Lagging productivity doesn't always fall at the hands of employees.
Without the proper tools and processes in place, staff members can only accomplish so much. Modern workforces need equally innovative tools to stand a shot in highly competitive industries. With the right strategies and systems in place, personnel are able to meet the needs of customers, clients and managers alike with ease.
Laying the foundation
Integrating new technologies can turn out to be relatively futile if the legwork hasn't been done first. There are a number of organisational changes that must be made to improve workforce productivity:
- Financial incentives: Every business has them, but not every company allocates them properly. Rewards for hitting targets should be available for every employee, not just top performers.
- Invest in leadership: Management behaviour plays a large part in generating employee perception about how valuable the work they're doing is, and how hard they should work. Make sure all supervisors are well-versed in training and developing staff members.
- Have fun: Gone are the days where personnel work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and leave everything at the office. People want to be engaged with their work and co-workers, so facilitate some team bonding experiences.
Unified communications is most effective with productivity measures already in place.Pick the right tool
The technology companies integrate to improve productivity and workflow says a lot about what they want to accomplish. Simple additions strive for quick fixes; subtle but expansive overhauls indicate a bigger picture is in play.
Unified communications (UC) has evolved from the elementary notion of connecting IP-based telephones to mobile devices. By converging useful applications and messaging systems into one seamless platform, organisations are able to do away with silos in favour of efficient workflow.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers study found that 93 per cent of respondents who integrated UC 2.0 - which would include a platform that allows for applications like click-to-email, drag-and-drop calls or screen sharing - saw tangible benefits from its implementation. These include improved productivity, collaboration, efficiency and even a boost to employee well-being by cutting out daily stress.
Features like employee presence, which keeps track of the availability of co-workers, allows staff members to cut down the time they spend chasing each other around for answers. More advanced tools, such as voicemail-to-text can improve the speed in which sales people can respond to high-value clients and customers.
As you search for the next productivity enhancer for your workforce, look to integrate a solution that fills a number of needs at once. To schedule a unified communications demo, contact a Fonality representative today.
