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Before the term “COVID-19” entered the vocabulary, a video conferencing solution was largely viewed as a nice-to-have. But now, as we shift into the post-pandemic world that is dominated by remote working, a video conferencing solution is no longer optional. It is essential for ALL businesses, including mid-sized firms and SMBs that aim to thrive in the new normal. The video conferencing market increased by 500% in the first two months of the pandemic. The overall size of the video conferencing market is expected to surpass a whopping $50 billion by 2026. Below, we highlight 7 undeniable reasons why your business...

The latest dispatch from the pandemic front brings some good news, and some bad news.   The good news is that despite yet another surge of cases and hospitalizations —  this time driven by the Delta variant — there is no official plan to enter into another lockdown. But the bad news is that the White House recently stated that “in all probability” there will be guidelines and restrictions issued in the weeks and months ahead. Unfortunately, we all know from experience that “in all probability” is political-speak for “it’s going to happen.”  This begs a vital question for business owners and leaders...

The Federal Communications Commission recently announced the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund Program generating an overwhelming response. That demand, combined with the recent spike in coronavirus cases, has prompted them to announce a second application filing window. The funds are being made available to schools and libraries to request funding for connected devices and broadband connections for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons for the current 2021-22 school year. “The Emergency Connectivity Fund is the single largest effort to bring connectivity and devices to students who lack them.” according to acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “The need is there,...

Saying that effective workplace communication is important is like saying water is wet, fire is hot, or that people with small children will repeatedly, and painfully, step on Legos many, many times. These are all blatantly self-evident (especially the Lego one).  However, just because everyone knows that effective workplace communication is important, does NOT mean that it’s happening everywhere. Consider these statistics:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kHkr5HrG-A 28% of employees cite ineffective communication as the number one reason why they cannot deliver work on time. 86% of employees and executives believe that ineffective communication is the core reason for workplace failures. Ineffective communication costs large enterprises an average of...

When French West Vaughan in Raleigh, NC - the nation’s 15th largest independently-held public relations and integrated marketing agency -  needed to replace their 20-year old phone system they started doing some research. They had an outdated Nortel system that FWV’s Executive Assistant Sharon Kemp says just needed to go. Not only was it getting increasingly difficult to get replacement parts, but the cost was also outrageous. But what sold FWV on Carolina Digital Phone wasn’t just the hundreds of included features that make our phone systems extremely flexible or the money they saved moving their phones to the cloud. It...

Across the country, organizations from small businesses to large enterprises are experiencing hybrid work for the first time. And just like experiments in a laboratory, sometimes the results are amazing. Other times they are disappointing (and occasionally, they are flat-out disasters). The first thing we should note is that hybrid work — which is when workers spend part of the week in their home office, and part of the week in the corporate office — is here to stay. Now that workers have shown that it is not just viable but a positive change for many, a survey has found that...

The Dangers of Accepting the "New Normal" January 2020 seems like a lifetime ago for many of us. For business owners, it may feel like a good deal longer. But that’s the last time many of us can remember operating under normal parameters before COVID-19 changed everything. For months we’ve had to cope with crippling uncertainty and ulcer-inducing anxiety. They’ve had to adjust to a state of affairs that’s terrifyingly referred to as “The New Normal”. A state of affairs that’s anathema to the tireless entrepreneur. Business owners from all walks of life have had to make sweeping operational changes on the...