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How businesses are innovating to serve customers and grow, now and in the future

The business solutions adopted to weather the current crisis may be the key to moving forward beyond the pandemic

Man on laptop with headset on

The businesses that survive the myriad economic upheavals of 2020 and onwards will be those that embrace, rather than resist, the digital changes that are helping them through the current crises. And companies that go one step further and look for opportunity in the new technologies they adopt will be in a position not just to survive but to thrive as they move forward.  

The challenges businesses have faced over the last few months are no secret. Social distancing and strict government regulations on how businesses are allowed to operate and interact with clients and customers have compelled companies to innovate. These solutions, born out of pressing need, are challenging long-held beliefs about the best way to run a successful business.

Consider how companies go about conducting sales and delivering services. In the past, it was often expected that representatives would physically visit or host clients and customers when making a sales call, demonstrating a product, providing consulting services or training. It turns out this isn't strictly necessary to achieve a personal touch. Thanks to reliable high-speed internet connectivity, video conferencing is proving an effective substitute for many salespeople working to drum up business while avoiding the office, and digital and social media platforms are giving service providers efficient means of connecting with clients wherever they happen to be. Health care providers are discovering that, in many cases, a video-based check-up can suffice, and some companies have "virtualized" their customer service centres, allowing agents to help people while working from their homes or other remote locations.

New and enhanced business voice solutions designed to better service customers are proving exceptionally useful in the current crisis. When you can’t safely visit clients in person, it’s more important than ever to have a reliable and powerful phone system—such as Rogers Unison—that can help ensure all customer calls are expediently directed to and handled by staff capable of meeting customer expectations. And such systems aren't just temporary solutions to get through the current crisis. In the longer term, workers can continue to use them to provide excellent remote service and enhance productivity by reducing the need to travel.

Other sectors are finding new and potentially more efficient ways to sell and deliver physical goods. Restrictions on bricks-and-mortar stores have given retailers a strong nudge to increase their online presence with the assistance of popular ecommerce solutions that allow them to step up their online storefronts and make sales without anyone needing to walk into a physical location. Along the way they're discovering the ongoing benefits provided by these platforms, such as the ability to learn more about and better serve their customers, as well as unify online and in-store business strategies and operations.

Larger companies, meanwhile, have begun making more significant use of Internet of Things (IoT) asset management solutions to improve delivery operations by using sensors to monitor product status and location and keep a better record of the chain of custody, providing improved customer service and easier tracking in the process.

While many of these measures were adopted by business owners and managers to help them stay afloat during these unprecedented times, these same companies are now beginning to realize that they could serve as avenues of long-term growth. Not only do the solutions they've adopted increase their preparedness for future crises—a new priority for any executive blindsided by the current emergency—they can also provide new and improved ways of meeting client demands, enhancing customer satisfaction and improving employee efficiency and productivity. Businesses have to adapt to their customers’ changing expectations to move forward and thrive in the long term.

Adopting digital solutions won't solve all the problems faced by Canadian businesses trying to serve customers and clients as the “new normal” becomes increasingly hybrid, but it can help build a good foundation for the evolution of your business.

Learn how your business can take advantage of new business voice solutions, IoT asset management technologies, virtual contact centres and other technologies with potential to enhance customer service now and in the future.