The pandemic disrupted many business operations last year, and some of those disruptions are still happening this year. It can be quite problematic for small businesses when their operations are halted. It can lead to the loss of revenue or, worse, potential bankruptcy. Thankfully, through the use of technology, we are finding ways to keep our business transactions functioning normally. Here are some ways many businesses worldwide are adapting to the pandemic through the use of technology.
Online Communications
Technology has helped us to better connect with one another through digital connections. This was something we didn’t expect we would be doing as a norm. But today, many business meetings and classes are actually done online. We also meet with our family members and friends through these means. But how do online communications actually impact how businesses work today? One impact is by holding online business meetings.
Online Business Meetings
Online business meetings have become a norm for many companies nowadays. Before, it was only reserved for urgent meetings with the higher-ups. But now, everyone is doing this kind of meeting. At first, everyone had a hard time doing these kinds of meetings. It was new, after all, and no one really did it before the pandemic hit. But because of quarantine protocols, no one was allowed to hold business meetings until the virus had settled down. Another problem was the bandwidth.
Internet providers weren’t ready for the influx of online meetings on the Internet. This lead to laggy calls, which made online meetings unbearable. But eventually, through the use of hosted VoIP phone systems, Internet connections were made faster. Online meetings suffered little to no lag, and it seems that the person you are talking to the other line is right there with you. This also opened up conference meetings to up to a thousand participants! You can set up a virtual business party with that! Many platforms such as Google and Zoom also implemented new changes in their platforms to make them more user-friendly, especially for companies.
Online Chat Bots
Another form of online communication that has made consumers’ lives so much easier is through online chatbots.
Chatbots are a lifesaver for many businesses that received inquiries every day. These inquiries can be a hassle to answer, and it can clog up the business telephone. Furthermore, these inquiries pile up when your company isn’t in operation. So once you are in operation, your employees will be spending most of their time working answering these questions. But because of advancements in artificial intelligence, online chatbots became the front-liners when answering frequently answered questions in your company.
The best part about online chatbots is that they don’t need any sleep. They are practically virtual assistants that can work 24/7 because they can even set schedules for appointments. They are great to have for any business out there.
Social Media
Businesses need their presence to be known on social media sites, especially today. It is a simple but effective way of marketing, and the best part about it is that it’s free! However, there’s usually not enough time, even during the pandemic, to handle these social media profiles. So many businesses have resorted to different digital technologies to help them out.
Social Media Analytics
Many businesses would like to know their impact on social media, especially during the pandemic. But no business has the time to check the likes and shares in every post. But there is a particular digital technology that does this for them, and they are known as social media analytic apps.
Social media analytics can count the shares, likes, and various other things regarding your company’s posts, so you don’t have to do it yourself. It can even rate which posts are the most influential for the week or even for the month. It’s an effective technology that has helped many companies during the pandemic know whether their presence is known on social media or not.
Social Media Manager
Hiring a social media manager can be beneficial for your company. But this job can be costly. However, some digital technologies out there can do the same job but to a lesser extent. Small companies that can’t afford to hire a social media manager use this particular digital technology instead.
Some social media management tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer can help your company manage its social media. They can help with scheduling posts, plan posts, and even create them. All of these have been helpful for smaller companies during the pandemic.
Before, the world had a hard time adapting to what we have labeled as the ‘new normal.’ However, because of technology, we have gotten used to it. Businesses have also returned to functioning normally because of technology. Many of them have adopted online business operations and eventually grew because of it.
