So when presented with the choice of seeing a movie or going to dinner, I will frequently choose entertainment over nourishment.  Over the weekend I had an opportunity to see a film that wasn’t G, PG or PG-13.  Now when presented with such an opportunity one might choose to go see the best of what’s available at the box office.  On the other hand, one might also go to see something that is so incredibly far from Oscar’s view that if one doesn’t catch it on the big screen, one might not ever see it.  So, that’s what I did.

Imagine you are in present day United States where most of the population is infected with a virus that causes them to become zombies.  Yep, that’s right flesh eating zombies.  Now for all you zombie theorists, you know I what I saw, but for those of you who either don’t believe in zombies or can’t be bothered with such silly cinema, I went to see Zombieland.   Zombieland’s plot isn’t difficult to follow:  population is turned to zombies and a few lucky (or prepared) individuals don’t get bitten/infected and are left to fend off zombies in order to stay alive.

The main character, Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg is a self proclaimed loner who has managed to survive by being extremely cautious and by developing a list of things to remember for zombie survival.  One of my favorites is No. 4 Beware of Bathrooms because as Columbus puts it, zombies have a knack for knowing when you are at your most vulnerable.   Not long into the film, Columbus is joined by Talahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).

Key to their survival is their ability to communicate with each other, which sometimes results in situations not desirable for everyone involved.  I won’t spoil the excitement for those who might actually plan on seeing the film.  But as in real life – not one littered with flesh eating zombies – communication is also key to survival.

Everyday at Copper Conferencing, we are challenged with how to make communications for our clients easier, more efficient and affordable.  And everyday our employees must find the best way to communicate internally and externally to reach the best outcomes.  So, I’m always thinking about how to use our web meeting and audio conferencing services and how our clients might be able to use them to better efficiency.  Now, I’m not going to suggest that if there is a zombie attack that having web conferencing and audio conferencing might save you from being bitten or infected, but what if it did?

For more about Copper Conferencing, contact a Conference Coach today.

To say that I don’t want his, or anyone else’s, illness is an understatement.  I would prefer that those who are infectious stay home.  And, in light of the H1N1 flu outbreak, it might be prudent for some of the health to stay at home too.    Here’s a vote for telecommuting.

In a recently released H1N1 study of cadets at the Air Force Academy, the revelation that as many as 19% of those confirmed with H1N1 continued to emit the virus for 24 hours or more after their fever and symptoms were gone.  The findings were reported in American Journal of Preventive Medicine. (Source:  www.emaxhealth.com)

I’ve worked in many offices where the sick came to work and where, although many of the sick employees could have worked from home thereby sparing those of us who were still healthy, management felt that it was better the sick employees were in the office working than at home working.  When sick employees go to the office, it puts the entire office at risk of developing illness – not just those that work in the same department or sit next to the sick person.  Another vote for telecommuting.

So when your employees are feeling the onset of illness and are likely to be the most infectious, give them permission and encouragement to telecommute.   Most office jobs can be done in a telecommuting environment, and web meetings and phone conferences make being productive while at home much easier.

So if you haven’t already given thought to how your office will function if hit hard by H1N1 flu or other illness, do it now.  Think about what your employees will need to work from home and give them the tools to do so before they call in sick or drag themselves to the office with a fever or hacking cough.

To learn more about Copper Conferencing’s web and audio conferencing services, contact a Conference Coach today at sales@copperconferencing.com or call 866.903.7521

According to the CDC, “…the 2009 H1N1 influenza viruses and regular seasonal influenza may spread at the same time. It’s possible that a lot more people will get sick this season than normally occurs during a regular flu season. There also may be more people hospitalized and more deaths this season than during a normal flu season.”

Now, I’m started to get a lot more worried.  School kids and college kids cram into classrooms and they can’t wash their hands often enough to keep the virus at bay.  As a business owner, I know these kids come home and spread the virus to their moms and dads who then go to work with a few aches and pains and spread the virus in the office.  We just had a mom who had strep throat who got it from her daughter.  I’m holding my breath that the rest of the office doesn’t catch it.  It takes 24 hours to become non-contagious from strep……it takes about a week or more with swine flue.

We have the potential for a lot of people to have to stay home from work.  Parents need to take care of their kids and they better figure out that they need to take care of themselves. I don’t think the economy can take another blow, especially from a flu bug.

We’re thinking through how to help our customers that use us for audio conferencing and webinars to make sure they can still do business, even though employees are sidelined. Seems simple enough, right?  You need to do a meeting, do it virtually so people don’t sneeze on each other and pass the H1N1 virus around.  I’m going to give some more thought to how to help people think this out before it becomes a bigger problem than it needs to be.

