Telework solutions

Featured resources

Collaborate in real time without the travel costs
View video

Remote work
A practical guide to the new business reality

Remote work success
Uncover 9 secrets to make the transition in this tool

More featured resources

Today, remote workers aren't always telecommuters who work from home offices. Often, they're salespeople, technicians, service personnel, consultants, educators and business travellers who need to work, collaborate and stay connected wherever the job takes them.

Having the right infrastructure and tools in place is crucial to a successful telework strategy. Bell provides an end-to-end telework solution that ensures your mobile employees have access to all the same communications tools that they would at the office, giving them the flexibility to work from anywhere.

Getting the most out of remote work

Many start-up companies use teleworking to keep costs down and appeal to employees looking for a better a work-life balance. However, mature organizations also capitalize on the fact that people become more productive when they are provided with the opportunity to work remotely. Additionally, companies benefit from the increased resiliency that comes from decentralizing employees.

There are different kinds of remote workers, each with a specific set of technology, training and support needs. These are three types of remote workers, categorized by the frequency with which they need to access office tools and applications remotely:

Full-time remote workers work from home most of the time and have no dedicated workspace at the office. They require a fully equipped, sit-down office with all of the functionality of the corporate office, plus connectivity to the same applications.
Mobile workers work away from the office more than 50% of the time, or need to move around within the workplace while staying connected to office applications. These include employees such as salespeople, technicians, appraisers, adjusters, people that work in real estate, and other professionals who often work on client premises or off-site.
Full-time office workers/part-time remote workers typically commute to the office five days a week. These workers also benefit from workplace mobility, especially if circumstances like sick children, weather or transportation issues prevent them from making it to the office. Full-time office workers access the enterprise network from home, after hours, on weekends, and occasionally work off-site.

Wireless tools for telework

While not all of the following tools are necessary for all types of mobile work, the more connectivity and capabilities mobile workers have, the more productive they can be.

Wireless products – From smartphones to Turbo Cards, Sticks, and rugged modems, Bell's full range of wireless products will make sure your employees can operate efficiently while out of the office.
Wireless solutions – Wireless data solutions from Bell can provide access to the information your mobile force needs to operate effectively, helping you improve efficiencies and reduce operating costs in your organization.
Coverage and travel – With Bell, you get the convenience of roaming in over 200 countries, so you can stay connected with your business, customers and family wherever you are.
Secure remote access via virtual private network (VPN) enables your employees to access tools such as email, remote desktop and company intranet from anywhere. Bell can help you with VPN access authentication, system requirements, helpdesk services and more.
Remote worker and manager training courses put in place protocols that strengthen transparency.

Collaboration tools for telework

Unified communications (UC) tools like presence, IM and desktop video conferencing, along with online collaboration tools, now make it easy to share ideas and information while creating awareness of colleagues' actions and whereabouts.

IP telephony – Uses Internet protocols to deliver digital voice services with all of the routing and management functions (like voice, fax, SMS and voice messaging) that give traditional telephony services such strategic business value. See our voice evolution white paper for more information on evolving your voice services.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – Transmits digital voice communications over the Internet. VoIP saves long distance, calling card and overall IP telephony management costs. VoIP can also be integrated with computer soft phones for even greater savings for mobile workers.
Web conferencing – Complements audio conferencing with features like application and desktop sharing, file transfer, virtual whiteboard and instant messaging. Employees can host meetings to share, annotate, discuss and distribute documents, enabling real-time collaboration without the need to book physical space. It also allows your organization to save time and money on travel by enabling video meetings for 2 to 500 participants or more.
Instant messaging – Allows employees to see the presence status of colleagues: in meetings, on the phone and so on. This allows employees to identify the most efficient way to contact a colleague, shortcutting voice and email.
Audio conferencing – Enables workers to connect with expert resources, team members and colleagues all over the world quickly and easily – without having to book an audio conference bridge in advance. Dedicated dial-in numbers, personalized conference IDs and 24/7 bilingual assistance help your teams connect any time, anywhere.
Video conferencing and HD telepresence – Allows people to connect instantly over an IP network from a desktop, conference room or multi-screen, life-size boardroom. The newest technology offers stunning HD video for a natural meeting experience.
Blogs, wikis and other information management tools – Enables focused, evolving conversations and shows project progress in real time.
Webcasting – Enables the announcement of new services, promotions or training – using live-streaming technology – while delivering a unified message across several sectors.

These tools, coupled with reliable and secure connections to enterprise applications, ensure that remote work is well-managed, secure, transparent and productive.

How we work with you

A successful telework program requires more than a virtual office and collaboration tools. Planning, security guidelines, remote work polices and especially training have evolved to guide every facet of remote work – from employee suitability to protocols surrounding working in public places.

Bell provides end-to-end solutions that help you:

Assess the types of tasks best suited for remote and mobile work
Develop a telework strategy that's aligned with your corporate strategy
Design and deploy a secure technological infrastructure to enable teleworking
Prepare your teams for the cultural changes
Ensure you receive all the post-implementation support you need

Benefits

Reduce costs for travel, communications and real estate for your organization and its workers
Increase productivity by providing any time, anywhere access to office applications, tools and resources
Improve business continuity and resiliency with a distributed workforce
Improve employee satisfaction and reduce absenteeism by offering more flexibility
Contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with fewer requirements for commuting and business travel