Digital contactless payment technologies, remote working, teleconferencing, and online business platforms – this is the newly embraced system for most businesses right now. Most industries reconstructed their formerly accepted company blueprints to continue operations amid COVID19.
A sudden blow struck people, and it exempted no one. We populated the streets, filled tens of stories of buildings, congested restaurants, and loaded the malls. Now, we are doing the opposite. From an individual to the biggest of businesses, we had to make a shift. An ironic time, indeed. We even express our concern by distancing ourselves from the people we value. COVID19 is a world-changer.
Yet, the change is irreversible. For corporations, adapting to survive is the new mantra.
According to Jill Schlesinger, CBS News Business Analyst, various industries are going to be impacted by the pandemic in three (3) distinct phases, which she called the ‘T3’. It stands for triage, transition, and transformation.
- Triage is when companies learned how to operate in new ways as they implement work-from-home schemes. Workers experimented on different online meeting platforms such as google meet, zoom, slack, and more. ALL messages now had to pass through online channels. One online meeting platform also alarmed users as security issues came out recently, causing companies to have concerns and question the reliability of the method. Left with no choice, they just had to find a better platform.
- Transition is where corporations take a conservative approach that eyes on creating a reconfigured working condition that provides a safety net to their employees. Among which are coming up with alternatives for initially planned events like seminars or forums, and business travels. Most companies are at this phase. It is gradually accepting the possible stretch of the status quo. Therefore, calibrating the business to prepare it for any contingencies, assuring its continuity at the same time securing the livelihood of its employees.
- Transformation is the final phase wherein businesses, regardless of their size, are devoting much thought and analysis on how they will emerge and transform from the pandemic. It will try to address post-pandemic concerns such as:
- Performing employee functions remotely permanently
- Implementing technologies to improve deliverability even with the new measures
- Office set-up or configuring the physical workspace to prevent direct contacts
- What put human workers at risk
- Use of technologies in place of formerly human-performed activities
To get back on track, industries have to make it through these three. Among these phases, transformation is the hardest to achieve, but it is no time to decline it. Enterprises have to deliver as fast or faster than before while complying with safety measures. Others have to turn their backs from their traditional systems and find another way to sell their products or services. To make up for these compromises, expect the integration of technology in every strand of any business.
Most businesses have envisioned becoming technology-driven. However, it never occurred that it will be this soon, and with much urgency.
The virus accelerated the pace of the business technology journey. Corporations have to implement digital transformation now not because they want to be the trendiest but because they have to survive.
No one knows when will this end and how the world will look like after the pandemic. But for a certain, it will permanently change the tone of every industry.
Reshape to the new normal.
Remodel your business. For now, that is the better way.
