Business Coach, Alison Morgan featuring on ANZ Stories for Poly.

The episode looks at work-from-anywhere tips and tricks, as well as how high-quality devices need to support a seamless home workplace.

Entrepreneur and business coach Alison Morgan says her job is to help people set up, grow, and evolve their businesses. 

She has been working from home for the last 11 years, Morgan is something of a seasoned pro when it comes to balancing work life and personal life in the same space.

She shares some of her top tips for those who might be new to working from home, or for those who have been doing this for a while.

The first tip is to have a dedicated working area and space - and stick to it. Make sure it has the right ambience that you need, for example, Morgan needs natural light to help her think.

“Also, just setting yourself boundaries so you’re not distracted by daily things like hanging out the washing and making dinner.”

Almost everyone who works from home will need to navigate the nuances of video meetings and calls at some point.  There can be technical issues, there can be clients who don’t really know what they want to achieve, and there can be interruptions.

For Morgan, she conducts many of her coaching sessions online, which means she needs to be confident and prepared.  She says confidence comes through experience, preparation, and knowing the right answers to clients’ questions.

Her business just wouldn’t be possible without technology, she says.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Poly APAC chief technology officer Bill Zeng, who says that professional audio and video technology is important for businesses because they need to present themselves in the best way possible.

“People are busy all the time. They can be working from a cafe or the hotel, or anywhere they want. The clarity in audio and beautiful video allows people to work better together,” he says.

He says that there are several important capabilities that audio and video technologies must have: They need to block out noises, they need to make sure people are heard and seen clearly, and they need to block out the background. 

Healthcare providers in Australia and New Zealand can now connect to each other seamlessly, taking away technological difficulties. Doctors and nurses aren’t technologists so the experience needs to be simple. When technology is simple, providers can focus on providing the care they need to deliver. 

“It’s much easier for technology to cross the chasm to connect people. They want professional-grade devices while they’re working from home.”