Life can sometimes seem a little unfair for road warriors; you not only have to deal with the fatigue and stress of traveling while conducting the business at hand (whether it’s a meeting, tradeshow, conference, or networking event), but you are also more often than not expected to keep up with the day-to-day work back at the office as well. Fortunately, technology makes it easy to communicate effectively with your coworkers, managers, teams, partners, and clients back home, while still being productive right where you are.
Below are 8 ways technology can keep you productive and connected while you’re on the road (or in the air) for a business trip.
1. Remote Office
Remote Office is a Voice Over IP (VoIP) mobility feature lets you receive and place calls from your cell phone using your business number, so that the caller ID will appear to the person at the other end of the line as if you are in the office. With Remote Office enabled, you don’t need to worry about missing calls to your deskphone or having your business contacts not pick up because they don’t recognize your personal cell number, since you will be able to seamlessly continue to use your business phone number on your smartphone.
2. Instant Message & Presence
VoIP “soft phones” can provide a Unified Communications interface via your desktop, tablet or mobile phone that allows you to chat with and see the presence status of other users in your team (as well as managing call settings and placing and receiving business calls). Instant message chat is a quick, modern way to remotely communicate with colleagues, especially if you just need to ask a quick question answered or a brief check in. Presence is also a helpful feature – especially if you’re in a different time zone – to see if your coworkers back home are online and available to talk.
3. WiFi Tethering & HotSpots
Let’s be real – airport and hotel WiFi is neither fast nor secure. Even if slow download and upload speeds weren’t a hindrance with public WiFi, the main risk is security, especially when you are trying to conduct business and access important documents. Tethering lets you use your smartphone (if it supports this functionality) as a mobile WiFi hotspot to share its 4G data connection, so you can get secure Internet access on your laptop or tablet. Just be sure you are cognizant of your plan’s data allowance! Alternatively, you can purchase a portable WiFi hotspot for data.
4. Cloud-Based Document Sharing
There are few worse feelings than being on the road and suddenly realizing you forgot to bring a critical document or presentation with you. With a cloud storage system, you can access your files from anywhere over the Internet.
5. Video Conferencing
When you’re far from home, nothing helps close the distance like face-to-face interaction. Video conferencing is an excellent way to maintain a personal connection to business back home.
6. Use Your Camera!
Your mobile phone’s camera has more uses for business travel than just snapping selfies! Take pictures of information you need to remember while traveling, such as the parking lot or garage number where you parked your car at the airport, the license plate number of your rental car, and dinner and taxi receipts. If you’re at a conference, it’s also helpful to take photos of presentation slides to reduce the number of notes you have to type.
7. Portable Charger
In crowded airports or coffee shops, you aren’t always guaranteed access to an electrical outlet to charge your devices. Invest in a portable charger (and make sure its fully charged before you leave!) so that you can plug in and power up wherever you are.
8. Noise Cancelling Headphones
To truly be productive while traveling on a business trip, a pair of high-quality noise canceling headphones can really make a difference. With some soothing music or white noise on in the background (and all the screaming babies and loud-talking strangers faded out), you can take advantage of the valuable time while you’re waiting at the gate for a flight or en route to your destination to get some work done.
For more tips on how to set up your on-the-road employees for maximum connectivity and productivity, visit Allied Telecom today.
