How Trends Change With COVID-19 In The Air?
A small drop in a calm pond can result in a rippling effect. It disturbs the stagnancy of the entire pond. This is a similar situation that is going on in the world right now with COVID-19. It has disturbed all industries and has made a large impact on all the sectors and is bringing down the economy at a rapid pace. People are facing employment issues, financial constraints, losses in business ventures, and so on. With this sudden blow, all companies are either resorting to cutbacks or temporary shutdowns. Thousands of people have suddenly been asked to go home leading to a lot of unemployed people because the company couldn’t afford to keep them. A lot of companies are trying to ease the issues of their employers by asking them to resort to working from home. But now with almost all the people facing an almost similar issue, we are all looking forward to what can be done next? What will be the future after this pandemic which never seems to end? Reinvention and reformations are in order. COVID -19 has changed the way we have been working for all these years and has made us rethink what are the loads of the current system that can we can change or completely let go in order to keep businesses running. So, let’s take a small sneak peek at the possible trends in business that will help us prepare for the upcoming future.
The first shift for the IT company employees was the work-from-home scenario in keeping with the social distancing norms laid forth by the governments. Video conferencing apps came to the rescue. Since we might be seeing more of this culture in the future, businesses are planning to bring in remote monitoring technology and employee welfare applications which can help track the daily attendance, work computer usage duration, and productivity. Employee Welfare applications will be able to use software to track the health of the employee and motivate them to maintain their fitness. In this order, employers are also providing elongated sick leave periods, financial support, child-care provisions, etc.
Expanding to different employee types is becoming more and more attractive to businessmen. This introduces flexibility in the employee group and allows businesses to explore non-traditional work models. 32% of companies are replacing full-time employees with contingent employees, according to research by Gartner’s Vice president, Brian Kropp. Contingent workers involve freelancers, independent contract workers, and so on who work based on a per-project basis. This helps employers to make use of different people who possess skills in different sectors.
Online marketing and sales will see a rise in the future as people are refraining to go out to buy simple groceries due to the fear of contracting the virus. Therefore, proper online commerce and delivery systems need to be focussed upon. Mobile applications, websites can be used to put their companies on the web and increase the competitor number. Utilizing social media platforms to market an upcoming business venture is the most effective means of advertising in the current scenario.
The education sector is also facing a lot of issues with the reduction in face-to-face interaction with the students. Small scale institutions like the coaching centers, home tuitions, etc. are incurring huge losses. Though video tutoring is an option, not many educational institutions in India are equipped to utilize them to the maximum benefits. The educators need to be trained and the software needs to be made available to all the students. Some of the online tools are pretty expensive for institutions like coaching centers to take up. Therefore, online education needs to be made the new normal if the education system has to keep up. Other countries utilize many platforms and tools in order to conduct examinations online with private monitoring. Such software will make a revolutionary change if introduced at affordable prices so that all educational institutions can use their facilities.
Customer services will also be modified. Home deliveries are not a new concept for those who are familiar with online shopping and cloud kitchens. Better ways to deliver the services to customers or consumers should be worked upon if restaurants and food chains are to retain their business. Online payment options will be preferred over cash on delivery mode of payment. UPIs, Net Banking, etc. are becoming more prevalent modes of payment nowadays since they just work on QR codes scanning or mobile numbers.
More automated facilities and services will be prevalent. In hindsight of the current situation, human interactive jobs will see a great downfall. Many of the call centers have been closed due to COVID-19 and companies have resorted to correspondence via e-mails, chatbots, and online forums. With the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, software that can provide answers by comprehending customer complaints has been utilized by companies that use online platforms for providing their services.
Redesigning of houses, workplaces, restaurants, etc. will occur. Though public places are not going to have the same number of customers as before, not all companies can adapt to online tools and technology. Therefore, the design of the workplace should be such that there is enough distancing between each desk or cabin and proper sanitization is to be done for the entire workplace. Staff can be provided with proper protective gear like masks, sanitizers, gloves, etc. Design ideas will see a marked difference in preparing for a post-pandemic scenario.
Therefore, the world needs to get ready for a change, a positive change. In order to move on with life itself, necessary changes need to be made and proper care has to be taken by the people with authority so that the common welfare of people can be taken care of. Pre-planned and effective planning is key for a new venture or development. All of us are facing a similar problem, so let’s help each other as much as we can and build a future after this pandemic.
