Catching up with Chris Kerber, Senior Product Manager, and Izabell Balash, Head of Product, 2600Hz, I learned way more about mobile solutions enabling work from home in the COVID-era than I ever imagined I would. During our time together, the duo conveyed the importance of having a strong mobile solution, shared some unique use cases for work from home technology, and gave me a preview of 2600Hz’s WFH (work from home) software.
Balash kicked things off by addressing the newfound workplace reality. Now that over 50 percent of Americans work from home, she said that it’s imperative to keep employees connected via desktop and mobile phones – without sacrificing call quality.
“The desktop version of our ‘work from home’ application’s linked with the mobile app, offering workflows that keeps users connected from their desktop and mobile devices”
From a practical standpoint, this means one could start a call on their mobile device and then take the call on a desktop-based webphone if they want to with the press of a few buttons, as well as join a conference call or video chat with colleagues. All calls and interactions are logged within the user’s account and are managed via the 2600Hz network.
Additional capabilities include the ability to manage voicemails (including transcriptions) and track missed calls as well as send, view, and download faxes straight from their personal mobile devices.
“We’re also working on a new feature that lets our system recognize when two users are on a call, if they want to start screen sharing, all they need to do is press a button,” Balash added. Called Callthru.us, the technology uses the voice channel over cellular networks. This is unlike standard OTT (over the top) apps that operate on data channels, allowing 2600Hz to extend what Kerber calls ‘guaranteed call quality for users, regardless of data connectivity.”
“What if someone works in a rural area without access to 4G/LTE speeds? How do we overcome the issue of poor call quality in this kind of environment?”
Kerber went on to share, this is a no-brainer, having such technology. Things that used to happen, such as, taking a call at home and leaving your Wi-Fi range used to result in dropped calls. “We wanted to eliminate this possibility, and we did with the development of our WFH solution. Users deserve flexibility and expect to be location-independent.” The desktop version of 2600Hz’s solution desktop offering is currently in beta.
On the reseller side of things, Balash told me, they’re working on making the entire WFH solution available for white labeling. “It’s harder than it seems, but we’ve figured it out and are now in the process of implementing it, according to Balash.
Soon, she said, 2600Hz resellers can offer a full suite of white-labeled communication tools without any mark-ups or extra development costs, two elements that often act as a barrier for some businesses to migrate to the cloud. COVID-19’s accelerated the pace at which digital transformation occurs, and this is apparent from the past few months. Work from home is no longer the future of work, so it seems, it is personified, in the flesh, and in real-time, so accessing quality tools during this period, and moving forward, are no longer a luxury, employees expect them.
