Softphone Technology is Vital for Today’s Remote Workforce • Sangoma

Hybrid Workforce Trends Produce Rise in Softphone Technology

When you look at today’s workforce, it’s easy to notice the shift occurring from employees working exclusively in office to an increasingly remote workforce. Initially, it was thought that the rise in remote working was simply a trend, but with the hybrid workforce benefits continuing to stack up, it seems this is no longer the case. Many job seekers are looking for employers who support an environment for a remote workforce, and, in response, businesses are implementing policies to allow staff to work remotely. This has caused office locations to reduce office space and real estate holdings, as well as the amount of workstation equipment as workers become less dependent on office equipment.

Is the Rise of the Remote Workforce Hurting or Helping Employers? 

While the idea of using a work from home softphone may seem appealing for employees trying to avoid a commute, parking, or who want to work while travelling, employers may be asking whether this trend will cause productivity to dip.  In fact, this shift has produced a boost in employee productivity and business efficiency. A recent report from Gallup indicates that surveyed employees who work between 60-80% of their work week remotely are the group most likely to stay engaged. Working where they are most comfortable, without in-office distractions allows these employees to be more productive, and eliminating their commute saves on transportation time and costs. The report also mentions that flexible scheduling and work-from-home opportunities are key requests from job candidates. Another report, from Buffer, provides more insight into this workforce shift: 99% of survey respondents would prefer to work, at least some of the time, remotely.

What’s Next? Upgrade to Work From Home Softphone Technology

The remote workforce numbers are in and they’ve proven that it’s beneficial for employers to have tools in place that enable their staff to work remotely. However, if you’re just beginning to make this adjustment to a hybrid workforce, it can feel like turning a ship on a dime. So, if you’re wondering where to start, a great place to get things moving is with softphones. 

What is a Softphone? 

The “softphone” is named as such because it is not like the physical phone we hold up to our ears to make a call or send a text. Much like the terminology has changed over the years as phones have evolved from landlines to cell phones, we no longer “hang up” the phone, we can just end it with a button. The softphone is the next generation of communication technology. It is the employee’s office desk phone, available as a software application, which can travel with them wherever they go. It’s actually more powerful than their desk phone because it’s typically bundled with collaboration features that improve productivity, keeping them completely connected to the office while focusing on their tasks and projects.

What are the Benefits of Using a Softphone? 

There are many advantages of using softphone application technology for remote and onsite employees alike. Here we’ve narrowed down only a few the main advantages of providing softphones to your hybrid workforce employees:

Never Miss a Phone Call with Softphone Applications

Employees can be working from home, a hotel room, a coffee shop, or in a meeting and still be able to make/receive phone calls as if they were sitting beside their office desk phone.

Work From Home Softphone Usage Enhance Communications

Since a softphone interface adapts its screen size to the feature being used, it can make the experience more user friendly when it comes to things like call-by-directory and call transfer. Not to mention, softphones typically provide extra features which your desk phone might not even have, such as visual voicemail and call recording.

Softphone Applications Save Money on Hardware

With softphones, existing office environments can reduce or discontinue support and maintenance on older desk phone equipment. Softphones support the efforts of many employers to embrace open concept or shared office environments, free of desk phones and wires. Employees can set up their laptop anywhere and be online, while still having constant access to their office extension.

Explore Remote Workforce Options with Sangoma

Softphones are a great tool for any office, but embracing them to the exclusion of physical desk phones is not for every business. Sangoma understands that every business has its own unique needs. That’s why we offer multiple robust lines of IP phones. Click here to read why organizations still use desk phones, even in this age of remote workers.