Digital Transformation: Corporate Directory

April 24, 2017 by TeamontheRun, posted in Business Tips, Digital Transformation

As mentioned last week, we are going to highlight a Team on the Run feature and it’s use in the digital workplace.

Corporate Directory

Team on the Run provides businesses with their own corporate directory within the app and online. The corporate directory allows you to provide information on each employee including number, name, email, position and groups that they are a part of.

Build a Strong Team

Having a corporate Rolodex of your co-workers at your fingertips makes both new and old employees feel more comfortable within their work environment. Need to get In-touch with someone from HR? Just look up the HR group in your directory and instantly get in contact with the right person. Stuck working from home one day and don’t have a co-worker’s phone number or email on file? With Team on the Run that strain of hunting down a co-worker’s information is gone.

Establish Open Communication

One of the keys of having a corporate directory through Team on the Run, is for its ease of use when establishing open communication across departments and teams alike. When bringing on a new employee a strain I noticed in the past, using other messenger services like Skype, Slack, and Microsoft Lync, is you have to add people yourself.

When a company utilizes Team on the Run and brings on a new employee, once they download the app they have instant access to the entire directory of their company. They can simply be placed into Marketing, Sales, HR, or whichever channel is needed and instantly feel comfortable.

Having access to corporate groups aides in cross communication between multiple departments which leads to better overall performance within a company.

Streamline Processes

Within the directory, you have the option to set up group chats with co-workers and even title the conversation. Having the ability to title conversations is a good way to stay on top of projects, and with the ability to add people to the group chats you can make sure that everyone needed for the project is receiving the same messages.

In my role, having access to groups in the directory makes it simple to send documents, calendars, and tasks to multiple departments with just a few clicks. The goal of our corporate directory is to streamline all your business processes through it. Whether you need to touch base with someone from marketing, send a document to sales, or set up a project across multiple departments, Team on the Run gives you the ability to handle all, instantly, through one singular app.

Keep your Business and Personal Communication Separate

Team on the Run’s corporate directory runs side-by-side with your own contacts, thus allowing you to keep both your business communication and your personal communication separate from one another. No need to worry about texting the “right Mike” and being unsure if it’s rec league basketball Mike, or work Mike.

Team on the Run takes the simplistic approach to giving you an all-in-one corporate communications platform across all your devices. No matter where you are, just log into your Team on the Run account and you’ll have instant access to your company without the hassles.

With Team on the Run, our aim is to relieve you of the pain points of the digital age and help aide you on the transition to the all digital future.

Each Monday, over the course of the next several weeks we will highlight a feature provided by Team on the Run and it’s place within a company’s digital transformation.

Learn more about how Team on the Run’s corporate directory can improve your teams communication: Team on the Run

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It’s 9:00 AM, Do You Know Where Your Employees Are?

April 7, 2017April 12, 2017 by TeamontheRun, posted in Business Tips

A Common-Sense Approach to Monitoring

The What:

Some things in life need not be explained. Geo-tracking your company vehicles and monitoring employees’ activities while on the clock is quickly becoming a mainstream practice.

The Catch:

There are obstacles an employer needs to overcome before policy adoption rate is 100%. Like all things, knowledge is power and communication is the key. The following are some “good to know” items designed to help employers and employees accept the practice of monitoring in the work environment – and, in fact, feel good about the results.

The Take-Away:

Communicate early and obtain employee’s written consent of your outlined Monitoring/Tracking policies.

Spread the Word – Get Consent

Legal Limits of Employee Monitoring: Generally speaking, employers have the right to monitor employees on the job – with some limitations. Always check with your legal representative for specific laws in your state or profession.

Federal Law: Employers may have the right to monitor employees’ activities via email or GPS as they perform their work, although eavesdropping is not so clear cut. Placing microphones/bugs in the office area is generally legal, but a microphone in the cafeteria where one could assume they are free to speak about personal ideas and comments, is not; cameras/bugs in the locker rooms and bathrooms – a big “no-no”.

State Law: State Laws about workplace monitoring efforts vary, mostly around consent issues—whether the monitoring occurs via e-mail, audio/video or Geo-tracking. It is recommended that you communicate with employees about monitoring and get written confirmation of employees consent. Employees should also have the availability to turn off tracking devices during non-work hours.

