Some call it “telecommuting.” Others call it “virtual staffing.”Bottom line is that more and more people are working away from theoffice every year. Smart Phones, laptops and other portablecomputing devices have made it possible to do your job from home oranywhere in the world. Clearly, working at home is not foreveryone. But for those of us who meet the criteria, it is the onlyway to put in an 8-hour day. Here are some tips on how to maketechnology and home work for you.

Determine whether your technology belongs to the agencyor the family. It's hard enough to convince staff thattheir workstation is agency property, not their own personalcomputer. But it can be even more challenging for homeboundstaff.
Unauthorized software and data pose a risk of fines for improperuse as well as significant security problems. One haplessindividual loaded a personal video game on the company's server. Asa result, the entire network went down for 12 hours. Unfortunately,the employer was a major online investment company. Every clientwas unable to buy, sell or trade for the entire time the problemwas being corrected.
Agency technology should only be used by yourself and foragency-related and approved business.
Set up a comfortable, professional workspace.Avoid the temptation to lie in bed, sprawl out on the floor orassume other positions that are neither professional norappropriate for good posture. A professional environment affectsevery part of how you do your job.
Designate a clear line between work and home. Customers deservenothing less, and neither does your family. Eliminate distractionslike TV, radio and iPod. Make a commitment to ensure that your fullattention is directed to protecting your customers.
Clearly define times to start and stop work. Workis work. The same ethic that empowers your success in the agencyalso will drive your success when working remotely.
Follow the same schedule for getting dressed, eating breakfast andbeginning your work day, whether you plan to work at home or driveto the agency. Professionalism is an attitude just as much as anaction. Your customers and fellow staff deserve the same respectfulcare, regardless where you call “work” for the day.
Continually reduce your dependency on paper.

Space at home is limited. Almost nothing is as demoralizing asbeginning the day with a 3-foot-high stack of paper. Plus, youdon't have the ability to walk over to someone's desk to give orget a piece of paper. Working remotely requires a healthy anddisciplined approach to working electronically.
Keep the lines of communication open with theagency. Technology provides a number of simple, effectiveways to keep the lines of communication open with your agencymanagement and staff. Here are just a few:
o Web conference
Webcams are becoming standard technology tools. Learn how to usethem. Check out www.skype.com. It's free and reliable.
o MSN Messenger
Messenger is a free service that allows you to chat live, attachdocuments and Web conference while working virtually. Online chatis most effective for communicating basic information and answeringquestions.
Messenger also provides the ability to post messages such as “Busy”and “Be Right Back,” so that others know your schedule and when youare available.
o Go To My PC/Log Me In
Software such as www.gotomypc.com and www.logmein.com provides one-to-oneconnection between remote locations. For example, producers canaccess their workstations in the agencies from their portabledevices anywhere they have Web access. Take advantage oftechnology for project management and timemanagement.

Time management is not about time. It's about how we manageourselves. The same is true about managing projects and tasks. Itdoes not happen automatically. To-do lists and project goals areessential for productive telecommuting.
For example, a producer can create a task in Outlook withinformation for processing a new client. This task can be assignedto the account manager. Regardless where they are working, thistask instantly appears on their task list in Outlook, including astart and due date. When completed, the task is marked “Complete”and the producer is notified.
Another great use of Outlook is to establish “Rules” toautomatically manage work as it comes in by e-mail. For example, acommercial lines CSR may have all certificate of insurance requestsautomatically route to a folder so they can be processed atdesignated times during the day.
It also is important to request assignments be given to you bymanagement or producers in writing, including specific times tobegin and end, and what is expected of the task or project.
Take regular breaks in and out of the home. If youare working from home on a regular basis, it is important to get upduring the day, move around, eat and get away from your desk ingeneral. One of the most common reasons why working remotely isunsuccessful is because people fail to draw a clear line betweentheir “work” lives and their “family” lives.
Take time to get out of the house and resist the urge to work atall hours. Even when you get reasonably caught up, all of your workwill never be completely done. Self-discipline is important ifworking remotely is going to be a long-term option.
Resist the urge to eat at your desk.

Snacking through the day can have enormous–literally–effects onthe telecommuter. Eat at lunchtime, not all the time. The lastthing you want is to gain 50 pounds just because you are workingfrom home.
Request technology tools that meet the need for reliabilityand speed. This may sound like an obvious suggestion, butI have seen it overlooked more than once. Make sure you havehigh-speed Internet access, not dial-up. It doesn't matter how fastyou work if you fight with connectivity all day.
Request dual monitors. When we first began encouraging agencies toinvest in dual monitors years ago, some agencies just could not seethe benefits–until they tried it. Fifteen minutes afterinstallation, you cannot get that second monitor away from a CSR.Now I'm even seeing agencies consider a third monitor. Another mustis a wireless headset. Believe it or not, this one piece oftechnology can increase productivity and reduce stress by the endof day. When is the last time you tried holding a phone for hours?Even a corded headset quickly becomes old.
Telecommuting is not for everyone, but if your job lends itself toworking remotely and you are self-disciplined and highly motivated,it can make work fun, productive and profitable. The real challengeis changing our mindset of what it means to “work.”
Every day, our world gets smaller and technology gets smarter.Whether it is for a day with inclement weather or a permanenthiring strategy, virtual is an important word to keep in mind fordoing business in our 24-7 mobile and wired world.