Many of us are probably tired of hearing and reading about this pandemic at this point. Covid dropped like a bomb, everything was put on its edge and everyday life changed in a hurry. But even though it has been a difficult time with a lot of losses, we also have a lot of lessons that we can take with us, into the future. And through these lessons, we can become better at dealing with future changes and crises.
So what can we take with us, in our backpack of experience, and benefit from in the future?
The future is uncertain
We do not know what the future has to offer, it’s as simple as that. That was one of the first things this pandemic taught us. Big changes can happen overnight, and it is impossible for us to know what the change will be the next time.
The same applies to what the conditions for entrepreneurs look like. Overnight, society changed and everyone suddenly started to work from home. People sat down on their sofas, at kitchen tables, sat in the laundry room or in the garage, and performed their tasks.
For some companies, with static communication solutions, the transition took a long time and efficiency was lost. For those companies that had a more flexible solution, the transition went much faster and smoother.
But now we are seeing another change. People see the silver lining and are cautiously hoping that the pandemic will soon be over. Therefore, companies begin to prepare to take back their workforce to the offices. But even here, the future is uncertain. Would employees prefer to stay at home? Will companies want to save money by cutting down on expensive premises? Or maybe everyone will be tired of working from home and demand to get their desk and office chair back?
As I said, it is difficult to predict what the future has to offer. Next time, maybe it is climate change, political forces or a new discovery that drives rapid change. Therefore, it is good to invest in making your company, your employees and your systems as flexible as possible.
Cloud-based services facilitate change
Companies that have static solutions will become more difficult to handle, when it comes to change. It goes without saying. Therefore, flexibility is an important factor to keep in mind when investing in new systems and solutions. With cloud-based systems, you ensure that your employees are not tied to a specific place, which in turn leads to a more flexible workforce.
When the pandemic struck, we saw that our customers, who already had a cloud solution in place, could quickly acclimatize to the new conditions at the same time as they began to demand more of our services. The need to be able to collaborate remotely and then be able to analyze and follow up contact patterns became greater, something that has also increased gradually.
Invest in flexibility now, so you are not stuck the next time a change occurs.
Digital transformation is not something you do by buying a new system
There was a lot of talk about digital transformation even before Covid 19 entered the scene. But many companies have misunderstood what that means. I see entrepreneurs who have bought a new system and then pat themselves on the chest and say that they have undergone a digital transformation. And even if they have come a part of the way, digital transformation is not a single purchase or an investment. Digital transformation is something that should permeate the company’s core, something to keep in mind when managing customers, collaborating with partners and investing in their employees.
Here, it is important that different systems are integrated with each other to create a seamless working day, and that these systems are fully utilized. Examples of this are Microsoft Teams. Many companies have invested in the collaboration tool, but figures show that only about 40% of its capacity is used by the average business. By, for example, integrating other systems, such as the company exchange, into Teams, you can ensure that the system delivers its true power.
When companies take advantage of the full capacity that their systems can offer, and incorporate the digital thinking into the company’s structure, then they have achieved a true digital transformation. Which in turn makes the company and its employees more resilient to the next change.