It can be hard enough to run a business at the best of times, without coming up against the disruption caused by industrial action on public transport routes.
With three bus strikes happening in London throughout February, it’s a useful reminder to business leaders that their employees need to be ready to take any eventuality in their stride.
There are steps that can be taken by companies to ensure they are able to continue ‘business as usual’ during these strikes. Our advice is to plan ahead and ensure that the right technology is in place to enable staff to work remotely if their commutes are going to be adversely affected.
Read on for our top tips, which – although particularly timely for businesses in London or with links to the capital – are appropriate for all businesses. It’s almost impossible to tell when you may encounter difficulties and it’s always preferable to prepare in advance rather than struggle after problems have arisen.
Connectivity:
It’s an obvious point, but businesses today can find it difficult to keep on top of things if their internet connection goes down for even an hour – so having a back-up plan to get online away from the office is crucial. If transport issues mean it’s more convenient to stay away, you’ll need either a good home connection or a Wi-Fi dongle to enable you to work on the move.
Access:
Getting online is just one part of it though – if you can’t then access the right email account or key documents and to-do lists, your working day can be thrown into chaos. Is your email set up on your phone? Time to talk to your IT department or rope in a tech-savvy colleague as this is an easy win. Will you be able to access your files stored safely and securely in the cloud? It couldn’t be easier to get started with tools like ShareFile, which provide secure file-sharing and storage with no credit requirements at sign-up. Best of all, we offer a 30-day trial to explore before making any commitment.
Interaction:
Key to being productive away from the office is the ability to communicate with clients, customers and colleagues almost as easily as if you are in the same room. Do you have video conferencing capabilities to keep that personal level of business interaction even if attending a meeting in person is no longer the most efficient or suitable option? Most laptops, netbooks and tablets these days have an inbuilt webcam you can use, or clip-on peripherals can be picked up for only a few pounds, while video-conferencing software (like GoToMeeting and its free version) can offer handy screen-sharing and recording functions. Collaboration tools (e.g. Podio) also keep team members in the loop on projects and mean there is no excuse for progress to halt on time-sensitive actions.
The little things:
So, you know how to arm yourself with the best technology to keep your business up and running – but don’t fall at the final hurdle! Make sure you know your usernames and passwords as you may need to access them from a different device, where that crucial log-in information isn’t necessarily already at your fingertips.
Through simple, intelligent deployment of technology, many SMBs based in London or with links in the capital can ensure they remain operational regardless of what’s going on in the world around them. After all, business success should not be contingent upon regularly running buses or a physically accessible office. It’s easy to get started and could be the key to the future of your business.
By Andrew Millard, Senior Director International Marketing at Citrix
