Digital nomad dreams? Work from anywhere with VoIP!

Life in the post-COVID world is all about staying flexible: a supple body, a nimble mind and, of course, flexible work. Hybrid doesn’t only refer to cars anymore.

One of the tools that makes it possible to work from anywhere with excellent connectivity is VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). If the idea of traveling and working remotely appeals to you, here’s how to use VoIP to become a digital nomad.

Plan it: how to travel and work via VoIP

Say you want to explore Thailand. Who doesn’t? We’ve heard it’s lovely, affordable, and the people are kind and friendly. It helps that your company has a manufacturing facility in Bangkok. You can create a working vacation, which isn’t the oxymoron it used to be.

Before you jet off to paradise, however, do your homework.

For instance, you know you’ll be talking with the home office daily. How can you ensure the calls you’ll make and receive are crisp, clear, and will easily connect no matter where you are?

This is where VoIP comes in. To stay connected while abroad, it makes sense to use the global connectivity resource we’ve relied on for decades: the internet. Though it’s no doubt difficult for those born on the bright side of the millennium to remember when we relied exclusively on landlines for both business and personal calls, a long-distance call overseas was once prohibitively expensive, and the quality was frequently poor. That’s no longer true with VoIP phone service.

The internet has leveled the calling field. With a VoIP number, all you need is a strong internet signal (cellular, Ethernet or Wi-Fi®) for seamless integration between mobile devices and personal or business lines. Business travel and VoIP go together like pie and ice cream—or mangoes and sticky rice. Try to remember your waistline.

Essential work-from-anywhere apps

There’s an app for just about everything these days, and there are a handful of helpful mobile

phone apps for international travel that an intrepid explorer must have:
• Google Maps will tell you exactly where that wonderful Thai dessert place is located.
• Google Translate will enable you to order gracefully—although English has become a de facto language almost everywhere.
• Grab can get you to the hotel, eateries and anywhere else you need to go, from business meetings to a visit to Khao Yai National Park or a Buddhist temple. (Uber is similar, but it isn’t available in Thailand.)
• WhatsApp allows you to text envious colleagues about your adventures.
• Ooma Home Phone app lets you make unlimited business or personal calls to the U.S. so you can give friends and relatives wanderlust, too.

The app-solutely best part of using VoIP and the apps that make it so user-friendly? Your calls appear to come from your stateside office or home phone number, so nobody has to know you’re in a far-flung locale. Unless, of course, you want to tell your Thai client that you’re in town before you make the site visit. Being able to combine travel and work expands your options and opportunities exponentially in the VoIP era.

Flexible work is easy with your digital assistant

Back in analog times, company executives often traveled with an assistant who took notes during meetings. With VoIP, however, your assistant is not only mobile and digital, but possesses all the characteristics you need for flexible work. For instance, you can:

• Record calls for later transcription, review or record keeping.
• Instant message between two or more parties: Send texts in real time when your Thai contact shares information about the next shipment. The U.S. office will be so pleased it’s arriving early!
• Bridge the distance: If the home office wants to discuss new designs while you’re meeting with the Thai manufacturer, their Hong Kong designer can join the conference call. It’s extraordinarily useful for business associates to connect and clarify details efficiently, prior to and during production. Think of the errors you’ll avoid when you can quickly call across the globe and confirm the order was for 2,400 cases of product, not 24,000.
• Screen all callers except for those in your high-value customer directory, so you don’t send their calls to voicemail because you’re enjoying an authentic Thai breakfast snack. Professionalism precedes patongo. Especially if your client is calling to invite you to help pick out fabric samples for next fall’s product line.
• Activate DND (do not disturb) when you’re meeting clients in person—or are witnessing a Buddhist temple ceremony. This isn’t a pop concert, but just the same, cell phone calls are verboten.

With VoIP, the world has never been more connected or more accessible for anyone who wants to work remotely—and maintaining good work-life balance has never been easier.

Keep in mind that listed benefits vary by phone service plan. Learn more about Ooma VoIP phone service for home or Ooma Office for business.