One of the biggest changes caused by COVID-19 has been the way people work—including the way people work at supporting customers.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been widespread regardless of business size or type. For many businesses, the dispersed workforce caused by social distancing restrictions has created the need to do things differently and reach customers in new ways.

For many organizations, this has meant opting for a remote-first model for customer interactions.

To see how the remote-first approach supports employees, click here. 

Adjusting to Changing Customer Expectations

Regardless of the business or service that an organization offers, adjustments will need to evolve over time based on the needs of customers. The customer journey needs to be reimagined to reduce in-person interactions and touch features to provide for new safety requirements.

Quickly pivoting to a remote-first model to address these changes is critical for success.

For some, this may mean standing up a fully functional e-commerce system–connecting all functions including warehousing, merchandising, marketing and customer service.

Other organizations are making the move outside–literally moving their business to the curb or parking lot of their building to safely allow for curbside pickup and outdoor services, such as dining, gyms classes or meetings.

There are many great cloud-based systems available, but all of this needs a strong WiFi connection. Previously, these new applications may have been hosted on-prem, but a dispersed workforce has forced the adoption of more cloud-based applications to support customers.

The organization’s broadband needs to be able to keep up with the increasing digital needs that these new cloud-based applications require. For some businesses operating with a fully remote or hybrid workforce, managed network services could be the best option to gain the necessary visibility into network usage patterns to better plan for capacity during normal and exceptional times. IT leaders can gain visibility and control whether they are on premises or working remotely.

Driving Digital Agility

Disparate workforces and evolving customer expectations have changed the way organizations are operating, likely for the long term. Many businesses are adopting a digital-first operating model that brings with it the agility and flexibility to address customer and employee needs as challenges and situations evolve.

A strong digital connection between customers and employees allows for the real-time information flow necessary to maintain and grow your business.

For more information on how businesses can use technology to navigate new work environments and expectations, explore the rest of our “Driving Digital Agility” blog series.

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.