The Do-Nots:

Avoid targeting legally protected classes. This includes people chosen on the basis of age, race, gender, religion or disability. Be sure there is no discriminatory impact on employees whom you choose to track.
Keep monitoring/tracking devices out of non-work areas. Non-work areas include bathrooms and locker rooms where people disrobe.
Be consistent in your action; avoid the appearance of selective discipline. Every situation is different; seek legal advice before introducing a monitoring program in your workplace.

The Good:

Monitoring employee productivity like, work-day ‘Check In – Check out’ is simple and affordable.
Improved Customer Service: this will always be good for business, profits, and employee retention.
Monitoring/Tracking gathers information on business analytics; illustrates your company’s best productive teams/time helping management plan for changes and workforce improvements.
Decreasing distractions: If employees are aware that their activities are monitored, there is an obvious decrease in non-work activities.
Safety: Having awareness of where your drivers/employees are located should give them peace of mind, especially at night or in severe weather or other threatening events. There is a life-line for them via your dispatcher if needed.
Drivers will make better decisions, like seat belt usage and controlling speed. This could have a direct impact on your insurance rates.
The Bottom Line: If you share the information of improved results with your employees – it can give them a sense of ownership and satisfaction that they are adding value and this translates into a more stable company and creates job security.

The Bad (as you can see a much shorter list)

Distrust and fear among workers.
Increase employee turnover.
Monitoring could decrease productivity as it may cause stress.

The Commentary: Keep the human aspect of running your company in the forefront. Machine monitoring is practical and should be part of every company strategy, as it is nowadays, so affordable. But, the value of remembering team spirit, with individual personalities and ideas — should not be pushed off to the side. Open monitoring can improve workforce moral, safety, and profitability. Go Team on the Run.

Team on the Run Partners with Klein Electronics

January 12, 2017January 12, 2017 by TeamontheRun, posted in Business Tips

Team on the Run is now partnered with Klein Electronics, one of the web’s biggest in Push-to-Talk Over Cellular (POC) phone accessories.

On Klein’s website you now have the option to find Push-to-Talk accessories that are fully compatible with Team on the Run.

The full list can be found in the link below

To learn more about Klein Electronics:

http://www.headsetusa.com/

To purchase PTT accessories compatabile with Team on the Run go here:

http://www.headsetusa.com/poc-accessories/team-on-the-run/

As always, to simplify your business and learn more about our web to mobile feature, visit us here: Team on the Run

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Team on the Run: A HIPAA Compliant Mobile Communication Tool for Healthcare Professionals

July 31, 2015July 31, 2015 by TeamontheRun, posted in Business Tips

This January, the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a landmark victory that sets the precedent for patients seeking to hold health professionals accountable for violating HIPAA policy on the sharing of personal health information (PHI.)

The good news is that these situations are easily avoidable through the proper protection of PHI.

Team on the Run, being a HIPAA compliant communication tool, can help you control your communications to increase efficiency and ensure compliance.

Team on the Run Helps Hospitals Work Faster

The Challenge: A regional hospital needs a way to help its small staff see more patients and process prescriptions efficiently, while adhering to HIPAA guidelines on PHI security.

The Solution: The Team on the Run solution, installed on existing devices allows instant communication; removing the need to play “phone tag”, deal with voice mail, or wait for bulky emails.

The Result: Staff free up enough time to see up to 50% more patients. The time saved in communications reduces patient wait times, sends procedure results back to doctors faster, and allows staff to see more patients per shift.

Team on the Run Protects Local Pharmacy from Lawsuit

The Challenge: A customer thinks the pharmacy may have accidentally leaked PHI to their partner. The pharmacy may be confident that their staff is well-trained in honoring the HIPAA “Privacy Rule”, but how do they prove their data security to a court?

The Solution: Unlike SMS texts or other messaging services – Team on the Run messaging tracks records sent and received, and is designed with the latest protection protocols. The solution includes an extra level of authentica- tion to help ensure that sensitive information is only sent to verified recipients. External control features can prevent former employees from taking private PHI with their devices should they leave.

The Result: The Team on the Run solution, along with the secure records of staff members using the solution, can help protect you from liability through supporting chain of custody for the receipt of private information.

Team on the Run Helps Doctors Work Remotely

The Challenge: Doctors and nurses sometimes make house calls, work from remote locations, or sometimes respond to an emergency when not officially on duty. They may need a way to communicate in real time, without compromising personal information.

The Solution: The Team on the Run solution allows for separate, distinct groups. Doctors need to share information, including files or images, with staff for a specific patient. They need a way to discuss information about that patient, without sharing this private information with other staff not involved with that patient’s care.

