Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash
Many businesses are starting to reopen after being closed due to the global pandemic. As a result, it is becoming quite clear that there is a new way of doing things, and it will look quite different to how things were done before. Even as numbers of the virus decrease everywhere, it has changed how we do things, and it is likely to stay that way for a little while. So as a result, what do businesses need to do to improve and to adapt what they are doing? Below are a few things that businesses can consider to be ready for life post pandemic.
Going Digital
This is something that can be defined best as the need for businesses to carry on with what they’re doing, while making some technology based changes. So many employees all around the world have been working from home when this wasn’t something that would have even been considered before. This has resulted in an unprecedented use of technology for employees to keep in touch with each other through things like video conferencing. This is likely to carry on in some form or another, but technology can also be used in different ways going forward.
If you have a retail store or a restaurant, adapting to different methods of payment, and being able to allow people to order online and then collect in-store is something that you might not have had before, but now can, through improved technology. You could look for a virtual point of sale system, for instance, as it is a web-based application that allows retailers to be able to process transactions, but without the need for a specific till or card-reader device. If there is the internet, then it will work. With many businesses going cashless, this can be another example of changes that are likely to stay for a while post-pandemic.
CyberCrime
With more people working from home and working away from colleagues, there has been a rise in the number of phishing attacks as cybercrime soars, sadly, they’re making the most of the uncertain times that a pandemic brings. As it is likely that working from home is something that will stay in place for many, post-pandemic, businesses need to consider the risks of cybercrime and make sure that they are protecting themselves. Training staff, updating passwords, and allowing auto-updates for software will all help, especially for businesses that don’t have the capacity for a dedicated IT team.
Awareness of Health & Safety
You might have thought that your business was in a healthy and clean environment, until the pandemic hit. As a result, and what will likely not change, workplaces will need to factor this in, and might have to even reconfigure the layout of the office. For example, to allow people to sit a little further apart. There may also be more of an investment into PPE than before, and increasing the cleanliness of the space, investing more in a cleaning team than you would have before.
No matter how we slice it, the world as we knew it is no more. If we don’t make adjustments to our businesses, they will be a distant memory just like hugs and hand shakes.
