First off, we have been exclusively using CIRCLE for all our communications for years.
Last October when Typhoon Hagibis rocked most of Japan we tested our remote work BCP plan out of necessity which was a good drill. Once Covid-19 worsened in March, management implemented our remote work plan 100%. Here’s what we’ve discovered.
CIRCLE works really well. Here’s why:
- We make and receive calls from our business lines at home using the CIRCLE mobile app and PC softphone combo.
- We can transfer and forward calls as needed.
- Voicemails are auto-sent to our apps or email, not stuck on office phones.
- We have streams for group chat
- Task lists for managing tickets and projects both large and small
- Our team updates their presence status so everyone knows who’s online when.
Peoples’s strengths and weaknesses get magnified
Organizations and the individuals within them have their own style and methods. We rely on each other to accomplish things so some will shine whereas others may come up short. It’s important to be both results and goal-oriented. Its up to management to decide how they will review performance. For sales-related organizations with heavy call volume, we recommend our call-reporting dashboard feature for tracking KPI’s.
Focus Pocus
Let’s face it. When you’re at home all day the line between personal and company time can be a bit blurry. As individuals, our work environment plays a huge role in how we work and what we get done. There can be a lot of distractions at home. Noise, kids, spouses, pets, etc, you can’t magically make them disappear. You’re the king of your castle so set your own rules and stick to them. We went over this in a post here.
Mr. Clean vs. Mr. Mess
Its good to be organized but what if you work creatively with lots of equipment, items, documents, or code? Albert Einstein famously pointed out that “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” Thomas Edison also kept a notoriously messy desk. The key is balance. Be efficient with your space but also be able to access what you need without having to waste time searching for things.
Time flies
No commute makes life easier in many ways. We have more personal time which is great. Some people find its more challenging to manage their time though. It also depends on if your work is more task-oriented or time-oriented. We recommend you have your team leaders assign sufficient tasks on a daily and weekly basis and check up to ensure timely delivery. Regardless you’ve probably already discovered that time flies even when you’re WFH.
Nothing replaces face 2 face collaboration and teamwork.
- We could operate independently no problem. However we found it was harder to brainstorm and implement new ideas & plans when everyone is apart.
- We made it a point to check in once in the morning and again at 5pm each day. Some felt that web meetings 2-3x a day was a bit much. Eventually we all experienced web meeting fatigue. Demand has slowed down across many industries (although its getting better!) and staff didn’t really have a huge list of things to report every 4 hours, understandably so.
- FYI, with the state of emergency being lifted across Japan earlier this week, we’re BACK at the office now! If things change we can always go back to WFH.
Get in touch with our team to see how CIRCLE can help you whether you’re at the office or working remotely.
6 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM WORKING REMOTELY/ WFH