i3 - May/June 2016 - 43

Business

BY SCOTT STEINBERG

FO RWA R D ST R AT EG I E S
SIX WAYS TO TAKE YOUR OFFICE
WHEREVER YOU TRAVEL

High-tech leaders are perpetually on the go. Happily,
for harried executives and entrepreneurs, new cloud, online
and app-based tools make it possible to get the job done
wherever you roam. Just because you are bouncing between
planes, trains and automobiles does not mean that productivity has to suffer, or that you can't enjoy the comforts
of home. Here are a half-dozen ways to unchain yourself
from the office, increase productivity and stay connected
to colleagues and clients, no matter how far afield you are
sprinting.

Nastco/Thinkstock; IT Stock/Thinkstock

Put Your Desktop in the
Cloud
Start by centralizing your
office in the cloud. Software
suites such as Zoho, Google
Docs, iWork and Office Online
place documents, presentations and spreadsheets online
where they are easily accessible from Internet-connected
devices. Using these solutions,
you can backup and retrieve
files on-demand from virtually anywhere. You can use
these tools to collaborate with
colleagues in real-time to build
and edit pitch decks, budgets
and strategic plans-and
instantly update. Apps for
managing and synchronizing
calendars across devices allow
coworkers to stay on the same
page-even if you are working
with far-flung sales staff, support technicians or customer
service departments. You can
manage teams from any home
base-even a poolside chair.

Get Connected with
New Apps
Telecommunications services like eVoice, Aircall and
RingCentral make it possible to setup local or toll-free
numbers that can forward calls
C TA . t e c h / i 3

to your cell, or ring multiple
numbers simultaneously or in
sequence so you never miss a
call. Solutions such as eFax can
forward faxes to your inbox
as scanned documents. Free
conference calling lines from
providers like SimpleTollFree,
Free Conference Calling and
FreeConferenceCall.com let
you host and record meetings
from anywhere. Paired with a
free videoconferencing apps
such as Skype and group video
chat or real-time streaming
videoconferencing options
(from Google), it's easy to
host meetings. And services
like DocuSign and HelloSign
let you virtually "sign" PDF
or Word documents and
contracts from your mobile
devices without a printer.
These solutions allow you to
get more done efficiently.

Project Management
Tools
Project management is complex but solutions for plotting,
assigning and staying on top of
tasks are now more accessible.
For example: Microsoft Project and Intuit QuickBase keep
track of assignments, delegate
tasks and update the status of

any venture. If you are plotting
to-do lists or exchanging notes
with colleagues on client calls,
these tools make it simple to
stay on track. Many solutions
are for specific industries
and can accommodate use
by teams of all sizes. You can
quickly get pros in fields like
IT, cloud services and industrial design to stay on top of
budgets and timelines even
when you can't be on-site to
manage team members.

Hire or Outsource to a
Virtual Assistant
Many high-tech businesses
and entrepreneurs use virtual assistants-aka remote
administrative professionals-
to handle routine tasks.
Pricing options like pay-asyou-go, unlimited task- or
subscription-based options
are available from market
research to inventory management. Outsource tasks such as
scheduling, data entry, social
media upkeep and researching competitors to free up
time for face-to-face meetings
with clients and personalized
sales calls. Unchain yourself
from a physical office and
multiply productivity several
times over.

Skip the Busywork
Need to catch-up on email,
send a text, or get back to a
colleague stat? No need to type,
simply dictate your message.
Many popular desktop and
mobile devices have applications such as Dragon Anywhere
and Lexacom Mobile Dicta-

tion that can transcribe your
thoughts on-screen in seconds.
Simply activate speech-to-text
(voice recognition) features
and/or a Bluetooth wireless
headset, and quickly get your
point across verbally without
lifting a finger. Some solutions
let you save lengthier conversations to full documents. So
the next time you are thinking
of writing that business book,
remember it can be as easy
as dictating 600 words every
morning on the treadmill.

Find a Temporary Home
Wherever You Roam
Why pay a long-term office
lease that is tied to a fixed
location? With co-working
centers, business lounges and
short-term office rentals available from providers like Regus
to Industrious, it is easy to
find a temporary workspace in
any city. Whether you need a
drop-in membership, dedicated desk or office, or simply a
meeting room for the afternoon, it's easy to rent office
space, business equipment and
conference rooms on-demand.
Looking for a receptionist to
answer your calls and receive
packages? Need access to a
3D maker space or recording
studio where you can shoot
videos or podcasts? Many solutions can be booked online via
mobile apps. In today's virtualized working world, choices
for temporary workspace are
always near.

Contact Scott Steinberg at
AKeynoteSpeaker.com
MAY/JUNE 2016

http://www.FreeConferenceCall.com http://www.AKeynoteSpeaker.com http://CTA.tech/i3

i3 - May/June 2016

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