Remote mode: ON

In the past week, “remote” and its derivatives peaked in Google searches worldwide. Now that we have more time to ponder over the meaning of existence while remaining inside our homes, we decided to shed some light on what working remotely means to us and how we execute it.

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Without getting into too much semantics, remoteness, if not handled with care, might result in distancing yourself from your colleagues. And let’s admit it, we all have BWBs - best work buddies - and we often miss them when we are away from the office. Moreover, the recent events that have unfolded created an even stronger remote trend worldwide. Reality is, however, that not everyone can afford to work remotely. It remains a privilege and a challenge.

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Our company has implemented one simple rule: If one person is remote, everyone is remote. However, exploring the virtual world wasn’t completely flawless. We had our ups and downs, we overcame quite a few hurdles along the way. When our CEO founded Technofy he spent months working from home. It was easy back then - just a handful of people in the company. Communication was easy, meetings were a piece of cake. Almost 5 years and several offices later keeping nearly 70 people in the company connected is demanding. Luckily, we found what we were looking for in Cisco’s Webex suite.

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The power of integration that Cisco’s tools possess allows the software to scale alongside our high-paced transformation. There are many potential applications out there and the Technofy team used its fair share of them. However, we needed more than just a simple software that can support calls. Audio-only calls are outdated in the professional world. If there is a possibility to throw in a video connection into the mix, go for it. Absolutely. Think about a regular meeting at work. There’s this small time window before the meeting while waiting for the participants to gather when the bonding happens. The casual chit-chat about what you did last night, how the latest episode of your favourite show surprised you, or how you managed to single-handedly fix a glitch on your computer or change a flat tire. The magic hides in seeing other people. Now, move all this to an audio-only call. Body language is non-existent and everyone would be silent before the meeting starts. Technofy was created as a company where everyone could work remotely, but before our migration to Cisco, the remote members of the delivery teams were beginning to feel isolated and detached. Webex has substantially enhanced our remote world. Check out what our CEO, Anthony, and Cisco talked about this journey in a featured piece.

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As tech-savvy enthusiasts, we love numbers and statistics. Here are some crazy figures from our first full remote week:

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• We logged in 5,233 meeting minutes inside the team and in discussions with partners

• We had 131 video meetings with 25 unique hosts

• We sent and received a total of 25,000 messages on Webex

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Let’s take a moment here and think about what those numbers mean in terms of traveling and commuting. Unique work challenges will always beat the mundane everyday life. The good news is that remote work is in Technofy’s DNA. We have great tools for virtual meetings, pair to pair programming, daily standups, and last but not least, enabling our team members to remain productive and inspired while not in the physical office. We’ll be happy to share our experience with everyone who is struggling to find their place in the remote work field.

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