Don't let 'leaves on the line' derail your business

The clocks went back at the weekend and with Autumn well and truly here, any rail commuters will be well aware of the impending doom that the falling leaves will cause to their daily commute. Whilst there is a scientific reason for leaves on the line causing problems for trains, this is a technology blog (and not the technology of fixing the leaves and lines issues – but you can read about how they’re trying to eliminate that) and I wanted to focus on what businesses can do to limit the issues caused by elements that we have no control over.

So what can we do when our train is cancelled because of leaves on the line?

Moreso, what do we do if we need to call that important customer (who is about to commit to the huge infrastructure project we’ve been working on for months) at 9am?

Every business is different, as are those who work for them. But wouldn’t it be good if there was a way they could call the customer from a familiar number and still have that all-important call recorded and tracked? 

OK, so that’s a leading question, and I imagine most people would say ‘yes!’ – but what if their telecoms infrastructure wasn’t capable of that?

When most people think of telecoms, they think of mobile and fixed line phones, which are traditionally very separate environments. There’s a big move within the telecoms industry to bring both fixed line functionality and mobility together. That means you’ll soon have the ability to make that call from the coffee shop at the station, while you wait for your train to make it through the syrup on the rails caused by the leaves. Just think about how we use applications like Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype in our personal life; they’re changing the way we communicate, allowing us to place calls over an internet connection. At TSG, we’re striving to offer this experience to our customers in a business environment.

I use this type of connection every day here at TSG. With travelling all over the country and no fixed abode (with regards to an office desk), being contactable wherever I am is key to being able to work with both our internal teams and our customers throughout the UK. How I do this is by utilising our hosted telephony service (built on Gamma’s Horizon platform). I have an app on my personal iPhone that allows calls to my DDI (Birmingham 0121 number) to reach me wherever I am. When I am mobile, these calls are connected seamlessly through to my mobile device. I can even transfer calls back into the business, put them on hold, set up conference calls, etc. all from my iPhone. How cool is that? (OK, maybe not that cool, but being a telecoms specialist it is to me!)  

Think back to the original situation: what happens when my train is late? I can use the app on my phone to call our customer either via the system (if I have 3G/4G or WiFi) or initiate a call to my mobile, then to the customer, presenting the office number.

This gives staff true mobility and the ability to work from anywhere, meaning delays no longer cause you as many headaches (unless your tea is on the table and you’re stuck at the station near the office!)  

Thinking of the wider possibilities, you can apply this mobility to numerous situations:

• Motorway closure
• Snow
• Power cut
• Flooding
• Wind
• Car breakdowns
• Accidents
• Illness

It’s particularly useful when the UK is brought to a standstill by bad weather. By giving staff the ability to work from anywhere, as a business you’re able to facilitate what everyone is striving for: excellent customer experiences. 

How do we do this?

Firstly, speak to TSG.  We have a team of telecoms specialists who can work through your needs and design a system around your requirements. If you want to learn a little more about TSG’s telecoms offering, check out our Telecoms webpages. You can also watch the video below: