should be giving way to the far less expensive and much more efficient option of working from home or remote sites that do not require commuting, i.e., sitting in traffic, burning gasoline, polluting the air, enduring stress, etc.

Atlanta already is a leader in telework with Microsoft last year recognizing our capital as the nation’s “friendliest city for telework.” Information workers in this metro area were doing their jobs remotely five days a week per month — one day better than the national average. Atlanta had “the highest support levels from colleagues and the highest use of secure internal social networking tools to collaborate with customers.”

Georgia took a leap forward back in 2007 when it became the first state to offer telework tax credits to businesses. That helped push the number of Georgia teleworkers up by 35 percent in three years, reaching about 600,000 in 2010, the Telework Research Network reports. Currently, 20 million to 30 million Americans work from home at least one day a week, not including the self-employed. It’s the trend, the future of work for many more millions that no longer need to sit at a desk in an office in a high-rise building far from their homes.

Fully 40 percent of workers in this country have jobs that could be done at home, according to a study (Matthews and Williams) – 50 million workers that could be off the highways and streets, saving gas, money, time, air quality and more. Telework said 61 percent of all federal employees “are considered eligible for telework,” but only 5.2 percent do so regularly. 

More frequent telecommuting is already the second option of choice for employers dealing with higher gasoline prices. Thirty-three percent use that option, second to increased car-pooling, the choice of 46 percent of employers. 

“Companies are offering telecommuting as a way to give employees more flexible schedules and in some cases make up for not offering bigger raises, but also to curb office space expenses,” Telework Research’s Kate Lister told SecondAct.com. 

“The ongoing rise of telework reflects the new realities of today’s mobile information age,” said Ron Markezich, corporate vice president, Microsoft U.S. Enterprise and Partner Group. “Telework is no longer a company perk for employees but a business imperative,” he said. 

It’s time to focus on the quickest, least expensive way to cut traffic congestion – without raising taxes. 

dmckee9613@aol.com

1 in 5 Minnesota Workers Teleworks

1 in 5 Minnesota Workers Teleworks

via Blandin on Broadband by Ann Treacy on 6/18/12

Last week, Connect Minnesota released a report on telework in Minnesota. I’m a little slow on the uptake reading it because ironically, I have bene travelling to my annual summer exodus to Ireland. So I am acutely aware of the benefits of telework. To cut to the quick numbers…
According to Connect Minnesota’s 2011 Residential Technology Assessment, 22% of Minnesota adults who are employed fulltime or part-time say that they work from home, or telework.

The report paints a picture of folks who currently telework…
There is no significant difference between the share of men and women who telework in Minnesota. The same is true for employed men and women in Minnesota who do not telework. Teleworkers do tend to be younger, though, as a larger share of the non-teleworking workforce is age 45 or older. Teleworkers also tend to have higher education and higher annual incomes, with over one-half of teleworkers (51%) earning $75,000 or more (compared to only 28% of employed Minnesotans who do not telework). More than one in four employed Minnesotans who do not telework (26%) live in rural counties, compared to only 16% of teleworkers. In addition, many parents in Minnesota are using teleworking as a way to balance their work and home lives, as over one-half of teleworkers (54%) report having children at home, compared to only 42% of employees who do not telework. This means that approximately 310,000 employed Minnesota parents are able to spend more time at home, promoting job satisfaction and decreasing the amount of time they have to spend driving back and forth to work.
The report highlights some of the community benefits of telework…

• Nearly one-quarter of Minnesota teleworkers (23%) say they telework every day, rather than commute to and from work. On average, Minnesota teleworkers say they work from home 1.6 days per week (or 80 days per year).
• The average teleworker in Minnesota saves approximately 1,934 miles per year on their commute, the equivalent of a road trip from Minneapolis, MN to Los Angeles, CA.
• Each teleworker saves an average of $343.16 on car maintenance and prevents 1,411 pounds of CO2 emissions entering the atmosphere. Across the state, this equals nearly $196 million saved and 804 million fewer  pounds of CO2 emission.

It’s great to have the facts and figures behind telework but I wanted to couple it with some of the recent stories we’ve posted on the blog about the benefits of teleworking. One story we haven’t posted is the my own story. I’m in Ireland. I’ll be here for 6 weeks. I suspect that had I not mentioned it, few would know the difference. I’ve been doing this sort of travel for a number of years (5?) and at this point, I won’t even bother to tell half of my clients. I don’t move for work – but I can move because of my work. It gives my husband a chance to “live back home” for a while and my kids the chance to know the Irish side of their family. The only requirement? I must have broadband.
Then I think of Dick Sjoberg at the last Broadband Task Force talking about the need for skilled workers in Northern Minnesota. He mentioned that Impact 20/20 had been trying to persuade skilled employees to move to the area (which is beautiful) but found that the north woods is not for everyone. They realized that they don’t need the people necessarily, they just need the skills and often those skills can be shared online. They are now looking into options that would encourage local employers to look into telework for staff based in other locations, such as the Twin Cities.
The flip side of that coin is Fergus Falls. They  are striving to make telework part of their tapestry by encouraging local businesses to hire teleworkers, to encourage local workers to build telework-friendly skills but also by promoting themselves as a mecca for telework options. Fergus Falls has created a local telework center, they have been deploying broadband infrastructure in the area and they have actively advertised their area in and out of the state. They have found at least one company to move to the area because of the telework options and have seen much more interest in the area because of the focus.
Telework could be a way for a rural community to attract the Brain Gain demographic that is looking to move from metro to rural areas – but generally does not move for a job. They move for quality of life – but consider the possible attraction if you as a community could offer good schools, safe streets, beautiful natural surroundings and access to good jobs. It seems like a reputation worth pursuing both at the community and state level.