Innovative Technology Solutions Will Bolster the Post-COVID-19 Recovery
COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, and businesses everywhere have increasingly turned to technology solutions to maintain operations. This trend is only going to continue in the post-COVID-19 world. What challenges can new IT offer your business to speed up and improve your operations in the new world? Let’s look at how innovative technology solutions will bolster your company’s post-COVID-19 recovery.
E-commerce Is King
Now is the time to kick up your e-commerce offerings. A lot of retail businesses during the pandemic started offering online orders and curbside pickup. Rather than letting that go in the new world, increase it and adopt automated sales solutions to handle your online orders. A recent report by Technavio on Business Wire indicates that the use of artificial intelligence in the retail sector over the next three years will grow by as much as $14.05 billion. Now is the time to get in, if you haven’t already.
Virtual Chat Support Is Vital
Offering a live chat platform on your website can give customers the support they need almost 100 times faster than other types of service. The average time for responses on social media can be 10 hours, compared with the 60 minutes customers expect, and email can take 12 hours or more. When customers need help, they need help now. Virtual chat is the answer.
Work-From-Home Remote Workspace Solutions
It may seem obvious that virtual meetings are now the standard for a lot of companies, but a surprising number of businesses haven’t adopted these solutions. Even beyond the use of software like Zoom or Skype for virtual meetings, however, consider expanding the ability for your staff to work remotely. Real-time technology in the form of cloud storage, virtual private networks, virtual meeting spaces and other solutions can make this a viable prospect.
Before the pandemic, less than 50% of workers did any work from home, with 44% of companies refusing work-from-home entirely. This changed when the pandemic made working from home a necessity to maintain operations. According to Forbes, workers who can do their jobs from home are 29% happier at their jobs, and 34% of employees would take up to a 5% pay cut if it meant they could work from home.
Improving Your Security
Even before the pandemic, there was an epidemic of hacking and compromised information through just about every industry, from small businesses to major health care institutions and big-box retailers. The time to improve security was yesterday, but it’s become even more important as we move to a more virtual and digital economy. A recent report by Statista indicates that AI market value will surpass $89 billion over the next five years, while McKinsey indicates that with over 400 potential uses, the value of AI could reach between $3.5 and $5.8 trillion, according to Connected.
Software as a Service (SaaS) and AI security tools need to seamlessly integrate to better spot malicious files, human intrusion efforts, cagey IP addresses, and other threats, and identify the relationships between them. Working with a cybersecurity expert to improve your best practices, identify and address potential threats, and increase your overall security is vital.
IT Solutions After COVID-19
There’s no doubt that business leaders are exploring technology opportunities following the pandemic. It’s essential that all companies, small and large, partner with a trusted IT support solutions company like Sydney Technology Solutions to take their technology offerings to the next level. Implement e-commerce, add virtual chat, improve work from home, and upgrade your security, and you’ll be off to a good start.
