To assist its members who suddenly began working remotely, the New York State Land Title Association Technology Committee created a work from home handbook, putting together a list of tools and resources to assist them.
The handbook begins by stating: “We have entered an unprecedented time. Most of us had to leave our offices with little preparation in March, 2020. Some had stayed up to date with new technology and were prepared, others were not. By this time, most have found a way to get by. The NYSLTA Technology Committee wants to help you navigate some of the software that is out there to help you continue your work from home and even improve your product. Below, we offer recommendations for tools that can further enhance your work from home experience and increase your efficiency.”
It noted that it is offering suggestions of programs and technology that can help members’ processes, and encouraged members to do their own research to determine which tools and technology will help their companies.
It first shared several work from home/team tools, designed to help people continue working as if they were in their office.
These tools range from remote logging into their work computer to digital phone lines to staff communication tools. These tools include:
- LogMein – logmein.com
- Ring Central – ringcentral.com
- Slack – https://slack.com
- Microsoft Teams – https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
- G-Suite – gsuite.google.com
- ConnectWise – connectwise.com/software/control
- TeamViewer – teamviewer.com/en-us/
It then provided tools for remote video/meetings.
“An effective approach to staying healthy in 2020 is working from home and distancing from others. Some of the most effective tools that have become ubiquitous for employees working remotely are video conferencing and instant messaging. In the title insurance industry, video conferencing and instant messaging can be useful for companies to remain both operational and productive, as it provides employees with the ability to conduct certain face-to-face meetings in a virtual manner. With these tools, remote workers can continue to easily connect with co-workers and clients when in-person communication isn’t an option,” the handbook stated.
The different remote video/meeting tools suggested include Zoom, GoToMeeting, Cisco Webex, FaceTime, Google Hangouts/GoogleMeet, Skype for business, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp and Slack.
In addition to the video meeting tools, it provided suggestions for investing in a higher quality webcam and standalone USB microphones.
It also had a list of eRecording programs, workflow management/scanning options and details on how to scan a document with your mobile phone.
It ends by stating: “We hope this handbook will help you and your business in the coming weeks/months. We are all in this together and we, as an industry, need to help each other get through this trying time. To that end, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions on products mentioned or suggestions for additions to the list.”
The full handbook can be downloaded here.