With the help of mobile devices like laptops, smartphones and tablets, working from just about anywhere is now more possible than ever. Regardless of whether you are on the road traveling for a business trip, working from home, or driving down the street to grab your third coffee of the day, advancements in mobile devices allow us to always be on and connected to the office at all times.
Aside from the obvious voice, text, and browser capabilities most used on smartphones today, the iPhone (News - Alert) offers a number of other benefits that help professionals to make the device more than just a connection to the office and more of a beneficial tool to staying productive no matter where your office is located.
Here are three important features that will help you to turn your iPhone into your remote office:
Email. It goes without saying that in order to remain productive when working remotely, it’s imperative to be able to access your email at all times. With your contact list already at your fingertips and apps like LinkedIn (News - Alert) that integrate your connections with your email and phone contacts, you will never be at a loss for getting in touch with clients, contacts and colleagues. Integration with your calendar will also ensure that you never miss a meeting or important appointment. The iPhone also allows users to open and share any word document or PDF for easy viewing.
FaceTime (News - Alert). One of the disadvantages of not working directly in your office is falling out of touch with everyday interactions with your co-workers. Whether it involves important updates on a recent project or discussing your weekend plans around the water cooler, it’s important to make the extra effort to stay on the same page as your colleagues. The advantage of having a face-to-face conference call while working remotely allows employees to take advantage of that personal level of engagement that cannot be offered on a regular voice call.
To Do Lists. There are a number of to do list functions that are already preloaded on the iPhone such as Notes and Reminders, both which can keep you on task and alert you when there is an important deadline that needs to be met. If you are looking for a more advanced to do list with additional functionality, there are a number of free downloadable apps like Wunderlist, which allows users to create and share lists to keep one or more users involved on task when out of the office.
Some may argue whether having the ability to stay connected to your office at all times is a gift or a curse. Regardless of your view, we cannot deny that it certainly makes the lives of remote workers easier.