Enable your team to work remotely

It has become more likely that a business will require a team to work remotely.

This means that every team member will need access to critical corporate data, systems and tools to ensure continued services to clients.

In Part 1 of this eBook series, we cover some of the key steps required to get your team online and productive from anywhere in the world.

Topics we will cover include:

• Equipment check: Internet, Computers, Telephony, Printers, Scanners
• Access to critical business Data and Data migration
• Configure cloud-enabled systems and tools
• Remote Support
• Mapping processes

Step 1 Equipment check

A simple but key consideration will be the equipment required for a team member to effectively work from home or a remote location.

Following the following checklist will help your team to confirm that they have all that is required:

• Laptop with up to date software, programs, and chargers
• Laptop accessories: A second screen, Headset for calls/earphones, Webcam (if not on Laptop)
• Internet access (Broadband) or mobile 4G dongle (Backup)
• VOIP telephone or digital extension (Explained below)
• Printer/Scanner or Digital Document solution

Internet

A critical component will ensure that the team all have a solid internet connection. Don't assume that each house will have a decent connection, some people may require a separate internet dongle with 4G connectivity. When purchasing these mobile devices talk to your Telco about a "business data" pool so that the data can be shared across the organisation across many devices.

Also, some individuals may not have all the equipment they need, or it may not be fit for purpose. For example, it is likely that most households have only one WiFi router which is used for all purposes, and may not have had any default settings changed. 

It is important to understand how domestic equipment may affect security and data protection.

Many providers can provide solutions so that the user could even digitally transfer calls between the office and other remote users. Some PABX solutions also include "Virtual" extensions that are simply an app extension on your mobile device, being a far more cost-effective solution.

Digital document solutions

There are several excellent digital document solutions available that can completely digitize document approvals. Take advantage of this time to invest in the best digital document solutions so that you not only provide a brilliant customer experience but also remove the need to print anything!

Customers who can digitally sign agreements, proposals, work orders and all other documents will also help them to work remotely. Digitally signing the document will speed up approvals too.

Step 2 Access to business-critical

Each business is different so we have focused on some of the core solutions and tools that would be critical if your business needs to have team members work remotely.

At the core, we have some core considerations including:

Customer / Operations Data

Your customer information and related data are critical to business operations, you need to ensure that the team can not only access but also update this data remotely just as if they were in the office.

If you don’t have a Cloud-based Document Management solution in place then you must migrate this Customer data into a cloud data solution. There are hundreds of solutions out there, but when it comes into a simple, scalable solution our top recommendations include:

• Dropbox
• Box.com
• Google Drive
• Microsoft OneDrive / Sharepoint
• Hosted File Server in a data center

Security and team access to different folders and information is also a key consideration, work with your IT team to ensure that:

• All data is backed up before migrating anything
• The most important data is migrated first (old data can be archived)
• The data is migrated in a way that reflects the same folder structure on the server to ease navigation
• That a “Zero Access” policy is applied. This means that users are only granted access to data necessary for them to perform their duties.
• Users receive training on how to access the new file system, what devices will have access and whom to contact if there are any issues.

System access from remote locations may require additional training for the team. Some systems may also need to use a secure VPN (Virtual Private Network) so that the connection between your remote location and the business server remains secure.

Step 3 Configure cloud-enabled Systems and Tools

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

If your business doesn’t have a CRM system, this is the perfect time to invest. You need a core database that is accessible to all team members.

A CRM or “Customer Relationship Management” system is a cloud-based solution where all your customer data will reside. The CRM system can be developed to meet your specific business requirements. There are hundreds on the market, some are more specific to certain industries than others.

CRM systems typically also connect into marketing automation platforms so that you can communicate at scale with your customer base. Once connected, you can use "merge tags" to personalize all communication including emails & documentation.

A CRM system can also be set up to automatically track all Activity for any client, vendor, partner or team member giving you a central view of your client base at any given moment in time. You can also connect several 3rd party applications so that you have a single source of truth.

The activity feed can automatically include:

• Emails, calls, tasks, text messages and social interaction
• Files relating to an Account / Contact
• Any operational work orders or support tickets
• Tasks to be completed to the team with a summary and due date
• Create and email Quotes Directly from the CRM
• Sales/Opportunity pipeline that is updated in real-time

When you put customer data into a central system your team can immediately access all contact information and see a comprehensive view of the account.

