Working from home doesn’t have to be in isolation

It’s now day 3 of working from home for the mso team and we’ve noticed that we’re increasingly being inundated with news from pretty much everywhere we look (much of it quite gloomy!).

Coming from an office environment that tends to be buzzing with creative energy, to working in isolation at home can be daunting for some, however there is technology available to help bridge this gap.

We thought that we would share some tips on some of the things we’re doing to allow us to continue providing our clients with the quality of service that they rightfully expect.

Hopefully, they prove to be useful to you and your colleagues!

Google Hangouts – Video Conferencing

This is a tool that we use a lot even when we’re in the office, either speaking with colleagues, prospects or clients that are unable to meet in person. Whilst we’re still doing this, we’ve found a new use for this tool. The entire mso team are now attending a call at the start and end of each day to inform one another of what we’re working on and what needs to be done (as well as discussing who has the nicest home office setup!).

Top Tip: Muting your microphone until you’re ready to speak on the call will prevent any background noise from interfering with the member of the team that is speaking.

Ring Central – Phone System

Our cloud-based phone system allows us to take support calls and enquiries through our mobile phones, and then transfer and direct calls to the appropriate member of the team should we need to. It is just like we’re all still working in the office!

Top Tip: Set up a simultaneous call process allowing multiple members of the team to receive any incoming calls, by doing so, someone in the team will always be on hand to pick the call up.

Slack – Messaging Platform

Throughout the day, team communication is essential, whether discussing project details (or sharing GIFs with colleagues!). Conversations between groups and individual members of the team can be made via typed message or through a phone or video call, which can be nice when you may have not seen another face in a couple of days!

Top Tip: Using the “Status” feature of slack helps to let everyone know the availability of each team member throughout the day, from being on a call to simply taking a lunch break.

Whilst we’re all trying to navigate a particularly challenging time in our personal and working lives, it’s incredibly important that we show solidarity and work together. Hopefully, by sharing some useful tips and experiences, it might just help you to become more productive.

We’d love to hear any tips you may have picked up that we can share with our team and network too!