The pandemic has fundamentally jolted our prior notions of work, connection, and productivity, as business activity and personal interactions have equally suffered its ill effects.
Balancing personal health and safety while simultaneously preserving economic well-being is the new challenge confronting nations and businesses alike. It has never been more important to connect and collaborate. Thankfully, technology is critical in helping humanity navigate these unprecedented circumstances.
Our phones and screens have become essential conduits to connect, collaborate, and substitute for the very human need to socialize. From video calls bringing families together to web-based conferences, a new wave of technologies has gained acceptance and popularity. New models underpinned by internet connectivity are gaining viability, scale, and massive adoption. Remote videoconferencing, retail shopping online, telehealth, touchless transactions, and delivery services are all examples. As I reflect on the future, it is clear to me that things will not simply go back to their prior state when the pandemic ends. Instead, a new normal characterized by technology-enabled interactions will prevail for the long term.
- Alternative work arrangements — Now that we have working models on how to conduct business without physical proximity, it is conceivable that we will reserve physical contact and face-to-face interactions largely for essential meetings. While these models are suboptimal and can never substitute for sitting in a room together, they represent viable models for work flexibility and have the potential to accelerate the speed and increase the efficiency of business. The direct implication is that business technology infrastructure (for example: application access, security systems, ERP, etc.) now needs to extend into the home/personal networks of employees. Further, investments in robust camera-enabled devices, resilient, high-speed networks, sophisticated videoconferencing, and collaboration platforms need attention from business stakeholders and product developers. Providing remote collaboration across a diverse network topology while safeguarding against security threats is a pressing challenge.
- Lifestyle technology – We all are enriched by community experiences like going to a gym, concerts, or a lecture. These social experiences now must occur in private settings without losing their effectiveness. The rise of technologies such as streaming applications is a testament to a growing trend toward getting the benefits of a community experience without leaving the safety of our homes. This trend will likely continue as we develop new habits and embrace the “on-demand” flexibility they afford. Technology providers that enable community experiences to become even more interactive will thrive in the changing landscape. New generations of highly interactive technologies with integrated video and rich user experiences will drive further adoption.
- Services – Shopping, doctor visits, eating out, etc. are all transforming in the pandemic, yielding a rise in online commerce, delivery services, and telehealth. Technology is racing to cater to our personal needs so that they do not require a physical presence. This is a long-awaited benefit to my fellow introverts out there! These trends will be hard to reverse. Businesses that can adapt to these changing customer preferences will prosper in a post-pandemic world. Incorporating touchless interactions, web storefronts, and remote interaction capabilities will help retailers and service providers keep up with the times and deliver superior value and personalized experiences to their customers.
While the above is not an exhaustive list of areas of permanent change in the new normal, I believe it includes the key technology-enabled changes that the world will embrace. As history has informed us, times of tremendous change and crisis do not necessarily create new trends, they accelerate ones that already existed in the market. I believe this is reflected in how quickly we have adapted to our new normal through the adoption of these preexisting technologies. I also believe that technology has the power to help bridge gaps that exist in the world. Whether those gaps have occurred due to COVID-19, social injustices, and/or economic disparities, we are confronted with a true and noble imperative to use and leverage technology to not only bridge the gaps – but close the divide.
