VoIP, intelligent call forwarding, Auto Attendants, and all of the other core features of hosted telephony help businesses connect with their customers in new and efficient ways. All of the technology we develop is specifically designed to do specifically that, but connecting people is just one of the more visible and immediate effects of unified communications for business. Another equally common but less obvious impact that our hosted business phone service has on companies is far more profound. By empowering companies to work anywhere, we have seen that more often than not, they begin to work differently as well. The majority of businesses that switch to VoIP for cost savings end up discovering far more use for their new phone systems than they originally anticipated. Generally, after adopting and using their hosted phone service for a brief period, businesses tend to begin adopting new remote work policies as well. But because remote work in Silicon Valley is such a commonplace affair, companies outside of this tech-rich environment have a common misconception that it is without its own challenges. That’s why we’re taking a moment to address the state of the remote working union, as it were, right here in the Silicon Valley.
Remote Work in Silicon Valley
Remote work in Silicon Valley isn’t too dissimilar to anywhere else in the world, which is one of the biggest contributing factors to how widely and rapidly is can be implemented. However, there are a few key attributes outside of the simplicity of using a hosted telephone system that are specific to this part of the world.
- Historical Precedent In 2009, when remote working was still largely uncommon, one of the largest employers in the world, IBM, had 40% of its workforce working remotely and, for Californians, this had been the norm for decades. And, although IBM recently announced an end to remote work as a move to consolidate their offices in favor of more robust, on-site working environments, it marked just one of many massive companies here that for years showed that flexibility can be part of a business’ power. And it should be mentioned that, by their own accounting, they saved $100 million annually in the United States alone by reducing their office spaces through remote work, so the rumors what ending this policy really foretells are running amok.
- Reliable Infrastructure One of the most critical ingredients of being able to leverage a remote working policy is a reliable internet connection. Naturally, Silicon Valley has long enjoyed some of the first, and most powerful connections in the world. From early dial-up connections, fiber optics, and beyond, much of the technology that powers access to the internet, and therefore to a hosted telephone system, has been developed here and subsequently installed here earlier than most other places. Of course, this begs the question as to why we still have cellular dead spots on many of the major freeways in the area, but that is a topic for another day.
- Housing Costs and Living Wages We wouldn’t be the first people to say this, but living in California, and especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, is grossly expensive. This isn’t a good factor to consider for remote work at all, but it is a huge component of why other neighboring areas are seeing rises in their commuting and telecommuting populations. The nearby community of Tracy, CA estimates that 70% of their citizens commute to work each day into the Bay Area. This, combined with the historical acceptance of remote working and the ubiquity of high-speed internet connections makes it an ideal candidate for becoming a telecommuter hub. In fact, it’s predicted that many such satellite cities of national tech hubs, and even neighboring states thereof, that have a similar complexion of factors will begin to transition into remote working hubs in the coming years.
Remote Work In Your Community
Getting started with a remote working policy is easy and can be done with just a few basic first steps. The most important being to find the right hosted business phone system for you. Fortunately, the award-winning set of Dash Plans all come with a 15-day money back guarantee so you’ve got nothing to risk in giving one a try. Furthermore, you can even rent your VoIP telephone for the same month so your exposure is possibly as low as about $7.00, so you’ve really got next to nothing to lose. But more importantly than finding the right tools is finding the right mindset. Because heading into the office is such a ritual for many people, adopting a remote working policy can be a bit uncomfortable at first. We’ve got mountains of resources on remote working done right, plus we’re always on Twitter or Facebook, so you can reach out to us anytime you want with questions or for advice on how to make the transition into a remote working policy as smooth as possible for you.
