When the pandemic first hit in 2020, most businesses were caught unawares. Many struggled to survive during the initial disruption, and some unfortunate ones were even forced to shut down operations. The message was loud and clear – agile adoption of technology was and still is the only way to keep your business afloat amid the pandemic. Organizations that quickly jumped on the bandwagon survived and are even thriving today.

As the unprecedented crisis continues with the repeated waves of the virus, businesses still have no choice other than to rely on technology. Digital transformation is the only way you can guide your business through the tough time. Professional technology consulting for businesses can help make businesses resilient enough to counter the challenges of the new normal. But everything boils down to using the right technologies for relevant purposes because budgets are tight. Let us explain how tech adoption makes the best choice to transform your business that want to bear the pandemic impact and stay strong.

Fostering a remote workplace

The first wave of the virus made it necessary for businesses to embrace remote working. Even the ones that had never done it before had no choice but to adopt the model. A year later, most organizations are comfortable with the concept and more than willing to continue WFH for the long haul. Creating the remote workspace was not a mean feat as people had to be given the right tools and technologies to stay connected.

Companies also had to invest in remote monitoring tools to ensure that people delivered the highest levels of productivity. The ones operating on call center models switched to the cloud to keep the pipeline open, handle the influx of inquiries, and provide personalized support to the callers. As the pandemic progresses in 2021, challenges continue to come. Businesses have to stay a step ahead, and the right technology solutions are the only way to address the new and evolving challenges.

Enabling communication and collaboration between teams

Technology plays a significant role in enabling communication and collaboration between remote teams. The world went upside down for businesses as employees had to stay at home throughout the year. Collaboration was a challenge in the beginning, as people were miles away, and connecting seemed like a massive task. Thankfully, live communication platforms and tools like Zoom and Google Meet opened the opportunity to huddle for tasks and projects.

Cloud-based collaboration became a norm because it served as a platform for housing crucial files and documents that team members could access from their locations. These tools and apps are getting even better these days to ensure that they fulfill the ongoing and future needs of teams that still have to follow the WFH arrangements. If you want to keep your business on track, you must embrace the latest and the best right away.

Facilitating connectivity with customers

While collaboration between teams is vital to keep the operations going, connectivity with customers is essential to get the revenues churning for your company. It fosters trust and drives customer retention, which matters the most amid the crisis. Thankfully, you can rely on VOIP and cloud-based communication solutions to keep your customer support team available and accessible. They need not be dependent on office infrastructure to take business calls, rather client calls can be routed to virtual numbers that run on personal devices.

As a business owner, you never have to worry about losing customers because the lines of communication are always open. Apart from routing calls to agents at home, you can also provide access to all call center applications, such as the Customer Relationship Management solution to them. It empowers the agents to deliver the best services and make the callers happy with the interactions.

Driving sales through the online channel

Sales-focused business domains such as retail were devastated by the initial impact of the pandemic. Most stores were closed, and even as they opened, foot traffic was minimal. But many brands acted quickly and switched to e-commerce models to keep the sales going. The best part is that most made it big with the online sales opportunity, as it emerged as a valuable revenue stream.

The crisis isn’t over yet, and it makes sense to go the extra mile to ramp up this revenue stream. You can assess your website and work on a new look and feel to make your digital presence even more impressive and attractive for potential customers. The competition in the e-commerce domain is high, so it is critical to have a robust digital promotion strategy to extend your reach in the online landscape.

Promoting employee health and safety

The role of technology gets only bigger when the offices open up physically. It becomes pivotal to employee health and safety, which are the top priorities for businesses in pandemic times. You can ensure social distancing on the office floor with smart digital solutions that keep people connected wherever they are in the office area. Employees need not interact physically, yet they are on the same page and feel connected.

Retail businesses can leverage contactless solutions and POS technologies to avoid crowds at payment counters. Shoppers can navigate the floor easily and pay on the spot through kiosks, rather than dealing with another person. Infrared thermometers and thermal cameras can be used to monitor employees and visitors without physical contact. Technology can help you make the workplace safe and compliant with the regulatory guidelines.

The next normal is here, and it is going to be around for the foreseeable future. Even the businesses that took up digital transformation in the first phase of the crisis cannot be too sure about being on the right track. Right now, you need to assess your current challenges and needs to identify the gaps by conducting a risk assessment. Once you know the shortcomings, you must pick the right technology solutions to address them. The best approach is to be selective about your investments, rather than embrace applications just because everyone is picking them. Opt for ones that deliver real value and take your business ahead.