Zoho apps to help you work from home
The Zoho One suite is a great way to run your business remotely, due to COVID-19 work from home rules, or as a lifestyle choice. We’ll show you how to work smarter not harder.
How to use Zoho apps to work from home
As I write this, New Zealand has gone back into lockdown 2.0, after three months without any cases of COVID-19. Melbourne has been in Stage 4 lockdown for weeks, and a second wave is hitting Europe. Of course, North and South America are continuing to suffer tremendously.
For this reason, many businesses have completely changed the way they do opreate, being forced to find creative ways to work remotely. With staff staying away from the office and working more from home (WFH) for the foreseable future.
Even if there is a vaccine, the way we work will have changed forever. Zoho understands this and is building upon their established systems to offer even more features for distributed teams.
Wherever you are reading this from, we hope to highlight the apps in the Zoho One suite to facilitate collaboration and communication for your business through this difficult time. To understand the difference between Zoho CRM and Zoho One, please read our previous post on this topic.
Make phone calls from anywhere with Zoho CRM Telephony and PhoneBridge
As you know, a Customer Relationship Management application is a great way to run your business, as relationships are the lifeblood of any organisation. As we move to an “omnichannel” world, phone calls are still the most vital business communication process. When you can integrate calls into your CRM, it really takes your business to the next level. That is why I want to highlight Telephony and PhoneBridge right off the bat.
Many businesses still rely on traditional PBX phone system, with desk phones. Or they have moved to a virtual cloud PBX. Either way, Lumen can help you to integrate any type of phone system into your CRM. This will enable awesome features like Click-to-call, allowing your team to have buttons on every lead, contact and account, and even dial contacts from your email inbox!
Another awesome feature is Call pop-ups or “screen pops”, so incoming calls appear with context about the caller if available, and are routed to the right person or team and quickly answered. You will also have great features such as tracking interactions, leaving detailed notes and call analytics which will keep your team in total sync.
The cost of cloud-based virtual PBX can vary, and one thing to keep aware of is the price for outbound minutes, especially calls to mobiles. Some call centre solutions that integrate to Zoho using PhoneBridge are very focused on the United States so they don’t have attractive pricing for New Zealand and Australia.
One solution we really like is Amazon Connect. As Lumen is an Amazon Web Services Partner, we have implemented the largest Amazon Connect solution in the region for a client of ours. You can learn about Amazon Connect on our product page.
Lumen can even help you roll your own PBX using 3CX in Windows or the Asterisk-based FreePBX. We can tailor a solution that includes fixed phones or softphones using Android and iOS devices, or a combination of both.
Communicate and meet online with Cliq, Meeting and Showtime
You may be familiar with team chat tools such as Slack, or Microsoft Teams. Cliq is Zoho’s own version, and bundled as part of the Zoho One suite, offers great value. You can collaborate with your team through instant messaging, create group chat channels for your teams to collaborate and share files. Add vendors and customers to your channels! Start phone or video calls, or quickly switch to sharing screens. Everything integrates to your favourite apps with Zoho. As part of the Zoho One suite, for one low monthly price per user, you will be able to search without limits, as opposed to Slack.
Zoho Meeting is their version of Zoom. It is a secure webinar and web conferencing solution, with all the features you would expect such as moderator controls, screen sharing and the ability to records, replay, share and download your meetings from the cloud. Send invites via your email campaigns, and monitor engagement through comprehensive reports on attendees and engagement rates. Showtime is Meeting on steroids, offering a more structured platform for an online training business for agencies, HR departments or independent consultants.
Collaborate on work with Zoho WorkDrive, Projects and Sprints
Zoho WorkDrive is their homegrown version of Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. As part of the Zoho One suite, an organisation will receive a great amount of storage, with 5 Terabytes of shared storage. If you have more than 10 users, you will gain an additional 500GB per employee license, which is shared storage.
More powerful that Google Drive, the features or more similar to OneDrive. Built-in document editors with Writer and Sheet, which is the Zoho version of Word and Excel. Granular access controls, external file access control, custom branding and the ability to manage multiple teams. File recovery and unlimited file versioning, plus many more features. Once again, integration to Projects and Sprints reduces a lot of headaches.
If you are not using a project management tool, Zoho Projects and Zoho Sprints are a great place to start. Manage clients, timelines, tasks. When your team is distributed and no longer able to be in the same office, a project management tool is a fantastic way to keep on top of your day.
Cloud-based remote support with Zoho Assist
Let’s be honest, there might be people on your team that are not as tech-savvy as the rest of your users. Zoho Assist is here for you, allowing you, your team or your IT guru to troubleshoot and fix issues from a distance through web-based, on-demand support sessions.
Optimise your business processes Zoho Creator and Zoho Orchestly
Zoho Creator is a powerful piece of software to allow you to create an unlimited number of apps, in a way that is tailored to your own specific business needs. Including a form and report builder, and allowing advanced custom fields – your apps will work on the web, mobile and tablet. Lumen can also assist with custom integrations either using Zoho Creator or enhancing Creator by using programming languages such as Javascript.
Orchestly will help you to optimise your business workflows, in a drag and drop manner. With templates to help you learn the ropes, you can design responsive workflows and digitise business processes in an intuitive way.
What is my next step?
If you have not had a Zoho trial, please click here to register and begin your journey. Lumen is a Zoho advanced partner located in New Zealand, but no matter where you are in the world, our fantastic team is ready to work with you in improving your business processes through great software.
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Ilan Gross
Ilan Gross is a distinguished pioneer and authoritative leader in the IT industry, boasting over two decades of unparalleled expertise in CRM systems and CRM strategy. As the Principal Zoho CRM Consultant at Lumen Business Solutions, Ilan has revolutionised the way B2B enterprises leverage CRM solutions, firmly establishing himself as a cornerstone of technological innovation and strategic prowess. His specialisation in integrating cutting-edge sales methodologies like SPIN, Gap Analysis, and Challenger Selling into CRM platforms has not only set new standards in the industry but has also redefined the essence of customer relationship management for enterprise customers.
Ilan's visionary approach extends beyond traditional CRM systems; he is a trailblazer in AI development, AI implementation, and AI consulting, particularly noted for his pioneering work with private ChatGPT on the Azure platform. His foresight in recognising the transformative potential of AI in business processes has led to the creation of numerous AI applications for enterprise solutions, further solidifying his reputation as a leader in driving technological advancement and innovation.
Under Ilan's leadership, businesses have experienced groundbreaking advancements in revenue-lifting strategies. Through his expert guidance, enterprises have not only improved their sales processes and customer engagement but have also witnessed substantial increases in revenue. Ilan's mastery of CRM systems, combined with his deep understanding of the strategic needs of large-scale businesses, positions him as an indispensable asset for any organisation aiming to scale and excel in today's competitive market.
Moreover, Ilan Gross is celebrated as a pioneer of software development tools, including Aware IM and Magic Software. His contributions to these platforms have been instrumental in empowering developers and businesses alike, enabling them to build powerful, efficient applications with unprecedented ease and flexibility. This aspect of his expertise further underscores his role as a visionary leader, whose influence spans across the entire spectrum of IT development and strategy.
In sum, Ilan Gross stands as a paragon of innovation and leadership in the IT industry. His exceptional skill set, combined with his pioneering contributions to AI and software development, marks him as a pivotal figure in shaping the future of technology for enterprise success.
