02 Sep 2021 How to connect your multi-site business
The business world is changing, as technology keeps us all connected the need to work in the same building is reduced. Most businesses are now multi-site, just to different extents. Whether you’re a larger team spread out over multiple offices, or an SME with a couple of remote workers. The needs of all multi-site businesses are fundamentally the same, you need to be able to communicate with your colleagues, and all be able to work at your best.
There are also many benefits to working in a multi-site business that can’t be properly taken advantage of without the right equipment. Without the right technology supporting you it can feel like you’re working with two different businesses rather than one in different locations. At One Connectivity we can help.
Whether you need multiple offices working on the same communication network, a way to bring your remote workers back into the fold or to lighten the load on one of your premises, here are the services that can help.
How to connect multiple offices
The first step to bringing any multi-site business closer together is by looking at the connectivity service that they rely on. Without a strong internet connection, it is almost impossible to maintain a good level of collaboration. Thankfully there are solutions designed for multi-site businesses that can bring your team together.
For teams who need to guarantee that they can always maintain a reliable connection, we recommend a leased line. This service provides a dedicated powerful fibre connection directly to your premise. This line isn’t affected by others in your area and features a symmetric connection. This means that your upload and download speeds are matched, perfect for communicating online, hosting websites and working productively.
Our leased lines can be tailored to your multi-site business, connecting sites that are nearby or further away. They also aren’t the only option; we can provide a variety of fibre services depending on your needs and budget.
Once you’re connected it’s time to get communicating…
In many situations, it can be incredibly helpful to have two or more different locations working alongside each other. If one is inundated with calls, another should be able to take over. If one site is inaccessible for any reason, their colleagues can cover for them.
The reality is that many multi-site businesses basically function as two separate teams. There might be the occasional email or staff that travel between sites, but the benefits aren’t really felt. This can be solved with a unified communications service.
Unified communications, or UC, creates a communication platform designed to bring teams together. It is an app that can be installed on a laptop or smartphone and connects to your business phone system. It presents you with a complete list of your colleagues, and whether they are online, away or busy. From here you can host team meetings between users on your own site, or others around your business.
The benefits of using UC are almost endless.
How your sites can work together
Once your team all have a reliable connection, and can access calls, messages and video through UC, it’s time to get to work. Here are some of the things you can do once your multi-site business is consolidated.
When one of your sites is inundated with calls, you can simply add another of your locations as an alternative destination. This means that customers will be automatically routed to a member of staff that can help them, just in a different site. The numbers do not change so there is no difference felt at their end.
It also allows managers to have a better grasp of their communications network. With our call management solutions, you can see a real-time view of every outgoing and incoming call made during a day. You can also be sent helpful reports on a regular basis that highlight the information you need to see. This shows which of your sites is handling the most calls, and which are most efficient, allowing you to better allocate training and resources in future.
Finally, by making use of a UC system and other cloud services like Office 365, you can turn your offices into flexible working hubs. This doesn’t mean going full-millennial and abandoning the traditional office entirely. What it does mean is that if any remote staff or staff who work in a different office want to drop in, they can pick up any of the work or communications that they need form any location. Simply log-in via any laptop or phone-system and access all of the data and contacts that they are used to.
We hope this guide has been informative and has inspired you with new ideas of how you can make the most of your multi-site business. For more information get in touch at 0115 896 88 60.