Hardware and software tips: What you should consider to work as efficiently as possible from home. (Photo: © belchonock/123RF.com)
Read aloud:
April 22, 2020
During the coronavirus crisis, tradespeople must also take special measures to protect customers, partners, and employees from health risks. To reduce direct contact, many administrative and coordination tasks can be outsourced to home offices, for example.
Special situations call for special measures: Although direct contact with customers and employees is particularly important for tradespeople , some tasks can be temporarily moved to home offices. These include phone calls and meetings, as well as many administrative, coordination, and documentation tasks. To implement this, trades businesses need not only the necessary technical equipment , such as laptops or tablets, but also appropriate digital solutions.
Mobile devices are ideal for temporarily completing tasks from a home office . A notebook offers specific advantages compared to desktop PCs: your office becomes mobile and can be used anytime, whether you're working from home or on the go.
For working remotely , devices with low weight and long battery life are particularly suitable . The screen size plays a crucial role: notebooks with at least 15 inches (38,1 cm) offer a sufficiently large workspace for most applications. Those who want more screen space while working from home can easily connect a monitor to most devices. Together with an external keyboard and mouse, a notebook then offers the same comfort as a desktop PC.
For basic office tasks, at least two processor cores with a clock speed of more than 2,4 GHz, eight gigabytes of RAM, and a non-reflective display are recommended . For more demanding applications, tradespeople should opt for more processor cores and RAM, as well as a dedicated graphics card . Of course, desktop PCs can also be used at home , but this requires many additional devices to make working from home efficient – for example, a monitor, webcam, speakers and microphone, or a headset.
Operations management
Operations management
Operations management
Smartphones and tablets are also a useful tool in the home office: These small, versatile devices really shine when it comes to video conferences, emails, and chats . Furthermore, tradespeople have the option of forwarding business calls directly to their smartphones.
Smartphones and tablets with at least dual-core (Apple) or quad-core (Android) processors offer smooth performance. They should also have at least 3 GB of RAM . A display resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels or higher ensures sharp detail. Internal storage should be at least 16 GB. If you plan to store many photos, videos, and apps, 32 GB is the absolute minimum. An integrated camera with at least 8 megapixels will allow you to take good photos – for example, for presentations and documentation. For those who want to work from home for extended periods using smartphones and tablets, connecting external devices like a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth provides greater comfort .
When in-person meetings aren't possible, tradespeople can easily stay in touch with employees and customers via video conference. The technical hurdles are minimal: smartphones, tablets, and laptops usually already have all the necessary features built in. Video communication is more personal than a phone call and much more direct than an email or chat. At the same time, everyone involved saves time and money, as travel is completely eliminated.
Most tradespeople already have the necessary technology for video conferencing: a smartphone or tablet is sufficient for on-the-go use. In the office or home office, a laptop or PC is ideal. Many laptops have integrated speakers, a microphone, and a webcam. For less well-equipped laptops or PCs, these devices may need to be purchased separately. A headset is recommended as a professional alternative to a microphone and speakers , as it often provides better audio transmission.
In their own workshops, tradespeople should use devices with good video and audio transmission. Otherwise, pixelated images or poorly understood conversations can quickly appear unprofessional . To create the impression of a genuine live conversation during video transmission, the camera should have HD (1024 × 768 pixels) or Full HD resolution (1.920 x 1.080 pixels) . For lossless data transmission, the internet speed should be at least 6 megabits per second (DSL 6.000). If multiple participants are using the same internet connection, higher bandwidths are usually advisable . When making video calls on the go, keep in mind that between one and ten megabytes of data are transferred per minute, depending on the video quality.
To start a video call, both participants must first install the same app on their mobile or desktop device. After registration and exchanging contact information, they can begin immediately. Depending on the software, up to several hundred participants are possible per video conference. Free solutions are recommended for initial testing . If the functionality proves satisfactory, paid solutions may be worthwhile later on, as these usually offer a significantly wider range of features. Examples include call recording and shared file storage for improved collaboration. For their own data security, companies should ensure that their chosen provider guarantees encrypted transmission.
Newsletter
Write a comment