5 major changes in the way we do business post-COVID-19

Where will we be in three months, six months, a year from now? This is the question on everyone’s mind as the coronavirus pandemic continues to dominate all aspects of our daily lives. Something that none of us expected, or prepared for now has the potential to change the way we live, and in particular, the way businesses will conduct themselves in the future. Whether this will be for better or worse is still unclear, but what we do know is that either way, how we choose to do business is about to fundamentally change. Here’s our predictions on what that might look like.

Working from home will become a standard for many businesses

Arguably the biggest change for many businesses is that they are now running operations from the comfort of their own homes, and while this has been undeniably challenging, numerous businesses are seeing the benefits of working from home in the future, once the current situation de-escalates. For many businesses, this has opened up a whole new opportunity they never would have realised otherwise. Allowing employees to work at home can increase productivity, and employees feel happier and more valued when they have the chance to work wherever they feel comfortable, which has numerous positive benefits for business.

However, while some people may be enjoying working from home, not all businesses are currently equipped to do it - mainly because of their limited technology; bringing us to our next point.

Companies will begin to leverage emerging technology

While working from home has been a breath of fresh air for some, it’s been hell on earth for others. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many businesses face to face with what they may have been ignoring: their technology is outdated. 

As most companies operate in a way that means employees rarely have to work outside of the office, many of them haven’t got the technology necessary to work remotely successfully. Outdated, legacy systems that can’t be accessed off-premises without the help of a VPN is causing computers to crash, slow down and make employees across the UK pull their hair out in despair. And we know what many of you are now thinking - yes, you should’ve moved to the cloud when you had the chance.

But don’t despair just yet, we actually wrote a Cloud Based CRM Guide to help, if you’re having this problem.

Conferences and events will go virtual

Global catastrophes have a strange way of bringing everything into focus. Much like 9/11 proved to the world that terrorism doesn’t just happen in distant lands, and the 2008 economic crisis showed that even the richest amongst us weren’t invincible, COVID-19 is making us afraid again - but this time, we’re wary of each other.

As much as many of us have been insisting for the past (however many) few years that life is becoming too technologically advanced, there’s every chance that this pandemic could have us thinking differently. 

Instead of asking “can we meet in person?” we might start asking “can we do this online?”.

With video conferencing tools such as Zoom (which had a whopping 535% rise in daily traffic in the past month) becoming increasingly popular it’s likely that these will become a dominant practice in the post-COVID-19 office. The pandemic has shown us that business meetings, conference calls and even huge events can all be done online successfully, which (once this is all over, of course) is not only more convenient for many people, but it could be more cost effective.

While we don’t necessarily see huge events permanently going virtual, it’s definitely something we believe will become more commonplace in the future.

Content will remain “king”

It’s that overused phrase again *shudders*, but it’s true. Right now, not many businesses can actually sell their products or services, so their focus is on slowly informing and educating their customers, hoping for a purchase further down the line. This will undoubtedly change the way businesses market themselves to their customers, as many are striving to become thought leaders and experts in their industry during this time - while people, stuck at home, are craving new content to engage with. 

This is the inbound methodology we’ve been practicing for years, but we believe that even more businesses will begin to see the value of inbound practices like leading prospects through their buyers journey to a purchase through educational, valuable content. 

As a result of this however, your customers will be smarter, and wiser to the tricks of your trade, meaning that the content you write now, and in the future, needs to be excellent. Without investing in content now, you risk losing out on opportunities in the future. 

Business processes will no longer be set in stone

Ah, thorough, well organised processes - is there anything more satisfying to a business owner than having everyone working to the same standard?

Ordinarily, yes. However, this pandemic has made many businesses realise one thing: you need to be able to adapt to survive in such an uncertain economy. Having well defined business processes is great, but if you refuse to slightly change even in the midst of a global crisis, you’re going to run into issues, fast.

It’s understandable, COVID-19 has left many of us feeling out of control, and we get it if your rigid processes are the one thing that’s making you feel like you still have it. However, after this is all over, a lot will have to change - whether we like it or not. So, if you’re carrying on as if all is normal, and you’re not changing strategy or process to keep up with your customer - you might be stung once this is all over. 

As chaotic as it may seem, sometimes abandoning what you know is the way to achieve your goals. 

Marketing will become more important than ever 

Now that businesses have closed their doors for the foreseeable and are inevitably having to cut back on their expenses, often the first thing to get the chop is marketing. However, once this is all over, we predict that marketing will become essential to getting businesses back on track. Businesses continuing to invest in their marketing will see their current customers stay loyal and attract new ones. Even though people aren’t making big purchases right now, it doesn’t mean they’ve stopped researching, or considering what you’re offering - and businesses capitalising on this are likely to be seeing results once this is all over.

Having said that, we know that navigating your business through these uncertain times is challenging, and it can be difficult to know how to keep your business afloat, without abandoning your marketing - which is why we’re here to help. 

To ensure you’re getting through this tough time and ensuring you stay ahead, you need to make sure your website is the best it can be. Ready to learn everything you need to know about building a B2B website that converts high-quality leads? Click below.