How COVID-19 Forces Digital Transformation

Most of the experienced entrepreneurs will agree that the only constant in business is a change.  To be successful businesses shouldn’t be too conservative about transformations and continuous improvements. For the last decade, the forward-looking companies were trying to embrace new technologies in one way or another. So today they are more prepared for a radical shift caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. But for those who were delaying changes, the COVID 19 may hit hard, but at the same time be the biggest trigger forces a digital transformation. Change or Die –  seems to be a new motto for businesses in 2020.  

What is digital transformation?

Digital transformation is not just about the increase in using digital tools. It’s about changing the way the company operates, engages with its employees /customers, and delivers value. 

This implies creating new or modifying existing business processes, culture, etc, by using digital technologies. 

Such transformation is different for every company. And it is hard to accomplish since it usually requires leaving a lost-lasting business process behind. Then shifting to a new, not so well defined practices.  

Unfortunately, many digital transformations fail. The companies simply can’t achieve business results from their  DT efforts. The reasons are various, from employees’ resistance to focusing too much on technologies rather than its expediency. 

However, a successful digital shift means increasing agility, profit, and competitiveness. It’s no longer a buzzword but a necessity for businesses in 2020.  The sooner companies start building and implementing their digital transformation strategies, the bigger chances they have to stay afloat. 

Remote work

The’s a big challenge for established workflows around the world with coronavirus measures taking hold. All businesses which cover different spheres are seeking and contemplating about new ways of doing their job, the top alternative variant is the remote mode. 

During the last few years, the trend for the “work from anywhere” has been rapidly growing, so many companies, as well as, we at KeyToTech, have implemented it. 

Controlling a remote team can be challenging, and more multi-faceted task than leading a team which comes to the workplace. Thankfully, the market provides quite a range of remote teamwork tools that can make it easier to manage distributed teams. Among the most popular are: Zoom, Slack, Google Meet, Jira, Trello, etc. 

But the remote work brings more benefits than challenges. Among the biggest are better work-life balance and wellbeing for employees, increasing productivity, the ability to hire top-talents, and of course saving money for the company.

So this big remote mode experiment allows trying new tools, optimize communications/processes and improve overall performance. 

As predicted, remote work will gradually become new normal for many businesses. And the coronavirus outbreak will accelerate this process faster than we imagined. 

E-learning

After the spreading of  Coronavirus, schools, and universities had to switch to virtual learning. However, many institutions appeared to be unprepared for such a shift.

There’re plenty of tools for helping teachers and students stay connected.  But at the same time, there are challenges such as a lack of strategies for online education, lack of management systems, gadgets shortage, data security, student’s motivation, etc. 

Therefore,  there’s a need to develop new strategies and tools for educational institutions. As well as implementing online learning as a part of the regular educational process even after the epidemic.

Virtual events digital transformation

Gathering thousands of people in one place during the pandemic is irresponsible. So many global conferences canceled, postponed or changed their format to virtual.

For example, the fastest-growing North American tech event –  Collision launched a “Collision from home”. It allows you to join the conference online from wherever you are in the world.

Of course, there are many concerns about how to keep the audience engaged, and replace the value of face-to-face experience. But on the other hand, organizers are becoming more creative and reimagining the whole events, by using various kinds of digital interactions. 

E-commerce and on-demand services

No doubt COVID-19 has changed the demand and behavior of the customers. While grocery-delivery is skyrocketing, the demand for clothing items and bags is lower than ever.

Still, it’s a hard time for retailers to cope with high consumer expectations. Modern buyers hope to get needed services faster than ever before. They expect quick, accessible, and personalized solutions – at all times and from anywhere. Even the retail giant Amazon announced that it can’t keep up with the growing demand, so the company will slow up the delivery of non-essential items. 

Probably this curve will flatter after the pandemic. But obviously,  the e-commerce and on-demand services will continue its digital transformation, implementing tech solutions like apps, AI, machine learning, data analytics faster than ever before. As the companies success depends on technology adoption and providing the best possible customer experience.

To sum up

The global pandemic is stimulating the digital transformation of all industries. It is necessary to be more agile and innovative to stay afloat. Many companies are reimagining the way they operate, managing work, communicate with the customers. Better reach, better customer experience, better efficiency –  are only a few reasons for transforming in 2020. The biggest one is survival. 

We, at KeyToTech, empower companies with digital transformation, providing technological solutions and data-driven insights. Get the most out of the innovation and let’s make a better future together!

Want to develop an e-commerce app, learning platform, delivery application for your restaurant or tool for online communication? We can help. Contact us today!