Things work differently now than they did six months ago. Nearly every aspect of our lives has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, from the way we do business, to the way we shop to the way we socialize. At one point we all likely thought these adaptations were temporary, but by now it's clear that many are not. Embracing change is difficult for any business, but in today’s climate, it is a necessity for survival.
New numbers released recently from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey found that three-quarters of the 3.4 million Canadians who started working from home during the pandemic were still doing so as of August. Our own research found the same, and went further to find that as many as half of those working at home would prefer to continue to do so. Learning to work with our employees, customers and stakeholders – at a distance – may well be a more permanent way of the future.
During the pandemic we have discovered – out of necessity – what works well, and what doesn’t. We now know when a Zoom meeting is more efficient than an in-person meeting (and when it’s not). We know when an in-person meeting results in more brainstorming ideas than a phone call would have. We know when booking an appointment is easier online than it might have been to call and be put on hold, and when it’s really important to actually speak to someone. We know when chatting online with a bot can resolve a service issue more quickly than waiting for an agent to be available. We know that working from home can be efficient and fulfilling for some, but the loss of collaboration can slow things down for others.
Regardless of industry, we must all realize that the world isn’t going back to “normal” and that now is the time to ask questions of ourselves.
While the days when Atlantic Canadians flew to Toronto and back in a day are likely gone for some time, we can now take the time to assess when it will be truly beneficial to travel for a meeting or conference, and when online is just as good or better.
On the personal side, we know when ordering groceries online is more efficient, and when it’s better to go in to get advice from the fishmonger at the market. Research we undertook last month found that one-third of Atlantic Canadians ordered groceries online in the last four months, and half of those would prefer to do so after the pandemic is over. In other words – there’s a solid portion of the population who tried ordering online and liked it better than going to the store.
What’s interesting is that in that same study, we found that three-quarters of Atlantic Canadians had an appointment or consultation with a health-care professional either online or by phone, and a whopping 70 per cent of them found it worked so well they want to continue receiving service that way. Many may have experienced the benefit and efficiency of setting appointment times for things like blood collection rather than dropping in and waiting for a spot. These types of examples show us that through the pandemic we have found different ways of doing things, and in some cases, it has resulted in efficiencies we’re happy to keep.
So as we as a business community discover these new ways of doing business for ourselves, it’s also imperative to understand our customers and the public. By learning about customers’ new preferences, companies will be able to better tailor their offerings in this new climate. Those with easy online bookings and purchasing platforms will thrive. Those that offer different, more efficient and better services to customers will be the ones who will see their business grow during these difficult times and beyond.
That’s not to say that every business can adapt, or change quickly to these new market standards. But regardless of industry, we must all realize that the world isn’t going back to “normal” and that now is the time to ask questions of ourselves (How can I make things easier for my customers? How can I reach new customers?) and our customers (How would you prefer to do business with us going forward?). Now is the time to accept change as the new normal.
Margaret Brigley, CEO, and Margaret Chapman, COO, are business partners at Narrative Research, a national market research company based in Halifax. Their passion is digging into data to uncover insights.
