How InternetNZ is operating online

Remote working has become the reality for many businesses and workers across New Zealand, and it’s been a massive shift for many. Adapting to a new way of working and - in some cases - brand new tools can be difficult. That’s why it’s important to offer the right support and guidance on using these new resources.

In some cases, these apps and software might be what you’d use in the office, or at least very similar, but for others, the change has taken place very suddenly to ensure business carries on.

At InternetNZ, we recently conducted a working from home exercise before it became mandatory to shift to this way of working. This exercise allowed us to test our processes and resources and because we use cloud-based services, we found what worked and what could be improved on.

We’ve decided to share some of the resources we use to help other New Zealanders harness the power of the Internet. One of the most positive ways the Internet can be used is for sharing information and experiences, so here’s ours.

Cloud solutions

There are plenty of cloud-based solutions for email and document management available, and this is one of the biggest resources used throughout the organisation, and there are plenty of apps to make use of that allows us to complete tasks of different types.

These interconnected resources allow us to collaborate in different ways. Rather than sending files back and forth for edits and comments, they can be made on the same version with the right people given access. Not only does this speed up the working process, everything is stored in a connected online drive/server, making them accessible anywhere.

Integrate a calendar function so files can be held in meeting links for convenience. This also makes it easier to organise video conferences, and many of the apps for this can be linked for convenience.

Choose from Office 365, G Suite, Zoho and many others.

Team chat apps

Email is a great way to keep track of tasks, give organisation-wide announcements and share files but it’s not very social - and that’s something that really suffers when everyone is working from home.

Team chat apps, which can be used on desktop and mobile devices, allows for direct messages between users as well as channels, which can be split into categories so everyone knows where to post a question or comment.

While this is another way of disseminating information to colleagues, there’s also more social channels where chats normally held in the office can take place. This social aspect is important, especially during a lock down where in-person contact has been cut out.

There are ways to integrate meetings, share files and set reminders, too, allowing you to make it tailored to your needs. We use this a lot to discuss less urgent matters and keep spirits up while out of the office.

There are plenty of options in the team chat space, with Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Slack, Discord, Big Blue Button and more.

Project management

Now more than ever, it’s important to find ways to stay focused and prioritise your tasks. There are plenty of resources for this, both digital and physical, but we use a digital platform that can connect with our other resources.

We can group users into their teams and create tasks that are for individuals, teams and for cross-organisation collaboration. Notes, files, deadlines and more make it easy for our people to make it work in a way that suits the organisation and also their own style of working.

If you’re considering a digital option, Trello, Wrike, Asana, Workzone and Jira are all good options, each with their own options to meet your needs.

These aren’t the only resources we use but they are some of the most prominent and we use them every day. It may not be the solution for you, but there are options out there if you’re looking at other options.

If you’d like to know more about the tools we use, please do get in touch.