SCW Blog

Picking up on the fact that the workplace is changing isn’t exactly difficult nowadays—the past few years of remote work and mass resignations have made it abundantly clear that today’s employees are looking for more control in terms of balancing their work lives with their personal ones. One means of doing so that has gained steam is the idea of a shorter workweek.

Customer relationship management is an important facet of any operational business’ processes, which makes the benefits a CRM platform provides all the more needed, and welcomed. Let’s take a few minutes to review what these benefits look like, based on the features your CRM should provide. 

Downtime is often associated with losing power or an Internet connection, but in reality, it’s far more than just that. It’s any situation where your team cannot perform their duties as expected, and it can be extremely costly if it’s not addressed. Here are some ways you can address these situations.

People on average spend nearly 3-to-5 hours of their day on their phones. Today’s smartphones are not only one of the coolest pieces of technology ever invented, it legitimately could be one of the most useful devices any person could use for business; if they are willing to use it that way. Today, we will establish what smartphones are mostly used for and how to readjust your smartphone usage to be your most productive. 

Sometimes the last thing you want to do is type on your keyboard, especially if you have already been doing it just about all day. In cases like this, you can give your fingers a break and use Microsoft Word’s dictation features to “write” by speaking into your device’s microphone. Let’s go over how you can use this feature on a desktop, your web browser, and even your mobile device.

If the pandemic has proven anything, it’s that companies need to be flexible in their operations, perhaps more so now than ever before. However, this flexibility has also led many to reconsider what the office of the future looks like. Companies are starting to ask how much space is truly necessary and whether or not they actually need an office to remain operational.

While we all like to think we are paragons of productivity, the reality of the matter is that it’s far too easy to become distracted while trying to get work done. How do you stay focused when there are so many distractions out there? It all starts with controlling your environment and changing the way you approach these distractions.

While email has remained a major communication tool for businesses for quite some time, a lot of us might still be struggling to keep it organized. Alternatively, a lot of us may have just given up, allowing our inboxes to become a virtual dump of old communications and check-ins.

Fortunately, with a little bit of time now, you can turn your inbox into an organized and useful resource again. 

Automation, as a concept, is a clearly useful capability… whether an employee is working remotely or is located in the office for regular operations. Indeed, many businesses are now encouraging their team members to do both. Let’s review how a hybrid workplace can have a positive experience with automation in place… and why it's important, for security’s sake.

You may have heard of the RICE prioritization framework for developing new products, but we believe that it can be applied to not just products, but also to services and even project implementation practices. What is this framework, and how can you use it when developing new ideas for your business?

The traditional 40-hour workweek feels like a staple in the business world, where employees work 8 hour shifts and then head home for the day. This was not always the case, however, and there can be a case made that even the 40-hour workweek should be adjusted to at least some degree. Let’s take a look at the modern workplace, how it has changed, and how it can still be changed to better employees of all levels—including you.

Artificial intelligence used to be the work of science fiction, but nowadays it is seen as very real and a possibility for businesses of all types. There are benefits to artificial intelligence, but it could also create problems in the future. Let’s take a look at some of these advantages and disadvantages.

The future can be unpredictable at best, especially in today’s times. You never know when your company will suffer from circumstances beyond your control, whether it’s a disaster that uproots your office or a pandemic that forces your entire workforce to transition to remote operations. Thankfully, even in today’s trying times, technology presents opportunities to overcome these challenges.

Upgrading technology can often come with risk. While you might get some return on your investment, will you get it back fast enough to actually make that investment worth it in the end? How can your technology solve problems that your company experiences, and how do you acquire the capital necessary to make significant upgrades? If you dig too deep into the details, you might find that it is difficult to move forward with these major decisions, preventing you from leveraging these amazing benefits. Here are four signs that will give you an idea that it’s time to upgrade your technology.

Imagine that you are a kid again and you get low marks on a test in school. The natural response from your parents and teachers is that you need to double down on studying for that subject, as it is clear that you struggle with it. The same can be said for any professional shortcomings, such as public speaking, interpersonal communication, and other performance-based skills. But what if we flipped this concept on its head and focused not on what our deficits are, but instead where our strengths lie?

Business communications have seen some significant changes, particularly with recent events being what they have been. Instead of your team members having the opportunity to simply turn to one another in the office, there are now added hoops that they must jump through. Let’s go into how your internal and external communications should adjust to meet these changes.

Productivity software has one job: to help you maximize your productivity and do it while minimizing the time you spend on the work. It seems as if that’s pretty simple, especially since there are so many companies out there that create products that claim to do just that. Today, we thought we would unpack what you need out of your productivity software and take a look at some of the variables you should weigh when searching for a certain productivity app.

The laptop has been gradually seeing a boom in the office, replacing the desktop for a more portable option for meetings and remote work. Long gone are the days where the laptop feels like a more expensive, less capable option. They do have their detriments, though. One of the most complained about parts of using a laptop is the trackpad. They’ve added features and improved materials over the years, but the overall experience of using a trackpad hasn’t changed very much for over a decade.

The productivity software suites now available to businesses have come a long way in a relatively very short time. However, when selecting one, it is still crucial to compare your options based on a few key variables. Let’s go over these variables to make sure that the software suite you’re using is the right one for your needs.

The most successful businesses are those that are always seeking to improve what they offer—oftentimes, taking a successful element and simply making it more efficient to deliver. In the past, this basically meant that businesses needed to have their employees work more quickly. However, today’s improved technology and the automation that it makes possible have delivered a much more consistent option.