With the impacts of Coronavirus being felt far and wide, we’ve compiled 6 small business tips for working remotely, including what you can set up easily to ensure that your team can continue to work efficiently and productively from home.
And the good news is many of these are very cost effective – you may even have access to via Office 365, depending on the level of subscription you have.
While we are not computer technicians, we can help you get your software requirements for email and Microsoft Offices sorted.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Design is a partner of Microsoft, Google and Dropbox. This means that we purchase and manage your subscription renewals on your behalf. And in the rare instance you have any issues, you contact us rather than getting frustrated dealing with tech support of a global business. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions – 07 3889 2977 or enquire online here.
1. Switch to Office 365
If you’re not already on cloud email, now is the time to make the change!
The single biggest advantage is that all emails are stored in the cloud and synced across multiple devices, not on individual machines. If your team log on from home, all their emails will be instantly accessible meaning they can continue to be effective wherever they log on.
Did you know? Imap and Pop email accounts were created before smartphones and tablets. Meaning these “old-school” email accounts types, while often free with your domain, can be a headache when trying to access email from multiple devices. (Read: You’ll save time and money by being on cloud email like 365).
Brisbane Hosting is a Microsoft partner.
2. Enjoy free access to Office 365 Webmail
Regardless of which 365 subscription level you have, you can still access your emails via webmail (log on via an internet browser such as Chrome).
Webmail access is free with all subscriptions, including a basic Exchange only account. In fact, many of our team use webmail even while working in the office, let alone remotely.
3. Organise your Microsoft Office Software Licences
If you require Microsoft Office software licenses (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc) for staff to be able to work from home, email us here.
Premium subscriptions have all software included, so you may not have to pay anything extra!
4. Use Microsoft Teams chat or messenger to reduce your email communication
Premium Office 365 subscriptions also have an in-built chat functionality via Teams which can help clear your inbox. If you’ve looked into Slack or similar instant messaging platforms for your internal team – this could be a cost-effective solution!
5. Run meetings via video with Skype for Business (also in Teams)
Skype for Business has now integrated into Microsoft Teams. Choose from audio or video calls. You can easily run internal calls and video meetings 100% online – and even invite external users to join.
Some of the functionality that has caught our eye is the ability to share files and the screen sharing mode for presentations or training sessions.
We’re expecting this will only grow in popularity with more and more people around the world working remotely.
6. Set up Dropbox storage
Cloud storage like Dropbox can make accessing work and client files a breeze. Brisbane Hosting is a Dropbox partner and can help set up your storage solution. Prices start from $18.50 per user, per month. Minimum 3 users. Billed yearly. (Monthly billing available but prices vary).
If you need help setting up any of this for your business, Brisbane Hosting & Website Design can help, call our team on 07 3889 2977 or enquire online here.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Lead Generation Packages and Blogging, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.