In recent years the number of telecommuters rose sharply due to advances in technology.  In addition, the number of home-based workers has been estimated to double over the last decade.

While I am fortunate enough to join the masses, working from home poses a different set of challenges than commuting to an office.  If you work from home or you are considering working from home, you are likely to face obstacles similar to those that I have encountered.   Working from home takes discipline.  The following 10 steps will help make you more productive and efficient while working from a home office:

1. Shower and get dressed!  Start the day as if you were going to the office.  It mentally prepares you for the day.
2. Eat breakfast.  If you start the day off hungry, you will graze all day and procrastinate.
3. Establish a routine. Routine helps create a plan and process for the day.
4. Establish working hours for a start and end time to your day and set boundaries with family members to avoid interruptions.
5. Have a designated work place that resembles an office – a work phone line, a computer, a nice desk and comfortable chair – invest in your work place.  Keep the area clean and organized. Working in a bedroom, family room or common area causes distraction.  The “home office” needs to be a place that is specifically for work.
6. Working from home can make you feel isolated – you are not able to run to the next cube to say, hey, I have a question.  Invest in web/audio conferencing, turn on IM and have office land-lines forwarded to your cell phone.  This will increase efficiency and allow for co-worker interaction.
7. Take a break each day and get out of the house.  Go to the store for a grocery run, walk the dog or work out.  All employees need a break to stay productive – working from home is no different.  Take advantage of the flexibility to work from home, but keep breaks to 45 minutes to an hour to avoid distraction.
8. Depending on how often you work from home socialization can be compromised – plan a lunch break with a friend or work at a coffee shop for a few hours.
9. If you have children, arrange for care.  You can NOT work at home with young children unless a nanny is present.  If you have in-home care, I recommend having the home office separate from the main play area.
10. Keep the TV off and the window blinds open during the day – natural light goes a long way!

Now that you’ve read my 10 tips, I have one more.  If you’re serious about telecommuting, make sure you have the right tools to help you be productive.  For me, phone meetings and web conferences make telecommuting a much more efficient and pleasant experience.  Copper Conferencing provides a great combination of audio and web conferencing services to help you plan your phone meetings and webinars most efficiently.

So, from my home office to yours…good luck and I hope the above 10 tips set you up for success.

About Conference Coach Sarah
Sarah Deatherage is the Channel Partner Manager at Copper Conferencing.  Sarah has been working in the conferencing industry for over 10 years and has developed many relationships with agents over her career.

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting?  Contact a Conference Coach today.

My job at Copper Conferencing is to look for ways to improve the customer experience Here are some winning strategies we use to connect the customer to Copper and make them feel valued.

Strategy #1: Go back to the basics and be human
We look at our customer service personnel as “Conference Coaches.” Our team has industry experts that can assist with any question or remove any obstacle to help customers with their situation. No one likes calling into an endless web of numbers – press 1 for this and 2 for that and then listen for the next set of options. Most customers are thinking “just get me to a human that can understand what I am asking!” We have brought our Customer Care philosophy back to the basics – people like to be assisted by people – not machines. You are guaranteed to have your questions answered by the end of you call. Now that is refreshingly human!

Strategy #2: Make-over your materials
Copper Conferencing completely revamped the website and product materials to make them user friendly. We took a step back and got rid of all of the wordy documents containing hot industry terms and fillers. Customers want to be able to easily access information without having to use a decoder. In order to gain perspective on your customer-facing materials, ask a colleague in another industry to review and provide feedback. Your website and materials could be the first impression you give to prospective customers or investors. Is it worth their time and is it leaving them with the desired impression?

Strategy #3: Provide the human experience but still keep up with the times
Although Copper Conferencing has gone back to the basics of customer care by providing knowledgeable human interaction, we understand the benefits of keeping up with the times. We know that our customers are busy professionals that might not have time to or would rather not call and speak with a Conference Coach about account maintenance, invoices, etc. For these customers, we have built the ultimate in customer self care – our Connect To Copper customer portal. Customers can login to view their account, manage moderators, view their usage and reports, view invoices and make payments online. Adoption of this portal has been incredible and continues to rise. Connect To Copper enables the customers to quickly achieve their goal of gathering information and also leaves more time for our Conference Coaches to advise customers on application rather than administrative issues.

Strategy #4: Make training easy and accessible
We realize that everyone learns at a different pace and only when their schedules allow. Copper developed a Learning Center that offers materials on all of our services including user guides and video training modules. We pioneered the One Minute Skill Builder to teach our customers how to use specific features of our web services in 60 seconds or less! Evaluate the accessibility of your training and materials – do they accommodate your customers’ hectic schedules? Are they always accessible so customers can learn at their pace, not yours?

