Tag Archive for Remote working

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Top 5 virtual landline providers for small businesses

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By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

You may already be aware that traditional landlines will be no more from January 31, 2027.

Perhaps you’ve been shopping around for virtual landline providers already and feel overwhelmed by the features on a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. This is especially true if you’re a sole trader who doesn’t need excessive embellishments. That’s where a virtual landline could come in handy. This is a pared back system which gives you the basics.

In this article we’ll be looking at five of the UK’s top virtual landline providers and what they offer.

Virtual Landline

bOnline

Vonage

Dialpad

RingCentral

What is the difference between a virtual landline and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)?

As we’ve touched on, VoIP systems tend to have more features than virtual landlines, such as video calls for unlimited users and meeting transcription.

Virtual landlines, meanwhile, are a type of VOIP that provide businesses with a virtual phone number that can be used to forward calls to any device, including smartphones and laptops. Your phone number is linked to your business account rather than your physical location and, in most cases, you can choose your own virtual number.

Here are five

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The 6 best VOIP providers for small businesses

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By Henry Williams on Small Business UK – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

The prevalence of remote working looks set to be the pandemic’s most enduring legacy. And with that comes the need for crystal clear communication between teams and with customers, whether in the office or not.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is the perfect solution for scattered teams. Not only does it allow you to make voice and video calls through your broadband connection, but it also offers a plethora of features that can streamline operations and boost productivity.

What is VoIP?VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that allows you to transmit voice and video calls through your internet connection. This means you don’t have to rely on a traditional phone network or physical copper wires, which makes it much more cost-effective to set up and operate than a landline phone. VoIP also has other advantages over landlines, including improved audio quality, advanced features like auto attendant and call recording, and much lower rates on international calls.

But with dozens of providers to choose from, how do you decide which one is best for you? We’ve compared the competition to bring you our pick of the

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What are the benefits of agile working? – a small business guide

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
On the face of it, it seems ridiculous that post Covid-19 hordes will commute into cities so they can all sit down at their desks at precisely the same moment.
When all of our working day is spent looking at screens, why does it matter where you physically are
And what does it mean for the future of the office, which some now see as a relic of Victorian working practices?
The future, according to some, will be agile working – a blend of coming into the office for collaboration and team meetings, and working remotely.
>See also: What is an agile working environment?
Agile working is nothing new – as with many other aspects of our lives, all the pandemic has done is accelerate what was happening anyway.
When the pandemic hit, ASDA dispersed its thousands of headquarters staff back to their homes.
Simon Halkyard, ASDA head office resourcing manager has said, “It’s amazing what you can do when you are forced and have no time to over think it. Should this be the new normal, even after the lockdown is lifted. Why restrict your business to only employing people in one location when you can reach a nationwide

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Hot Business News Today

What are the benefits of agile working? – a small business guide

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
On the face of it, it seems ridiculous that post Covid-19 hordes will commute into cities so they can all sit down at their desks at precisely the same moment.
When all of our working day is spent looking at screens, why does it matter where you physically are
And what does it mean for the future of the office, which some now see as a relic of Victorian working practices?
The future, according to some, will be agile working – a blend of coming into the office for collaboration and team meetings, and working remotely.
>See also: What is an agile working environment?
Agile working is nothing new – as with many other aspects of our lives, all the pandemic has done is accelerate what was happening anyway.
When the pandemic hit, ASDA dispersed its thousands of headquarters staff back to their homes.
Simon Halkyard, ASDA head office resourcing manager has said, “It’s amazing what you can do when you are forced and have no time to over think it. Should this be the new normal, even after the lockdown is lifted. Why restrict your business to only employing people in one location when you can reach a nationwide

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Remote working coronavirus: Am I covered by home insurance?

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Originally written by Ben Rose on Small Business
When the UK government enforced social distancing back in March, hundreds of thousands of small businesses, and millions of employees, found themselves remote working almost overnight. The transition to the new working environment happened remarkably quickly, and for many businesses this digital-only world was completely new ground for them.
As we all settle into what’s been termed the “new normal” however, a number of questions are being raised about how secure businesses really are with their entire workforce working remotely, and what remote working insurance they need in place to ensure they remain fully protected.
>See also: Working from home – How to manage your time and increase productivity
Am I covered for remote working in my household insurance?
Probably not. It is unlikely that your household insurance will cover any business activities unless they have been disclosed to and agreed with your insurer.
This is because most household insurance policies are only intended to cover domestic activities and not commercial activities (which may include working from home). If you work for a company, then that company won’t be a party to your household insurance contract either, so it’s important that the company has its own insurance policy

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8 of the best workflow management systems for UK businesses

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
As more businesses have their employees working from home, productivity is an understandable concern – this is where a workflow management system can come in handy.
We’ll run you through what a workflow management system actually is, some terms you might not be familiar with and then do a comparison of a selection of the best platforms for the UK small-to-medium sized business.
What is a workflow management system?
A workflow management system is a programme that allows you to manage your team’s tasks for maximum workflow efficiency. You can track your employees’ progress through maps, boards and automated processes.
Workflow management systems are typically available on all devices so you can switch between mobile and desktop, checking off tasks on the go.
For an extra element of communication, most platforms have capabilities like emails or instant messenger which allow you to send files and share images.
Plus, to keep on top of how everyone’s doing, many workflow management systems produce data reports and analytics. They’ll tell you who started a task, how long it took and whether they met deadline.
Integrate platforms like these with other apps so you’ve got easy access to Microsoft Office, G Suite, Slack, Paypal

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7 tips on how to manage freelance workers remotely

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Originally written by Andrew Wray on Small Business
The explosion in flexible and remote working is one of the biggest changes we’ve seen to our working lives in the past decade.
In the UK this is largely being driven by a surge in the number of freelancers – up 46pc since 2008 to two million.
When this type of remote working is done well, it can be a real enabler for workers, giving them their commute time back, allowing them their very own personalised (and hopefully optimised) work environment, not to mention that extra accessibility to family and loved ones.
However, in the last year or so, we have seen a bit of a business backlash, with companies like BNY Mellon making plans to stop all flexible working, so as to “maximise the benefits of people working closely together while maintaining some degree of flexibility”. After campaigners protested – their plan was shelved. But it raises an interesting question. How do you manage freelance workers effectively?
Keep technology up to date
Just as technology is the enabler that has driven this big shift in working patterns, it becomes an inhibitor if it’s not quite up to scratch. So, make the investment in the right software to

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I Live in a Small Town, Is Remote Working Really an Option?

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It may seem ironic, but the fact that I live in a rural area, more than 30-minute drive from a city of any significant size, is one of the main reasons I originally started looking for a work-from-home position. That, and the desire for a more flexible, family-friendly position. Job Searching Many moons ago, when […]

The post I Live in a Small Town, Is Remote Working Really an Option? appeared first on The Work at Home Woman.

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Ten tips to help you manage your remote team

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Knowing how to manage a remote team will be a critical entrepreneur skill in the coming years. It’s not only a matter of value, though hiring remote employees can be a great way to get top performers on an SME budget. It’s also a matter of this being the future of work. “Work-life balance” is
The post Ten tips to help you manage your remote team appeared first on Small Business.

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Freelancers and contractors prefer to work completely remotely

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Despite technology enabling anytime, anywhere working, just eight per cent of freelancers and contractors surveyed prefer to work completely remotely, research from Qdos Contractor of The Qdos Group highlights. More than two thirds (67 per cent) of independent workers prefer to instead split their time between working onsite with clients and working remotely. This suggests
The post Freelancers and contractors prefer to work completely remotely appeared first on Small Business.

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