A man from Cafe Javas makes a delivery. Businesses can blend the digital and physical to serve customers better especially if it includes delivering goods to different destinations. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
The Covid-19 pandemic has left many entrepreneurs and businesses struggling to stay afloat and this has caused an economic crisis. But every crisis offers an opportunity.
The restrictions on travel, remote working, the shutdown of physical shops and factories, social distancing, have left a sour taste in many mouths. Businesses that were focused on the physical presence of customers have suffered the most. But there is an opportunity for businesses to learn from this pandemic and transform themselves. The restriction on physical presence has proved the need for businesses to adopt digital transformation and technological innovations that had been previously ignored.
Growth of digital technologies
Covid-19 has accelerated the growth of digital technologies and innovations and the businesses that have been able to adapt quickly have integrated their digital infrastructure in various lines of production. The businesses that continued to thrive during lockdown were those that realised they could still reach their customers online and deliver to them. But this didn’t happen overnight. These businesses had been deliberate about this transition prior to the pandemic and are now reaping the benefit of the convenience to customers.
Digital transformation and innovation can reduce operating costs for various sectors like real estate, agriculture, insurance, finance, transport, entertainment, hospitality. Digitisation can also help you as you prioritise employee health and safety by use of teleconferencing tools to ease remote working.
But not all technologies fit every business. Businesses should study the environment so that they adopt digital technologies that suite their business goals and customer needs. Businesses can still blend the digital and physical to serve their customers better especially if it includes the delivery of goods to different destinations.
Automate
Technological innovations such as automation can benefit a business in terms of cost-cutting, faster service provision to customers, data capture, tracking, and this can help a business increase its competitive advantage.
As many businesses continue to revise their strategies to adopt digital transformation, it is important to note that this can be done through incremental ways. Unless a business is working towards a complete overhaul and disruption, it is best to gradually, but hastily, transform.
Outliving pandemic
Digital adoption will outlast the pandemic but businesses will need to pay attention to behavioural changes if they are to continue meeting their customers’ demands.
As people continue to go online more, businesses should use this opportunity to build websites and grow their social media presence, and generate engagement to reach a bigger audience that had not been tapped into before.
The author is the head Alternative Channels at dfcu Bank.
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