Increase remote and work from home output
Many employers have resisted remote and work from home job arrangements because they fear remote workers will be inefficient or unable to communicate well with their coworkers. For many professional positions, the evidence consistently shows the opposite.
Technical tasks and detailed administrative work requires focus and concentration that can be hard to achieve in an office environment. Firms that were once afraid to let employees work remotely found that their output and efficiency only increased when they tested it out. Communication and collaboration is facilitated through a suite of software and apps provided by Microsoft and Google, so teams are connected with the latest versions of organization and audio-visual interaction.
While the competition stays at home under quarantine and worrying about backlog, your teams can connect online using technology that wasn't even available just a few years ago.
Reach a global customer base
As social distancing and limited live events take a toll on business revenues, there are opportunities to think beyond the local market to make ends meet.
If your business relies on people dropping in to say hi, you're probably going to hate the next few years. On the other hand, you can act quickly and decisively to go beyond those geographical limitations. Around the world, customers are turning to their computers to do business they had once done locally. Those customers can be yours, with the right amount of online awareness and creative thinking.
Initiative will also matter! Any new opportunities will be quickly identified and capitalized upon. Established firms will be harder to displace, so those who act quickest will seize the largest part of the new, shifted customer base.