The Result: Medical staff can share needed information in real time, without breaching privacy. Other communications platforms give users “one big room” where they create a HIPAA privacy violation risk by dealing with messages from all users, regardless of relevance.

Learn more at www.teamontherun.com and if you enjoyed this post, browse our other blog posts to read about Team on the Run’s many other powerful business-oriented communication features and follow us on social media!

If you would like to know more about provisioning your team with Team on the Run, check out http://www.teamontherun.com and sign-up in just a couple of minutes via the “Subscribe” section, or contact our team directly at andrea@teamontherun.com.

Best,

The Team on the Run Team

Team on the Run is the perfect HIPAA-ready communication tool for healthcare professionals

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 by TeamontheRun, posted in Business Tips, Feature Videos, Use Cases

With headlines such as “$1.44 Million HIPAA award upheld after Walgreen pharmacist shared patient data” -Indy Star, Nov 17, 2014; healthcare professionals in the US know about the risks of communicating sensitive patient information via popular messaging tools all too well.

In order to ensure the confidentiality of patient data, the treatment of all Personal Health Information (PHI) across healthcare specialties (doctors, pharmacists,dentists,etc.) is strictly regulated in the US. With the advent of mobile communication it is becoming more inconvenient to adhere to the regulations since many healthcare professionals need to communicate with their team quickly, many times on the go, and most instant messaging software available, especially when free, is vulnerable and open to liability. Team on the Run addresses this issue by providing secure and instant communication via encrypted Smartphone app or web browser version (WebChat).

Team on the Run can help you control your communications to increase efficiency and ensure compliance.

Real time communication
Military-grade security
As intuitive as texting
Verification for read and receipt
Control who has access to information

Read below just a few examples of how Team on the Run can easily solve current issues in the healthcare sector:

1) Team on the Run Helps Hospitals Work Faster

The Challenge: A regional hospital needs a way to help its small staff see more patients and process prescriptions efficiently, while adhering to HIPAA guidelines on PHI security.

The Solution: The Team on the Run solution, installed on healthcare professionals’ existing devices, allows instant, real-time communication between staff members clearly. Removing the need to play “phone tag”, deal with voice mail, or wait for bulky emails.

2) Team on the Run Protects Local Pharmacy from Lawsuit

The Challenge: A customer is embarrassed when a former partner divulges sensitive health information about them publicly. The customer thinks the pharmacy may have accidentally leaked PHI to their partner. The pharmacy may be confident that their staff is well-trained in honoring the HIPAA “Privacy Rule”, but how do they prove their data security to a court?

The Solution: Unlike SMS texts or other messaging services – Team on the Run messaging tracks records sent and received, and is designed with the latest protection protocols. The Team on the Run solution includes an extra level of authentication to help ensure that sensitive information is only sent to verified recipients. External control features can prevent former employees from taking private PHI with their devices should they leave.

The Result: The technical specifications of the Team on the Run solution, along with the secure records of staff members using the solution, can help protect you from liability through providing chain of custody for the receipt of private information.

3) Team on the Run Helps Doctors Work Remotely

The Solution: The Team on the Run solution allows for separate, distinct groups. Doctors need to share information, including files or images, with a specific team of nurses, assistants, and specialists for a specific patient. They need a way to discuss information about that patient, without sharing this private information with other staff who are not involved with that patient’s care.

The Result: Doctors and other staff can get the needed information in real time, without breaching security by sharing or receiving non-pertinent information. Other communications platforms give users “one big room” where they create a HIPAA privacy violation risk by dealing with messages from all users, regardless of relevance.

Team on the Run is THE next generation all-in-one mobile business communication tool. The TOTR solution guarantees safe and verifiable reception of all types of messages: text, corporate documents, maps, contacts, photos, videos, music, and more! Developed and backed by established VAS provider StreamWIDE, this effective collaboration software brings businesses into the mobile-age easily and efficiently, saving managers and employees across-industries resources and raising the organization’s bottom line.

Learn more at www.teamontherun.com or www.streamwide.com and if you enjoyed this post, browse our other blog posts to read about Team on the Run’s many other powerful business-oriented communication features and follow us on social media!

Best,

The Team on the Run Team

The best existing Walkie-Talkie is not a Walkie-Talkie at all!

June 29, 2015June 24, 2015 by TeamontheRun, posted in Business Tips

Quick and effective communication is critical to the success of any organization. Successful managers understand this and put measures in place to facilitate clear communication between team members. Walkie-Talkies are an extremely popular and cost-effective communication method on constructions sites, during the planning of an event, in private security, military operations, etc. where they come in very handy, provided team members are within a certain distance (range) from one another.

