Building a unified and agile hybrid workplace


Laurence Green
Feb 15, 2021

As businesses embrace hybrid work models, the role of technology is transforming, requiring the adoption of intelligent, robust, and secure tools that boost productivity, unify communication, and collaboration, from anywhere.

According to the Work Futures Otago Group New Zealand National Survey: Initial Report July 2020, 22 percent of survey participants would like to continue to work from home (WFH) daily, while the majority (67 percent) indicated they would prefer a mix of remote and office options.

Laurence Green, Business Unit Manager for Unified Communications, Dicker Data NZ said, “The last 12 months has changed the way New Zealand works. Organisations embraced remote work, and experiences have enabled working from anywhere (WFA) allowing staff to be more productive with reduced travel, office space, and increased flexibility. Working with globally leading vendors, Dicker Data offers a suite of best-practice unified communication (UC) and collaboration technology to meet customers’ dynamic business challenges. Partners are fully equipped to offer industry-leading strategies, solutions, and tools that optimise and digitally future-proof customers, keeping them productive and connected from the office, home or anywhere.”

Virtual and physical environments here to stay… together

As hybrid models define the new workplace, organisations can now leverage digital solutions that unify physical and virtual cultures and integrate experiences across various environments.

Laurence Green said, “Remote teams need enterprise grade communication tools to maintain engagement and concentration. Offices need to adapt to more mobile staff and increase video conferencing and collaboration requirements in meeting rooms.”

Richard Harri, GM of Volume, Dicker Data said, “We are investing heavily into UC to allow our reseller partners to capitalise on both immediate and future opportunities. During 2020 we saw most of the economy move online and end users adopt and understand remote working. The result has provided a strong foundation of technology adoption allowing businesses to realise the potential of WFA.”

Additionally, the Work Futures Otago Group Report found collaborative technologies helped maintain business productivity while working remotely - including videoconferencing (98 percent), file sharing (97 percent) instant messaging/chat (95 percent), cloud-based collaboration (85 percent). and others (e.g., Slack or Teams 88 percent).

 

Solutions to unite meeting experiences

Central to business resilience is a connected team. Digital solutions enable unified and seamless working experiences, merging the virtual and physical office.

Poly’s WFH solutions offer partners the capabilities to design and deliver end-to-end meeting room collaboration. Poly Studio combines business-class performance with simplicity for small rooms and huddle spaces. The Studio P5 webcam streamlines connection with plug-and-play functions easily integrated with any video conferencing platform and budget. For quality and professional experience, the Studio P15 personal video bar features exceptional optics, powerful audio, auto camera framing, and cutting-edge noise blocking technology. While Poly Sync20 personal USB/Bluetooth speakerphone enables premium sound quality and seamless connections from wherever you are working. The Blackwire UC headsets offer smoother on-the-go calls with lightweight, durable and Plantronics signature audio features, easy to deploy with various connectivity options.

Partners can optimise meeting room UC and collaboration capabilities with Barco’s ClickShare CX-30 Wireless Conferencing System. This enhances and simplifies the end user’s meeting room experience, running work everything from their laptop just like from home, but wirelessly. Users will be up and running just as they plug in the Clickshare dongle and press the button to go. Compatible with any Windows, Android or iOS device the Clickshare CX will turn any small to medium-sized meeting rooms into a highly engaging, productive, and innovative environment.

Elevating hybrid meetings, Lifesize Kaptivo whiteboard camera system turns any regular whiteboard into a smart, enterprise grade digital collaboration tool. Meeting participants on premises or virtually can brainstorm, plan and visualise work while automatically and securely saving and sharing work live via selected conferencing programs or web browsers.

Security and comfort in the hybrid era

A recent Citrix and Quartz survey revealed effective technology is one of the five significant factors impacting job productivity with 74 percent of knowledge workers desiring long-term hybrid work as they believe jobs can be fulfilled just as effectively from any location.

Laurence Green said, “When it comes to productivity, WFH during lockdown had a profound impact on organisations. Most feedback was positive with an overall uplift in productivity, in some cases as high as 30 percent. To ensure long term success organisations need the mobile, forward-thinking technology to keep people connected and ensure workstations are safe and comfortable.”

IDC predicted by 2022, 75 percent of organisations will use mobile solutions to support remote and hybrid models, improve security and optimise productivity.

Partners can empower seamless mobility and security with Targus Cypress Collection with EcoSmart® versatile, practical and on-trend line. Ranging from sustainable backpacks, briefcases, sleeves and slipcases, the collection is designed for professionals on the move and certified by Global Recycled Standard (GRS). The Cypress Security Backpack with EcoSmart® is designed without any external pockets and is equipped with a single storage compartment that’s intended to thwart would-be thieves. Internally, the pack features a dedicated padded pocket for your laptop and smartly placed interior mesh pockets to keep the rest of your gear organised and secure.

Further, on the security front, particularly during commute or while working remotely, Targus Privacy Screens narrow the viewing angle, making data visible from directly in front of the screen enabling users to work comfortably, productivity and in confidence. Screens are also touchscreen-compatible, have an anti-microbial coating and anti-glare on-reflective screen.

An ergonomic workstation is key to mitigating the risk of workers sustaining a musculoskeletal injury or health issues. Kensington deliver business-grade universal mobility, security and docking solutions that help professionals make the most of their devices with power, charging and connections capabilities to all desktop accessories, whether in the home or office. To improve posture, comfort, and circulation partners can offer Kensington’s footrests, laptop risers, adjustable monitor arms and monitor stands. Additional ergonomically shaped trackballs, mice and keyboards will keep teams productive and comfortable for the long run.

Customer Contact in the hybrid era

Enabling employee mobility and maintaining customer contact during times of physical office disruption is key to keeping a modern business ahead of the pack. The Serenova CxEngage enterprise call centre software delivers security and flexibility with the industry’s only end-to-end cloud contact centre solution and native video solution. One of CxEngage’s core building blocks is stability. You need to trust that your contact center solution will be up and running when you need it. CxEngage utilises Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its infrastructure backbone, which gives outstanding reliability. The omnichannel agent experience is all through the web browser so that your agents can take care of your clients needs from any location through any desired channel, be it voice, SMS, third party work, email, chat, Facebook Messenger or video.

To learn how Dicker Data can help you deliver end-to-end solutions and equip customers with a unified hybrid workplace  partners can reach out to their Dicker Data account manager or contact our local sales team

 

 

 

Laurence Green
16/02/2021 9:53:50 AM

Laurence is New Zealand's Unified Communications lead.
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