Why Virtual Office Communication Is the Best Way to Ward Off Winter

Even when you love your work, it's hard to get up and at 'em during the cold winter months. Shoveling snow, scraping ice off your windshield, shivering until your car heater finally kicks in — it's enough to make you want to fly south for the winter like a bird or a retiree.

With the right virtual office communication tools in place, you can. Cloud-based solutions such as a virtual phone system enable small-business owners and their employees to work from anywhere they can get an internet connection, which is almost anywhere these days. Here are some ideas:

A Beachside Cabana

Even if you don't have time for a vacation, you could run your business from a tropical location using virtual office communication tools. Just picture it: Rather than looking at gray skies through your office window, you're enjoying the beach view and the warmth of the sun on your skin while being waited on hand and foot. It's a work day, and it's time for your afternoon conference call with your team. So, you pull out your business phone and dial into the video conference bridge.

You're thousands of miles away (and the envy of everyone on the call), but you're just as connected as if you were just down the hall. Of course, you're not, so once the call is over, you can summon your waiter and order another plate of tacos — you deserve it.

A Southern Vacation

Maybe you can't spend the winter somewhere tropical, but you probably could take an extended business trip to a warmer climate — or, better yet, take a vacation. You could go to Mardi Gras (the food will warm you right up), take the kids to Disney World, or cruise through the Florida Keys.

Over half of Americans didn't take all their vacation days in 2015, according to Project Time-Off. The top two reasons survey respondents failed to use their paid time off were fear of returning to a mountain of work (37 percent) and concerns that no one else could do their job (30 percent). For small-business owners and their leadership teams, those concerns are likely even stronger.

If fear of being disconnected is keeping you from getting the change of scenery you need this winter, simply take your business phone with you and be as connected as you want to be. If you have a cloud-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system, your employees and customers can reach you the same way they always do. Customers get the same prompts and company directories. Your team can forward calls to you just as easily as if you were in the next office, and your outgoing calls identify you with the business name, not your personal number.

The customer's experience is consistent down to your voicemail, which is okay to use. The point of vacation is to actually take a vacation, so don't be afraid to turn your phone off sometimes, too.

A Home Office

Can't travel this winter? No problem. Avoid the cold by staying home when the weather is particularly nasty. With virtual office communication tools, you can work from home as easily as you can in the office. All you need is an internet connection and some productivity tips for telecommuting, and you can spend cold winter days bundled up in your favorite blanket with a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and your business phone in the other.

Whether you're jetting off to somewhere with consistent double-digit temperatures or staying within the comfy confines of your home, virtual office communication tools can enable you to stay both productive and connected.

Speak to a Vonage Business consultant to learn more about virtual office communication tools for your small business.