Copper Conferencing has deployed several winning strategies that keep our customers in contact with us. We have developed multiple interfaces so the customers can interact and get the answers that they need. According to The Journal of Service Research, “…each service interface is designed to leverage its unique capabilities and guide customers to other service interfaces whenever that interface better enhances the overall customer experience.” Copper Conferencing will continue to focus on the customer experience as our customers are truly valued.

For additional information about Copper Conferencing please visit www.copperconferencing.com.

About Conference Coach Kathleen
Kathleen Thompson is the Director of Customer Care for Copper Conferencing. Kathleen joined Copper Conferencing in November 2007. Kathleen is responsible for increasing customer retention and sales, managing the Account Management and Customer Service teams, and ensuring that it is easy for customers to do business with Copper Conferencing. Kathleen has over 10 years of customer service experience and has worked as a Guest Service Manager at Target, a Regional Account Manager at Raindance Communications and an Advocate/Case Manager at Cherokee Family Violence Center.

Kathleen holds a Bachelor’s degree from Kennesaw State University located in Kennesaw, Georgia. Kathleen is active in her community as an American Cancer Society, local children’s shelter and Humane Society volunteer.

Reference:
Lia Patrício, Raymond P. Fisk, and João Falcão e Cunha
Designing Multi-Interface Service Experiences: The Service Experience Blueprint
Journal of Service Research, May 2008; 10: 318 – 334.

Take advantage of the current job market. Stop ruling people out based on location and let their knowledge and skills dictate your hiring decision. Web conferencing with integrated video has made virtual interviews a snap!

A web conferencing tool with integrated video, like WebPresentNow, allows employers and potential employees meet face-to-face virtually. Features like, desktop sharing make it easy to review portfolios and writing samples on the fly. So next time you are hiring, expand your employee search with web conferencing.

Want to try WebPresentNow? Visit www.webpresentnow.com for a free 30-day trial.

Upcoming Webinars:

Business Survival in an Urgent World: Matching Task to Talent
Presented by Lisa Niederman and Lisbeth Mackenzie
Tuesday, April 28 at 2 pm ET.
Register Now! http://www.copperconferencing.com/go/f8dfe

Doing More with Less: 6 Steps to Finding Big Business in Small Niches
Presented by Susan Friedmann
Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 2 pm ET.
Register Now! http://www.copperconferencing.com/go/4471e

Sign up to receive Business Webinar Alert email notifications for upcoming webinars. http://www.copperconferencing.com/go/3ee8c

“Instead of traveling, many associations and companies have turned to “virtual” conventions or “Webinars,” in which attendees meet via Internet hookup without leaving their offices or homes.”

For the full story, visit USA Today Meet Virtually

Many companies are geographically diverse and more employees are working from home. Having op centers and employees all over the country can be a boost to your business. Conferencing makes telecommuting possible. Conference calls and web meetings are great tools to meet remotely and get business done.

When setting up a conference call or web meeting, make sure you include different time zones in the meeting invitation. This will decrease any confusion and make your call run smoother.

Not long ago, I woke up, looked out my window and determined that getting on the road to the office would be an exercise in torture. That is to say, there was already six inches of snow on the ground, the temperature well below freezing and there was no indication that the snow was going to stop any time soon. The likely result if I hit the road would be an hour and a half drive so that I could be in the office for 5 hours before getting back on the road for another hour or two drive home. For those not in a snow state, let me assure you that not all snow days equate to dangerous and lengthy driving conditions. Perhaps you live in an area where flooding or hurricanes are an issue. Keep reading.

The truth is that on this particular day, I had several meetings to conduct and people I absolutely needed to see. For many people, the only option would be to get on the road and slog through the mess. Fortunately, I have something up my sleeve that enables me to conduct business from anywhere I happen to be. What is it? Web and audio conferencing accounts.

The action plan for the day was simple, I contacted all the people on my schedule and set up either phone meetings or web meetings. In just under 20 minutes, I had rearranged my schedule so that not only could I meet with everyone but I also had time to finish up a report, clean out my email inbox (a major feat for me), and play with the dog.

So, the next time you find yourself stranded or you just want to plan your day more efficiently, remember to host a webinar or do a conference call. You’ll have more time and be less frazzled.

And if you’re wondering about the snow, it piled up to 18 inches before it stopped.

Learn more about web and audio conferencing from Copper Conferencing. www.copperconferencing.com