The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting the business world and companies have no choice but to review their strategies to overcome the crisis. The global COVID-19 lockdown has unprecedented impacts on our personal and professional lives. This situation is forcing companies across the globe to rethink their business strategies.
Most business leaders have decided to launch digital transformation initiatives to keep businesses running as smoothly as possible during the COVID-19 outbreak and to better prepare for the recovery phase.
However, driving change during these chaotic and unprecedented times is challenging for both business leaders and employees.
You’ve probably seen the discussions going on on social media around the effect of the current pandemic on digital transformation.
One of the most popular images circling around these days is this one:
This is not a joke but the new reality of digital transformation. This current situation is significantly influencing the way companies run their business and manage their people. Business continuity today seems impossible without the right technology in place.
In such a rapidly evolving situation, it’s almost impossible to balance what’s best for your company, protect your employees, and still deliver a great experience to customers without the right strategy and tools.
Additionally, employers need to understand that it’s unlikely that things will get back to normal after the pandemic. Instead, we’re seeing the forced acceleration of previously slow-moving DX trends that are likely to shape the future.
Let’s now take a look into the reasons why companies are accelerating their digital transformation efforts during COVID-19.
The benefits of having the right digital tools in place during a crisis such as COVID-19 are obvious and significant.
As the way we do business has drastically changed in the last few months, only the companies that adapt to these changes can succeed.
Indeed, by embracing digital transformation, businesses can maintain their ability to ensure essential functions during and after the pandemic and here’s how:
1. Enhancing employee collaboration during the COVID-19 outbreak
Remote work has come, and it’s here to stay. Experts and business leaders agree that companies across the globe will keep supporting remote work even after this crisis is done.
This situation where employees are physically separated has completely changed the way employees collaborate and work together.
The key business impact trigger will be a result of the quarantines, travel restrictions, school closures and sick family members. However, many organizations have already realized that technology can help organizations better adapt to the current changing situation.
Indeed, remote teams are required to be more connected, to improve their communications, and to better align their strategies. Great collaboration results in improved efficiency and increased productivity, but only if you have the right tools in the first place.
This is why we are now witnessing many digital transformation projects and the implementation of new technologies as solutions to enable better team collaboration during the outbreak.
2. Ensuring the right flow of information
In times of crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic, your internal communication should be clear, transparent, and easy to understand. What’s more, it is extremely important to be able to reach the right employees at the right time with the right message.
This is the time when employers, leaders and internal communicators should drastically improve their communication efforts.
However, some companies have a complex internal communication ecosystem, and it often makes employees feel overwhelmed with too much or irrelevant information, confused and, often times, this results in important information being ignored by employees.
In these difficult times, it is extremely important to improve communication and collaboration across the organization. Businesses can’t afford to have employees missing out on important information such as urgent company updates or the latest changes made to projects they’re working on.
That’s why improving their internal communication is the most important digital transformation project for most of them.
With the implementation of the right employee communication technology, leaders and IC professionals are able to ensure the right flow of information in the workplace. They are able to better filter their audiences, personalize messages, send push notifications to employees’ mobile phones, and ensure that all the information is available and findable in a matter of seconds.
3. Maintaining employee productivity during the crisis
Most companies have made arrangements to accommodate remote working already at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. Indeed, their priority was to protect their employees and help reduce the spread of the virus.
Businesses are now looking for solutions to maintain employees’ productivity while working from home during the pandemic.
Many employers have realized the benefits of implementing new solutions that enable employees to stay productive and to successfully do their jobs and the ones that haven’t digitalized their internal processes earlier are now actively rethinking their strategies. They are in search for marketing, sales, development, internal communications, human resources and other tech solutions to ensure continuous business performance even during these unexpected circumstances.
These digital technologies can help improve efficiency and productivity, and make organizations more resilient to operational disruptions.
Organizations that resist embracing digital products or channels risk being disrupted during and after the crisis.
4. Enabling leaders for success
During these times, it is crucial that business leaders and managers demonstrate good leadership skills in order to increase business resilience and prepare for rebound and future growth.
Moreover, when employees are extremely satisfied with communications about the company’s response to coronavirus, 96% of them believe that their employer really puts their safety first. When communication is poor, only 30% of them believe so.
It goes without saying that managers and leaders should have open discussions with employees regarding their concerns and anxieties, and express support for employees’ choices.
5. Planning for business continuity
Business leaders have to plan for post-pandemic recovery already now. They need to implement the right strategy and tools now to limit damages on their business.
Final Thoughts
In these times of crisis, companies have no choice but to review their short-term and long-term strategies. Remote work has become the new norm, and both team managers and employees have to cope with new ways of working.
