As an SME owner, you’re got your eye out for ways to boost productivity and efficiency in your business. One solution that you may have considered is offering work phones to your employees. Work phones can help keep your team connected, organized, and on top of their work, but there are a lot of vital things you’ll need to consider before making the investment.

Identify Your Business Needs

Consider the tasks that your employees need to complete on a daily basis and how a work phone could help them do those tasks more efficiently. For example, if your employees spend a lot of time out of the office, a work phone with a good battery life and a durable case may be important. On the other hand, if your employees mainly work in the office, you might not need to invest in phones with features such as water resistance or shatterproof screens.

Choose the Right Plan

When offering work phones to your employees, you will need to choose the right plan. Look for a plan that offers enough data, calls, and texts for your team to complete their work without incurring additional charges. You may also want to consider a plan that includes international roaming if your employees travel frequently for work. Keep in mind that different phone plan providers offer different coverage areas, so be sure to choose one that offer dependable coverage in the areas where your employees work.

Hire Professional Repair Services

Even with the best care, work phones can sometimes experience damage or malfunctions. While some SMEs may opt to handle repairs in-house, it’s often more efficient and cost-effective to hire professional repair services, like the experts at likewizerepair.co.uk.

Professional repair services have the experience, expertise, and tools to quickly and accurately diagnose and repair issues with work phones. They can also provide warranties or guarantees on their work, giving you peace of mind that your devices will be fixed correctly.

Set Clear Guidelines

Let your employees know when they are expected to answer work calls and how quickly they should respond to work-related messages. You may also want to establish guidelines for the use of social media and personal apps on work phones. Make sure that your team understands that the phones are for work purposes only and that they should not be used for personal calls or messages during working hours.

Consider a Mobile Device Management System

A mobile device management (MDM) system can help you manage and secure the work phones that you provide to your employees. With an MDM system, you can remotely wipe a phone if it is lost or stolen, enforce security policies, and monitor device usage. Consider investing in an MDM system if you have a large team or if your employees handle sensitive company data on their work phones. When choosing an MDM system, look for one that is easy to use and integrates with your existing software and applications.

Train Your Employees

It’s important to train your employees on the proper use of their work phones. This includes how to access company data, how to use work-related apps, and how to handle sensitive information. Make sure that your employees are aware of the guidelines that you have established for the use of work phones and that they understand the consequences of violating those guidelines.

Encourage your team to ask questions and seek help if they are unsure about how to use their work phones. Provide regular training sessions to keep your team up-to-date on new software and applications that they may need to use. Remind your team of the importance of keeping their work phones secure and the consequences of losing a device or mishandling company data.

Regularly Review Your Policy

As your business evolves, your policy regarding work phones may need to evolve as well. Regularly review your policy on work phones to ensure that it is still meeting the needs of your business and employees. If you find that your policy needs to be tweaked, make sure that your employees are aware of the adjustments and that they receive additional training if necessary. Encourage feedback from your team on how their work phones are helping or hindering their work. Take their feedback into consideration when reviewing your policy and make changes accordingly.

Final Thoughts

Offering work phones to your employees can be a smart move for SMEs, but it’s important to do it right. Work phones can help keep your team connected, organized, and on top of their work, improving productivity and efficiency in your business. However, it’s important to remember that work phones should be used responsibly and effectively. Encourage your team to maintain a healthy work-life balance and to take breaks to prevent burnout. Remind them of the importance of keeping their work phones secure and following the guidelines that you have established for their use.