Let’s talk about 2019. In 2019, I worked in an office, the Huntsville office, just about every day. If I wasn’t visiting another Sangoma office to collaborate (in person?!?!) with co-workers, attending a conference, or on customer ride-alongs with sales (it’s like COPS, but fun, and not at all dangerous), I was in my office. And in my office, my trusty deskphone was always with me. From time to time, I’d visit other parts of the office. In other offices, I’d have other trusty deskphones. When walking from one wing of the building to another, I could stop along the way and use a public deskphone that we have strategically placed throughout the building. Communication was always in-reach.
All of that was about 9 cat-lives, and now, in the great calendar year of 2020, I spend a lot more time at home, where the work still happens. My home’s probably a lot like yours. There are kids with activities and school assignments filled with math word problems I’ve not attempted in a quarter-century. There are chores – my dishwasher and the clothes washing machine guffaw every time I empty them because it’s always followed by a refilling activity. And there are pets, which come with pet incidents and accidents. No conference call is safe, no one-on-one meeting is immune. I’ve discovered multitasking muscles that I never knew I had.
Here, at home, I’m extremely grateful for two things that are both, blessedly, products offered by Sangoma; and without which, my kids, pets, and significant other would have incomplete homework, carpet stains, and heartburn. What helps us retain sanity through the workweek are Sangoma’s wireless DECT devices.
First, I make extensive use of my Sangoma H20 wireless DECT headset. I use it to connect to my Macbook for my PC-calling and collaboration needs using the Switchvox Desktop Softphone, Zulu Desktop, and Sangoma Meet. I also connect it to a Sangoma Deskphone – yes, I still have a deskphone, too, even though I’m at home; there’s no substitute for a good, dedicated device with excellent speakerphone qualities. The H20 allows me to use both of my hands as I type, tutor, and perform laundering activities. Because it uses DECT, it’s got range throughout my home, my WiFi devices don’t interfere with it, and the battery goes all day.
Second, I also use Sangoma’s DC201 DECT base station and wireless handset combo. I have my calling rules on our UC system set to ring both devices. I don’t always want to wear a headset, and I can put the handset in my pocket. If I need to make a call, I’ve got access to a keypad, my corporate contacts, and I can turn on the loudspeaker mode and set it down while I practice amateur home repair.
Together, these wonderful applications of simple technology have a significant impact on my ability to remain productive throughout the new working day. If you’re not using solutions like these to help you work better from home, maybe you should. Unless, perhaps, you embrace the chaos?