More than 60 percent of financial services employees say a lack of work flexibility would impact whether they stay at their current jobs, according to a Gartner report on the future of work. Following forced remote work during the pandemic, workers across industries, including financial services, became accustomed to working with no commute and flexible schedules. Remote work models have become a competitive battleground in the escalating war for talent in the financial sector.

Meanwhile, economic uncertainty is putting increased pressure on financial services firms to provide customers with even more personalized and customized attention. Some see a total return to the office (and by proxy to the way things were) as a path to reassuring and retaining customers.

The answer likely lies somewhere in the middle. A hybrid work approach allows employees to split their time between working remotely and in the office. Indeed, of nearly 1,500 global business leaders surveyed, close to 96 percent of financial services decision-makers believe hybrid work environments help recruit top talent and remain competitive in the market.

While hybrid work seems like the perfect compromise, it’s not without challenges. Among surveyed IT decision-makers, several barriers exist to the hybrid model’s success. Near the top is a lack of the right technology in the home (31%) and even in the office (26%).

Creating a successful, high-performing hybrid workspace requires the right technologies, presenting a growing opportunity for channel partners to deliver unified communications as a service (UCaaS).

The “right” technology for your clients’ hybrid workforces

Hybrid work is not enabling employees with a laptop and a cell phone for those days when the “office” is the kitchen table. Capturing the tangible experiences and “creative collisions” of the in-person workspace while providing the flexibility of remote work takes more than a virtualized office or simply adding an array of productivity and collaboration tools that often provide conflicting or not enough actionable data. It’s about having the right tools – and using them the right way.

All-in-one communications for your clients’ employees. The ideal hybrid work setup provides your financial services clients’ employees with collaboration tools and connections that work seamlessly, device to device, location to location. Communication tools must be efficient and connected for interoffice collaboration and response – and even more so for outbound and inbound communications with clients.

UCaaS tools available through Broadvoice b-hive UCaaS solution are a great way to address client expectations, continue the digital transformation, and equip an agile, hybrid workforce. Broadvoice b-hive combines powerful cloud PBX, UC and collaboration features with virtual call center. The b-hive Communicator application also consolidates multiple communications channels ¬– such as voice, video calling, instant messaging, content sharing, and more – into an all-in-one application.

Ensure business continuity with cloud-based delivery. Broadvoice b-hive moves the intelligence from the office into the cloud, making it accessible from anywhere and from any internet-enabled device. This means your financial services clients’ employees can use the same tools in the office, at home, or on the go. It also means they can continue to communicate with customers even if their physical offices are compromised or inaccessible as they were during the pandemic.

For an extra layer of protection, Broadvoice b-hive is hosted in georedundant data centers, ensuring Broadvoice customers’ communications infrastructure will be up and running even when there’s a power outage, storm, fire, or other disasters.

Secure technology for your clients’ IT departments. Combining all communications and collaboration tools onto a single platform gives your financial services clients’ IT departments greater control over not only infrastructure and applications licenses and costs but also security. A comprehensive and integrated collaboration suite means that their employees don’t need to download insecure, consumer-grade apps and connect them to the network to get their work done. They’re also not sharing company and customer files on unsanctioned file-sharing applications. This so-called “Shadow IT” opens the door for cybercriminals to exploit IT systems and steal or ransom sensitive data. Instead, Broadvoice b-hive offers a unified login with a single sign-on (SSO) to boost security and reduce risk. Built-in two-factor authentication strengthens security further.

Personalized experience for your clients’ customers. Personalized, customized customer service is non-negotiable for your financial services clients. Broadvoice b-hive advanced call routing capabilities ensure customer calls are routed to the correct department or individual. Broadvoice b-hive also integrates with the popular Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) software to enable inbound record matching and screen pops so your financial services clients’ customer service reps can provide a more personalized and optimized customer interaction.

Human-centric investment pays off

Retaining and recruiting talent is critical to futureproofing the financial services sector. With the right investment in policies and technologies, hybrid work is likely to pay off. While there are many ways for financial firms to create a human-centric hybrid workspace, investing in the right UCaaS platform should be a priority. With your expert guidance and the Broadvoice b-hive UCaaS platform, your financial services clients’ employees can work smarter and deliver a better customer experience and higher financial returns.

Contact us to learn how Broadvoice can help your financial services clients realize a higher return on their technology investments with Broadvoice b-hive.