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How Small and Large Businesses Can Use Technology to Thrive During COVID-19 Pandemic
How Small and Large Businesses Can Use Technology-min

How Small and Large Businesses Can Use Technology to Thrive During COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many companies. Some have even been put out of business because of the significant losses. However, the global health crisis is also transforming the entire business environment, encouraging them to modify their strategies and process to continue core operations with the help of digital tools and technologies.

These advancements play a vital role in maintaining operations and keeping the society functional during community quarantines and lockdowns. From how people can work and how they receive goods to how they make their time at home more valuable, these technologies help businesses and societies become more resilient in tough times. 

Below are some of the innovations that small and large businesses can take advantage of during a pandemic. Let’s get started! 

Remote Working

If there’s one good thing that came out of the pandemic, it’s that many businesses have realized that they can get back to work by telecommuting or allowing their employees to work from home. 

Businesses can utilize software like Google Chat to maintain communication with employees and conduct meetings. Meanwhile, time and project management tools like Teamwork and Bitrix can help monitor each employees’ tasks and progress. 

Apart from preventing the spread of the virus, shifting to remote working also allows employees to save costs on transportation and commute time. This allows more flexibility for your workers, and at the same time, reduces business costs.  

Digital and Contactless Payments

Immediate financial actions for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic are extremely crucial to recover loss and establish their footing in the “new normal.” The same goes for corporations or large businesses. One way they can keep customers and employees from possibly contracting the virus through handling cash is by going contactless.

Using digital payments, such as e-wallets and online banking card transactions, allows businesses to continue offering their products and services to customers and receive payments faster, safer, and more convenient. 

Businesses can implement API integration in their systems not only to provide alternative payment methods but also to refine the inquiries and feedback they receive, and so much more.

Digital Tools and Applications

Some businesses continue to remain open (either strictly online or both in-store and online) by embracing the use of digital tools to keep their business operations and continue servicing their customers. 

Businesses can allow customers to book and schedule appointments through online forms and continue consultations via an app (for instance, Medgate is an app that enables telemedical consultations). Even applications like Viber can help businesses maintain their community and update customers about their products and services and business processes. 

In the post-COVID-19 era, using digital tools and apps are a necessity, not an option. 

E-commerce and Online Businesses to Thrive Further

People who typically visit physical stores may not be able to do so because of lockdowns, quarantine rules, and strict social distancing policies. With this, online shopping is seeing a boom. 

For businesses, digital marketing efforts amid COVID-19 focus more on making sales than establishing branding. Since more and more people are shopping online, businesses can look into pay-per-click advertising to attract more customers as they ease into shopping online. 

For local, small businesses that are only starting and have no budget for ads, they can use e-commerce platforms like Shopee, as well as social media networks, to introduce and boost their online presence and capture potential customers. On the other hand, they can do SMS marketing via SMS gateway in the Philippines to promote new products and services to their existing customers in a more personalized manner. 

Mobile Devices

If you have the budget, and it’s necessary to keep communication lines with your employees and customers open, you may opt to deploy mobile gadgets to your employees. Tablets or smartphones can carry tools and applications needed to perform their jobs remotely. Moreover, you can pre-install the core apps your company uses for operations like contact solutions. 

Summing It Up

The quarantine and lockdown halted some businesses and employees from getting back to work and resuming operations. But digital tools and technologies are mitigating the impact of the pandemic on businesses. And are instrumental in helping companies continue their operations across all industries. 

With that being said, digital tools and technologies are here to stay. We’ll see more consumers, businesses, and economies depending on digital transformation to survive through the pandemic.

Author

  • Lou Lobrin

    Lou Zandrian Lobrin is Marketing & Sustainability Manager of Esquire Financing, a lending firm offering non-collateral business loans to small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). He enjoys traveling, cultural immersion, and meeting new people outside work.

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