There are thousands of solutions, some of the more popular CRM solutions include:

• Salesforce
• Keap
• Hubspot
• Zoho
• MS Dynamics CRM (Microsoft)

When considering selecting a solution, remember that it should not only provide an immediate operational return but also align with your business long term strategy. Ie: if you have a remote workforce that does onsite work with customers, then make sure than the CRM system can integrate with Field Service modules and manage work orders/quotations.

In addition to giving you team access to customer information, you will also be able to track user activity and identify areas/users who may need assistance to stay on track with client interaction from a remote location.

Keeping track of the sales pipeline will also assist with you cash flow forecasting and accounting reports.

To begin setting up a new CRM solution consider the following preparation:

• Export Contact & Account data from legacy systems (Accounting, Email lists, Gmail etc…)
• Define your sales pipeline steps (ie: Lead, First Call, First Meeting, Quotation, Negotiation, Won)
• Configure website & social assets to capture leads
• Custom fields and data points unique to your business
• Configure email service (Gmail, O365, Outlook) to CRM so that email activity and contact records are automatically synced
• Create user profiles to restrict access for non-essential data
• Email communication templates
• Documentation templates
• Quotation templates

Some of these steps may need you to get the IT department involved. It is critical that all data is aggregated and flows through the CRM as a primary business system.

Accounting / ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)

If you don’t have a cloud-based Accounting System or "ERP" solution and are still using a desktop-based software solution, then now is the time to migrate this to a cloud solution. Your ability to operate your business remotely will depend on this.

Configure the software so that your team can digitally capture receipts and either have this uploaded directly into the software. Alternatively set up a new "[email protected]” email address where your team can email expense receipts. Then give your bookkeeper access to this email account so that they can be correctly processed.

Operations / Field service

The biggest shift in the way we operate a business today will be a strong shift from the client coming to business premises to your team providing onsite work.

This presents a significant opportunity for companies to diversify revenue streams and provide onsite services. To identify what services to provide, consider the following:

• How can you provide a simplified way to offer the same service but in a mobile capacity?
• What mobile tools, inventory, and solutions do our team need to fulfill the service
• How do we schedule and support field workers?
• How do we provide digital proposals, onsite data capture and invoicing?

Each business is unique so we recommend seeking out industry-specific mobile solutions that enable these new revenue streams.

Step 4 Remote Support & Communication

With teams working remotely they will require remote support, most IT companies offer this as a service. However, when it comes to additional areas of support it’s important to have open communication between departments.

When in the office environment, teams are more likely to identify issues relating to the system and get support immediately. When working remotely a person is far more likely to try to resolve the issue themselves, which on the surface seems ok but consider that a department head or more qualified person may be able to solve the issue a lot faster.

To streamline this process, we recommend creating a support specific thread for each department using an internal collaboration system so that each person can communicate and gain support in real-time. 

Consider using Slack, Quip, Chatter or Google Chat to create internal discussion forum groups:

• IT
• Operations
• HR
• Finance
• Legal

It is also a good idea to make sure that the IT team has remote monitoring (and access) installed on all laptops so that they can log in remotely and assist with support as required. There are a host of tools available such as Teamviewer or LogMeIn that will assist your ability to provide internal support.

Step 5 Mapping Processes & SOP's

Before being able to migrate people into a remote environment it will be important to have mapped processes & Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for each area in the business.

Use a tool such as Lucid Chart to do this in a simple flowchart format. You can also attach standard operating procedures (SOP) to these summaries so that anyone can understand what is required to complete a task to the same standard as would be in the office.

Some core processes to map should include:

• New client engagement & Lead nurture
• Sales engagement
• Client nurture
• Quotation to Invoice process
• Operations related processes

For each process, identify any areas that require physical engagement and or paperwork then work to update these processes to a digital format. Ie: instead of sending proposals in PDF, consider changing to a digital proposal tool such as Proposify, Pandadocs or Docusign.

Also look for areas where automation could be possible. Simple things like finding areas where there is duplicate data entry between two systems. Discuss with your IT provider or use Zapier to connect these so that your team's time is better utilized on business growth areas.