In addition to range, traditional Walkie-Talkie devices fall short in a number of other areas such as picking up static, interferences, limited number of channels (frequencies), bulkiness, cost of hardware, etc.

Team on the Run Virtual Walkie-Talkie technology solves these issues and brings teams an improved and very powerful communication solution to help run daily operations smoothly and improve overall activity results.

Team on the Run Walkie -Talkie runs on all Smartphone devices, so there is no need to invest in hardware to connect team members. A simple app allows managers the ability to create unlimited channels – that can be named to better organize discussions – from which to communicate with crystal clear audio within a secure environment provided you have a data or WiFi connection.

Team on the Run Walkie-Talkie also eliminates the proximity issue allowing you to connect team members wherever they are located around the globe. This makes it a valuable communication solution not only for teams dispersed in the field but for office workers as well, providing a cost-effective alternative to expensive long distance conference calls / IP phones or vulnerable free conferencing software.

Team on the Run is THE next generation all-in-one mobile business communication tool. Much more than just a walkie-talkie, the TOTR solution guarantees safe and verifiable reception of all types of messages: text, corporate documents, maps, contacts, photos, videos, music, and more! Developed and backed by established VAS provider StreamWIDE, this effective collaboration software brings businesses into the mobile-age easily and efficiently, saving managers and employees across-industries resources and raising the organization’s bottom line.

Best,

The Team on the Run Team

Mobile work tools for commuters and travelers – Does your business communication app work offline?

May 27, 2015May 28, 2015 by TeamontheRun, posted in Business Tips

Daily Mail estimates in this article that the average time we spend commuting in our lives is 18 months. This means that over a year of our lives is spent waiting to get from point A to point B to actually do something productive. If you work in a big city such as DC, LA or NYC, or you are what is referred to as a mega-commuter, maybe even more time is spent idle in transit. Talk about a waste of time.

Cities continue to grow and even though working remotely – or from home – is becoming more and more popular, those who travel back and forth to the office are still seeing their commute times slowly increase over time.

Technology to the Rescue: Mobile Business Communication and Work Tools

Whether you work from home or commute to your place of work, technology is quickly evolving to meet the needs of the current work environment. Business mobile communication solutions such as Team on the Run, conveniently allow work to get done outside of the office.

There are a number of popular messaging tools surfacing all over the app stores but few combine ease of use and speed with security and organization – so critical in the business environment – like Team on the Run does. This next generation tool, that runs on both smartphones and web browsers and syncs in real-time across devices, was developed to solve the issues of the modern day worker.

If your commute involves long hours on public transportation, the Team on the Run service gives you the appropriate tools to gain back that year and a half of your life by allowing you to get a head start on your work. Team on the Run is great to stay connected with your team back at the office or dispersed in the field. The tool pushes contact info for all company members into a dedicated mobile corporate directory in your smartphone and allows you to group users for different chat sessions by department or by project. Broadcast messages in a group or initiate a multi-participant push-to-talk conference call. Access your cloud storage to retrieve files and exchange them securely and instantly through the app. All of your exchanges will automatically sync to your web browser so that you can pick up on your desktop at work or at home at your convenience. All of this with an easy to use solution with end-to-end encryption and in a secure closed circuit environment.

No internet connection – no problem. Does your Mobile Messaging App work Offline?

All this sounds great but you may be thinking that all off this is no good because you lose connection on the subway or on a plane. Think again – Team on the Run was built with this and other issues in mind. Our mission is to make your and your business more productive by making it easy for you to work anytime, anywhere.

To solve the data connection issue, Team on the Run uses two different techniques:

– Fall-back SMS: when activated, this feature continuously monitors to check that all parties on sending and receiving end have a data connection. If this is not the case, the message is converted and sent as an SMS. This improves the success of message reception and lets you go on with your day and worry about other stuff.

– Offline mode: no need to have a connection to open the app and view your existing conversations. Most airlines are adding affordable in-flight wifi connections but even if it is impossible to get any kind of connection – data or WiFi – Team on the Run will still be able to open, let you see existing conversations and queue up new messages to be sent once a connection is established.

There is a lot Team on the Run can do for you. Give it a try for free by subscribing to the service and registering your team HERE.

Or feel free to get in touch and our team will answer your questions personally. E-mail us at support@teamontherun.com

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Best wishes,

The Team on the Run Team