Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting everyone. Businesses everywhere are undergoing unprecedented change, and technology will play a critical role in enabling your workforce, connecting with your customers, and supporting business continuity as social distancing guidelines alter your engagements.

So, what do you need to consider today to support rapidly changing demands while protecting telecom, mobility, and IT Management excellence? AOTMP® has examined this question and has five recommendations for every industry professional to consider over the coming days and months.

Recommendation #1: Support Your Remote Workers

As more employees work remotely for the first time, demand for mobile systems, software, and device support will increase. Many users will need a refresh on remote worker support mechanisms and technical connectivity. Your users will have questions that need answers delivered in a timely and accurate manner to ease their frustrations. So, we recommend reviewing and proactively distributing all user-facing FAQs and self-help tools to support their remote access needs as things change.

Easing the stress on your help desk and user support teams is also important. That’s why AOTMP® recommends preemptively refreshing all staff members on protocols, procedures, and practices before they encounter problems. Implementing daily check-ins with support staff to debrief everyone involved on activities and actions occurring will provide critical insights that promote operational agility and empower corrective action precisely when remote employees need it.

Whether you’re looking to improve help desk practices for the first time or simply need a refresher to strengthen your remote support, we recommend the following AOTMP® University courses:

• Help Desk Fundamentals
• Efficiency First® Framework: Help Desk Core Activity

Recommendation #2: Beware of Bad Actors

In today’s uncertainty, misinformation is being spread across social media and news outlets faster than the coronavirus itself. And – unfortunately – bad actors are taking advantage of this situation. Every one of your employees needs to have heightened awareness of scams designed to gain access to secure data or to coax illicit payments because mobile devices and remote worker support technologies are especially vulnerable.

To protect your organization, AOTMP® and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommend that your employees:

• Shouldn’t click on links or open emails from sources you don’t know
• Shouldn’t trust information from ‘experts’ outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or World Health Organization (WHO)
• Should ignore online offers for coronavirus vaccinations – there are no vaccines, pills, potions, lotions, lozenges, or prescription/over-the-counter products available to treat this virus

If your data privacy policies or mobile device management strategy practices could use some extra protection, we recommend the following AOTMP® University courses:

• Introduction to Data Privacy
• Mobile Device Management Strategy Overview

Recommendation #3: Engage Your Strategic Vendors

Your carriers, service operators, hardware vendors, and software providers all play an integral role in the success of your technology environment. And – as more and more workers move outside the office due to coronavirus – your connectivity and network design needs will change.

AOTMP® recommends making time to meet with your vendors so you can understand how they plan to alter support both now and in the coming months when something inevitably changes. But communication needs to flow both ways to work – share your business needs, challenges, and plans with your vendors so they can satisfy your every demand as things change. It’s essential that everyone understands how actions by either party can adapt to meet strategic partnership needs now.

Looking to support this recommendation by updating your vendor management practices? If so, we recommend the following AOTMP® University courses:

• Managing Vendor Performance & Accountability
• Efficiency First® Framework: Business Focus Areas

Recommendation #4: Increase Your Visibility

Change in user behavior – both in terms of technology used and consumption – alters how you manage inventory and spending. Visibility into these aspects gives you the ability to preserve technical, financial, and operational integrity amidst a changing business.

AOTMP® recommends practicing diligence by establishing and maintaining visibility into the lifecycle of all hardware, software, services, and usage as changes occur. Knowing the cause of change drivers offers you essential business insight that enables clear and informed decision-making both short- and long-term.

If you’d like to fulfill this recommendation and simultaneously brush up on inventory management best practices, we recommend the following AOTMP® University courses:

• Managing the MACD Process
• Efficiency First® Framework: Asset Inventory Management & Service Inventory Management Core Activity

Recommendation #5: Evaluate Your Procedures

Now’s the perfect time to review your business continuity and disaster recovery procedures. In the midst of change, new data points and insights about execution procedures will prevail – and you can leverage this information to improve and optimize your technology management in real-time. AOTMP® recommends maturing your contingency plans to eliminate identified gaps where remote worker demands aren’t currently being met. In doing so, you can better support employees’ technology needs and responsibly reposition resources to prepare for tomorrow’s initiatives.

If you could use some help ensuring business continuity and planning for future incident management responses, we recommend the following AOTMP® University courses:

• Disaster Recovery: Implementation and Post-Incident Management
• Efficiency First® Framework: Disaster Recovery Core Activity

For nearly two decades, AOTMP® has helped enterprises and vendors elevate their telecom, mobility, and IT management skills. Regardless of what happens next with coronavirus, we’re here to help you satisfy technology demands, overcome your most serious management challenges, and support your employees as they inspire success and innovation from outside the office.

And with over 200 online AOTMP® University courses to choose from, we’re available anytime, anywhere, and on any device. If you’ve never experienced our professional development solutions before, use code NEW2AOU on our online store to enroll in one of these complimentary courses now:

• Introduction to Data Privacy
• Mobile Device Management Business Strategy
• Cost Containment and Cost Avoidance Practices

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