Importance of Telecommunication Networks in Business 1. Customer Service * It enables companies to communicate effectively with customers and deliver high standards of customer service. 2. Collaboration * Telecommunication is also a key element in teamwork, allowing employees to collaborate easily from wherever they are located. 3. Remote * Mobile telecommunication gives companies the opportunity to introduce more flexible working by allowing employees to work efficiently from home. 4. Smartphones * The introduction of Smartphone gives employees new levels of productivity and capability on the move.
(Explanations)
1. The telephone remains an important element of a customer service strategy. By using call management techniques, you can handle incoming calls quickly, even when lines are busy, and you can route calls to employees with the right skills to deal with the inquiry. Alternatively, you can offer callers the ability to choose from a range of options, such as "Press '1' for Accounts," or Press '2' for Sales." You can also use the telephone to contact customers proactively, following a service call, for example, or after a purchase. 2. Collaboration between different departments can help your company improve performance in projects such as new product development, customer relationship management and quality initiatives. According to consultancy McKinsey & Company, collaborative, complex problem solving is the essence of the work of many employees. Telecommunication helps your project teams maintain momentum and make important decisions, even when all members cannot attend meetings. Absent members can join a teleconference or a Web conference if they have a smartphone or computer with Internet connectivity. 3. If your employees in sales, technical and service teams spend a large portion of their working days with colleagues, visiting customers, working at home or traveling, mobile telecommunication can help them maintain essential contact and work productively on the move. The Yankee Group Enterprise Mobility Survey found that 40 percent of respondents regarded more than a third of employees as remote or mobile workers. 4. If your employees in sales, technical and service teams spend a large portion of their working days with colleagues, visiting customers, working at home or traveling, mobile telecommunication can help them maintain essential contact and work productively on the move. The Yankee Group Enterprise Mobility Survey found that 40 percent of respondents regarded more than a third of employees as remote or mobile workers.
Disadvantages
Separating Work and Home
* It's not difficult to fall into the trap of overworking yourself. If you work from home rather than a coffee shop or library, you may find yourself checking emails, working on projects or simply thinking about work well into your "off" time. It may also be difficult to define concrete work hours and avoid distractions at home. Family members or social interruptions may distract you, or you may be tempted to take care of chores and errands around the home, putting off your work until later.
Social Isolation * When you telecommute, you get the freedom of less supervision. However, you also may become socially isolated. While some workers thrive on being able to work alone, you may not feel part of a professional community or miss the face to face interaction you get in a traditional office setting. Connect with other telecommuters to avoid isolation. If you're a freelancer, seek out forums, websites and blogs of others in your situation or utilize clients' resources to communicate with others in your industry.
Inadequate Work Environment * When you work in an office, most of the setup is done for you because you're already in an office or cubicle. At home, it's up to you to create an efficient environment specifically for work. It needs to be well-equipped and suit your work
