78% of today’s employees say they’d be more productive if they had the choice between working on-site or remotely, depending on their tasks for the day. 

Hybrid workplaces are on the rise, and many experts agree they’ll be the new norm for the majority of businesses in the years ahead. However, there’s more to launching a successful hybrid work strategy than simply giving your teams more freedom with their schedule. 

To ensure you continue to generate the same levels of productivity and efficiency from your staff moving into the new age of hybrid work, you’ll need to ensure your teams have access to the right technology. But, with so many options on the market, how do you compare the available tools and make the right choices?

Step 1: Know Your Hybrid Work Format

First, it’s important to think about what your hybrid work environment is going to look like. Are you going to have a number of employees who need to work within the office, but stay connected to their remote peers? If so, a room system with plug-and-play video conferencing, content sharing, and messaging technology will be essential. 

If your employees are going to be working from several remote working locations (rather than just from home), you may need to look into additional technology within your UC solutions, like VPN access to ensure more secure connections. The right connectivity is likely to be a critical consideration in the future of hybrid work. 

For companies concerned about the performance and security of communications tools for both remote and in-office employees, an SD-WAN investment may be a critical part of the overall UC strategy. You might even need to look into things like 5G smartphones and business SIM cards for field workers and employees on the move.

Step 2: Prioritise User Experience

When comparing technology for the age of hybrid work, the user experience will be one of the most important considerations for any business. Without access to an always-present IT team or tech support professional, your remote workers will need to figure out how to use most of their technology (both hardware and software) alone. 

The simpler your UC solutions are, the fewer issues you’ll have getting in the way of team efficiency. Look for highly flexible UC software that your staff members can access at the press of a button. Open UC platforms which integrate with existing tools will make life much easier for your teams while reducing the amount of time they need to spend jumping between apps. 

When buying hardware, plug-and-play simplicity will be critical. Look for something which requires no technical knowledge. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) UC and collaboration tools will ensure team members can use any technology they choose with the software they need for conferencing.

Step 3: Consider Interoperability

As mentioned above, the easier it is for your employees to continue using the hardware and software they’re already used to in their UC system, the better their productivity will be. For the age of hybrid work, companies need their technology to be as flexible as possible. 

Device-agnostic tools for video and audio conferencing will ensure anyone can take part in a crucial meeting or conversation, wherever they are. At the same time, flexible UC software should allow your team members to integrate the tools they use every day, for better single-pane-of-glass functionality. 

Look for technology capable of adapting to suit your business. For some companies, this will mean finding a solution with a marketplace full of pre-built apps and integrations. For others, it may be more helpful to experiment with things like CPaaS platforms and APIs, so you can create your own connections between critical technology. 

Step 4: Know Your Purchasing Priorities

As the demand for hybrid work solutions continues to grow, the number of UC offerings on the market will only continue to expand. If you want to ensure you’re making the right choice with your technology, the first step will be deciding what matters most to your purchasing decisions. 

For some companies planning a video-first company culture, it might be important to ensure everyone has access to 4K technology for streaming video during collaborative sessions. For other businesses, the most important feature of a good solution for UC hybrid work will be excellent audio quality or plenty of customization options.

Consider what kind of features and functionality are most essential to you and your team with each purchase you make. This will mean:

  • Considering the preferences of your team: Are there any specific tools or technology ecosystems your employees are already comfortable with?
  • Addressing the needs of different employees: Different staff in your team might have different priorities for UC
  • Keeping the “essentials” in mind: Don’t forget to prioritise the important considerations which apply to any technology purchase, such as security and reliability

Step 5: Keep Innovating

Finally, it’s worth noting we’re still very much in the early stages of the hybrid work revolution. Getting involved with UC technology from a vendor who’s dedicated to innovation and constant growth will help you to stay ahead of the curve. Look for technology that can adapt and evolve to suit your needs. This may include trying different purchasing strategies.

For instance, you may already be investing in Unified Communications as a Service to take advantage of the cloud for your hybrid work software. But might it also be a good idea to look into solutions like rooms and hardware as a service, so you can adapt more rapidly over time with hardware too?

As you implement new technology, from unified communications as a service software, to cameras and room systems for collaboration, pay attention to adoption levels among your team members. Address which of your technology investments are paying off, and which might not be suitable for your team. 

As your company continues to evolve, the information you collect will help you to make better decisions about future UC investments. 

 

 



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