Countless businesses are attempting to understand and adjust to “the new normal”, a term coined for how human beings are interacting and living their lives after the COVID-19 pandemic. Many organizations had to rethink their strategies, readjust expectations, or change their business models completely.
All around the world, organizations are trying to figure out how to future-proof their operations. In other words, businesses are trying to think about how they can evolve to meet critical challenges. This may involve integrating new technologies, testing new marketing strategies, or rethinking what “work” looks like.
The COVID-19 Transformation
There’s no question about it: the COVID-19 transformation was also a digital transformation. Many businesses that might not have otherwise thought about a digital presence suddenly realized that consumers were moving towards online channels. Companies also had to turn more than ever to digital strategies concerning marketing, customer service, and operational efficiency.
The pandemic immediately changed a lot of aspects of everyday life: how consumers work, shop, go to school, connect with friends, and even receive medical care. More organizations invested in creating digital initiatives to help them connect with customers, and other businesses (such as restaurants and gyms) had to make a complete shift online in order to survive.
Consumers were already gravitating towards digital experiences, but COVID-19 accelerated that transition much faster. More consumers had new expectations regarding online payment options, pickup/delivery services, and hybrid workplace models. More people began working from home, and it looks like many of them won’t be returning to the office.
Because of the rising threat of cybersecurity issues, many companies also invested in IT initiatives to ensure that their data is safe, secure, and private. Regardless, the pandemic has led to more companies investing in hardware, software, and digital infrastructure. In fact, 84% of executives claim that their digital transformations have led to new opportunities.
How Did Businesses Survive During The Pandemic?
First and foremost, many businesses survived because they understood how to keep both their employees and customers engaged during the pandemic. Their workers adopted the right digital communication tools to maintain company culture, and their customers felt like their needs were addressed and heard.
Second, many businesses invested in digital marketing because they understood that consumers were spending more time online than ever before. The end-user experience now has to shift to the digital space, and they worked to ensure that the experience was as straightforward and seamless as possible. By 2025, 3 out of every 4 organizations will leverage digital platforms to adapt to new markets and industries.
Unfortunately, not every company was able to evolve. What happens if you aren’t able to evolve to appeal to post-pandemic consumers? The truth is that 70% of all digital transformations fail, which can have grave consequences for organizations, and result in them losing precious market share.
Many of these businesses end up hitting roadblocks in their digital transformation journey. They may have focused on size instead of quality, faced learning curve obstacles, or failed to create strategic digital solutions to consumer pain points. Of course, specific sectors that rely on in-person experiences (such as the travel/tourism industry) experienced significant declines in revenue.
Some businesses were not only able to survive but thrive and scale to new levels, all because they understood the power of digital transformation and the way that business was trending. It’s never too late to start thinking about digital transformation or future-proofing your business in new and innovative ways.
Improving Cybersecurity And Data Privacy
There’s also another important trend to consider: the fact that companies will have to evolve with ever-changing cybersecurity and data privacy regulations. This is also an important aspect of digital transformation, as one data breach can end up costing an organization millions of dollars.
It can be difficult for business leaders, executives, and employees to get on the same page regarding cybersecurity and data privacy. Many companies are investing heavily into both IT and cybersecurity efforts to help future-proof their operations. During the first three months of the pandemic, IT leaders spent an additional $15 billion on cybersecurity and remote work needs.
The Blue Whale Apps Approach To Future-Proofing
Many businesses understand the need for a digital presence but don’t offer a truly satisfying experience to the end-user. At Blue Whale Apps, our experts can help ensure that you acquire more customers, improve customer retention, and improve customer engagement rates.
At Blue Whale Apps, we help businesses with their digital transformation efforts. We’ve helped clients launch apps, implement and integrate Salesforce successfully, and connect with users on a deeper level. We understand the importance of taking your products and services online and modernizing your UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) design to appeal to post-pandemic consumers.
It takes time and effort to continue future-proofing your organization, whether you are interested in new technologies, digital marketing initiatives, or ensuring that your customer data is secure.
The digital transformation was already here, but the pandemic makes it so that organizations should think about future-proofing their operations sooner rather than later. Contact Blue Whale Apps if you are interested in how we can future-proof your business or organization.
