2020 and the coronavirus pandemic changed the remote technology and business landscape with many Brisbane businesses resorting remote technology in order to continue operating. It was critical to keeping employees that were required to work from home connected and able to function.
Remote technology was seen as an emergency necessity by many at the time. But having to use it for an extended period as well as needing to reinvent areas of their business to operate remotely has opened up new opportunities for many industries.
These opportunities not only offer significant IT cost reduction, but also a way to enhance customer experience and improve productivity.
One great example of how remote technology enhanced an industry is the healthcare field and telehealth. Prior to the pandemic, virtual doctor’s visits were a concept that hadn’t taken off in a big way.
But with the necessity of staying at home and need to still get medical advice, telehealth use skyrocketed. In a study of over 50,000 health care providers around the world, the number of telehealth visits as total health visits went from 0% the first week of March 2020 to 14% of all visits by mid-April.
The benefits of adopting remote telehealth for those issues that can be diagnosed remotely include:
- Reduced costs for both patients and health care providers
- Faster service (no traveling to office or long wait-times)
- More efficient use of staff (often just 1 practitioner can assist a telehealth client instead of having several staff involved in a patient visit)
And that’s just one example of how remote technology can enhance a business. There are plenty of other opportunities in many other industries as well.
Remote Technology and Business – How to Benefit by Integrating Remote Workflows
The world of technology has changed in a big way in just the last decade or so. Adoption of cloud technologies has now become a “given” and spending on cloud services is reflecting that.
Cloud spending by Australian organisations is expected to grow by 18.3% between 2019 and 2020, which is 1.3% more than the global average.
This makes the ability to use remote workflows even easier, and if you use them strategically, they can boost productivity, enhance customer experience, and give you a competitive edge.
Supercharge Your Remote Video Conference Capabilities
Video conferencing has seen a surge due to the pandemic, but it hasn’t always been done in the most professional of ways.
If you enhance your video conference capabilities, you can encourage more remote meetings with clients and between distanced teams, even after the pandemic scare ends. This not only will save you significantly on travel costs, it will also encourage more virtual face-to-face meetings.
Do this by:
- Testing different video conference services to find the most reliable
- Creating a “huddle space” or dedicated video conference area at your office
- Positioning cameras to allow both close up and distance shots, where someone can be in front of a whiteboard
- Securing your online meeting settings to avoid safety issues
Formalise Your Remote Work Policy
Companies that weren’t already using remote workers, were rushed into making that happen when things shut down due to COVID-19. Many never formalised a policy or decided what they were going to do about remote workers post-pandemic.
It’s time to formalise your policy and consider the benefits of having part or full-time staff working remotely.
By having remote teams as part of your business culture, you can benefit from:
- Improved worker morale & less stress
- Higher productivity
- Lower absenteeism
- Extending customer service hours by allowing remote staff to work flexible hours
- Reduced operating costs for your office
Monitor Critical Systems from Anywhere
If you have systems such as steam and boiler infrastructure or manufacturing processes, keeping those monitored from a single place can limit your ability to catch any problems.
With today’s cloud-based sensor technology, it’s possible to bring monitoring activities for critical systems to a virtual environment. Allowing staff to keep an eye on your processes from anywhere can speed up alerts to onsite staff or remote fixes if there is any problem.
Use Remote Training for Staff/Vendors/Customers
If you have training that’s typically conducted at your office for employees, vendors, or customers, you can make this more efficient for you and them by making this training remote.
Doing the training via a live and/or recorded webinar reduces travel costs and is more time efficient. Plus, by recording your training, you give trainees a resource they can access anytime for a refresher.
Stay Optimised with Remote IT Support
Did you know that a wide variety of computer and tech issues can be handled via remote login? When we log in remotely to your system, it’s just like we’re sitting in front of the keyboard.
Remote IT support means your technology infrastructure can be managed efficiently and your employees can get near instant tech help when they need it.
Benefits of remote support include:
- It’s affordable
- You can customise services to your needs
- It can address both desktop and server support
- It can save you from having to hire a full-time IT specialist
Learn More About Remote Support from Connected Platforms
We can assist you with convenient remote IT support as well as help you set up other cost-saving remote technology processes to make your business better.
Would you like to learn more about remote technology and business? Contact our business IT support Brisbane team today for a free consultation. Call 1300 866 096 or book a coffee meeting online.
