What Is Technology’s Real Impact on Home Working?

It is a discussion that has waged on for many years, and the pandemic merely put it more into focus, but from the perspective of any business that is hoping to benefit customers, how has technology had an impact on home working?

Releasing the Pressure

From the perspective of a customer service agent, working from home with a number of tools can do a lot to ensure they don't feel pressure. Rather than having them in a customer service centre, using a variety of tools like online support chat for website users can ensure customer service agents feel like they are able to deal with the impending calls.

Technology’s impact on a home environment can do a lot to help both the customer and the customer service agent, as there is a sense of equality between both sides. When using services like video chat, a customer can feel more at ease because the customer service agent is also operating at home, and therefore in a more “human” way.

Improving Productivity

Productivity is one of the biggest concerns many managers have over employees that work from home. The argument is that if an employee is more relaxed, they are not as productive and therefore, they should have more motivation to work better. But the fact is that with a range of communication tools in any software package, like Click4Assistance, it can benefit you to know how your employees are doing. You can set up meeting rooms or use live chat to get the dialogue going with an employee. This means that when an employee is working from home, they still feel a connection to the organisation.

Many remote workers feel disconnected from what is going on. Research conducted by HowNow discovered that 67% of workers feel a sense of disconnect from their colleagues and 42% felt lonely while at work. It shouldn't be about feeling isolated when at home, but more about improving communication. Ensuring that any virtual team does not feel virtually isolated is such a simple way to improve productivity and that sense of belonging amongst home workers.

Working from home is incredibly beneficial, as long as the technology is used in the right way, but the statistics speak for themselves. A case study from pre-COVID found that employees who worked from home were not only more productive but employees also believed they worked better when at home. This makes a very strong case for technology to further increase communications amongst employees.

They Are Helping the Business Work Smarter, Not Harder

Customers within the B2B sector are after instant results, and one of the best ways technology has helped remote workers is that when employees have the tools at their disposal, they are able to increase their productivity, but work smarter in the process. There has been a long-held belief that if you work hard, the results will show, but this is not the case. Therefore, having technology in place can help employees and employers to be better workers, especially at home.

Employees can feel that they are chained to their desks, regardless of the environment. Remote workers can use this to their advantage by using the right collection of tech tools. When technology integrates into a large organisation, it is more vital than ever to streamline the operation. Having a variety of tools that you can incorporate into your systems, such as automating CRM tools, marketing, and telephone systems, will ensure the company is still putting in the effort, but not at the expense of an exhausted customer service agent.

Remote working can still be a challenge for employees, especially those who have no way of escape. Many people go to the office to have a change of scenery. Therefore, remote workers need to have as much support as humanly possible. When we use technology to integrate our systems, this will ensure they are working smarter rather than harder. It's time to do away with the notion that working harder gets better results because it does not.

Technology has improved in leaps and bounds, and has been an asset to the individual working from home. Technology's real impact on home working can be seen in many different areas, from streamlining services to productivity and automation. But the most beneficial impact on home workers is that technology gives employees more peace of mind. That ability to work better using the right tools has never been more important. Having the right technology doesn't just help employees work a tiny bit better, but can completely revolutionise the entire organisation.