We have all been subjected to frightening and uncertain times these past few months. Some have experienced family and loved ones falling ill and passing away, others will be in isolation. For the majority, the social-distancing will cause the most struggle. For those working for, and with their own, businesses, adjustments to home-working have had to be made. This new way-of-working is impacting clients and suppliers too, hampering the supply-chain of products and services. The spread of the COVID-19 virus (AKA “Coronavirus”) is driving a new set of bahaviours in business that will become the standard. But, are we ready for a new normal?
Old habits die hard
Humans are creatures of habit. Despite email and scanners being widely available for years, many companies can’t bear to bin the fax machine! We’re delighted to see that even the National Health Service in the UK has axed its use of the fax.
Our love for all things old / traditional is reflected in the way businesses operate today. Many have clung on to the same methods for engaging potential clients, and holding internal meetings, that they’ve always used. Face-to-face clearly has its benefits. But it’s also true that video-conferencing has significantly improved in the past three or more decades and has become a key part of successful business around the globe today.
If you’re still unsure of the benefits video-conferencing in business, read this article by Microsoft from 2019, or contact us to see how it could help your business, specifically.
Travel wins over the environment
Despite how we have all benefited from exposure to the natural world during our lifetime (e.g. with reducing stress and improving mental and physical well-being) most are unable to prioritise the health of the environment over our love for travel. This has disappointed the younger generations in society, in particular, with a new environmental revolution being led by the extraordinary Greta Thunberg.
It's time for a new normal
Delivering for clients and investors is still important. Doing the best business that we can is also still very important. But during this extraordinary time, where ‘lockdown’ is commonplace around the world, individuals and businesses must be more agile to successfully steer through the challenging terrain. Good, strong leadership in business has never been so important. All of us need to demonstrate the other thing humans are really good at, adaptation.
Some people will instinctively know what to do, to embrace the current challenges and carve out a new standard for ‘doing business successfully’. If you’re unsure, please do get-in-touch with us as soon as possible – we can help.
At Parker Veese, we’re ready. Our Virtual CIO consulting services and additional specialist services have been designed from scratch to enable us to work remotely. We also offer tailored IT service-packages for start-ups, scale-ups and SME’s that allow you to spread the cost. We know that these are challenging times for business, so we’ve made it as accessible as possible to everyone.
