Practical Productivity – Seeing Eye to Eye
By Jane Cage, HTS COO

I will admit – when I talk with you by phone, you might not have my undivided attention. And I bet I don’t have your complete attention either. At the office, we have all become notorious multi-taskers. When I receive a call from a fellow employee, I may be answering an email or sorting out my post office mail. Sometimes, I’m even checking out something on the internet. And do you know what? I’ve discovered that when I try to do too many tasks at once, I’m not as effective as I should be. Strangely enough, I don’t have that problem when someone visits my office and we talk face-to-face. And, why is that? -- Because I’m forced to give my complete attention to the person I’m talking to. It would be rude to sort mail and discuss a business issue with a colleague at the same time.

So, how can technology come into play in the area of human interaction? The answer is easier than you may think and about the size of a tennis ball. It’s a webcam! Using a web camera adds another dimension to distance communication. Instead of picking up the phone to call someone, I find myself using one of my instant messaging tools instead. I click on a name, choose the icon to make a phone call, and before I know it – I’m talking to you face-to-face (well, at least screen-to-screen). More and more office users have made a webcam part of their computer setup – and maybe you should too. A webcam is inexpensive – less than $40 for a basic camera and around $100 for a full-featured camera. The result is a more satisfying communication experience.

Our office has taken a real step up in improving our communications by installing Microsoft Communications Server. It’s a secure instant messaging system that everyone in our office uses. We can even schedule conference calls with multiple staff members where I see the face of the person who is speaking at the time. On top of that, it works with our Exchange Server so that it can read employee calendars and I can see just by looking at the list who is in the office, out of the office, busy, available or already in a call. So, now, when I need to speak to someone in another office, I can see their availability before I even try to make the call.

Improving communications is a focus area for almost every company. When e-mail was introduced it was a giant leap forward. Now may be the time for you to think about taking the next step – using technology to take your communications to the next level. It has made a big difference for us – I believe it can for you as well.