Vinita Choudhary shares her Point of View on how businesses are adapting to changing circumstances and switching from traditional physical working mode to Digital Workspaces empowered by the right tools and technologies.

Enable Remote Workplaces to Quickly Adapt to a Changing Paradigm

As the world shifts to a new way of life amid a global pandemic, we are facing unprecedented challenges, scrambling to adapt to changing customer needs. Physical events are being ported to virtual. Workplace rules must be re-written. Sales support has transformed into a new, never-seen-before model. Additionally, the element of future uncertainty looms, leading to further complications in establishing a firm plan to move forward.

In fact, in a recent survey the following top three concerns were raised by cross-domain businesses:

• 68% were concerned about the future, with uncertainty around budgets, planning and events.
• 45% were unsure of how to organize people and systems for remote work.
• 43% were worried about maintaining strong communications with clients.

As many staff as possible needs to work remotely with all the necessary assets and tools, and they need to do so efficiently. To ensure your business can continue and adapt to the changing crisis, you must quickly and broadly execute systems that replace the ways in which staff communicate and collaborate.

Set up or expand the use of decentralized communication and collaboration platforms. Team ensures that they should always be approachable through these communication mediums.

B2B businesses should invite struggling clients to view and use their digital platforms on a project-appropriate basis. We have found that this enhances communication and can give clients the confidence and knowledge required to set up their own digital environments.

Support clients and partners at speed

The multifaceted nature of the COVID-19 crisis is proving difficult circumstances for many businesses, threatening their continuity. The answer is working closely and intelligently with your clients, partners and providers.

As IT teams, you are likely more skilled and more experienced in remote meetings than your customers. Accordingly, take the lead in guiding the interactions with your customers. Help them learn effective use of web collaboration tools – offer informal training sessions. Offer suggestions on how to best set up their home offices. Teach them how to use online whiteboards, guide them through Discovery conversations using those whiteboards. Offer tips on how to improve their efficiency. You are then truly being a trusted advisor

• Examine clients are safe and that they can continue working. Assist where possible.
• Communicate on a regular basis to identify problem areas to focus on – this may go beyond current areas of collaboration.
• Prepare daily sprints to help deliver their most critical work.

The COVID-19 crisis is disruptive and concerning, but the way we act now will make a clear difference to the future – the ongoing management of the crisis and ultimate recovery. Support your people, trust them to take care of themselves, and they will take care of one another and their clients – this way, change can be rapidly and extensively implemented

Helping companies to run (better) is the #1 task in this crisis-situation. The shift towards digital has been significantly accelerated and we will benefit from this in the future. A crisis-situation requires to adapt quickly to a new situation. This is the change process and sense of urgency that most enterprises need in the digital transformation.

We agreed with our stakeholders on three simple steps to adapt to the new situation:

• Speed is more important than perfection. We need to be agile and think hours, not weeks
• Stop physical programs (events) and move (roles, processes, budgets) towards digital
• Adapt the messaging toward business continuity while showing empathy and willingness to help

We help our customers articulate their needs, define solutions, evaluate options, confirm capabilities, understand implementation – and realize value from their software purchases. We communicate our customers’ goals and objectives, constraints, challenges and future desires back into our organizations. We are, more than ever, the critical conversational conduits, guides and leaders in the world of software. It’s time to lead!