‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ is a time and tested principle. If this is even 10% true, then Coronavirus has surely proved this saying by forcing everyone to rethink about every little aspect of our daily lives. Coronavirus has attacked mankind in a way like never before and the worst part is that it has caught many top nations unaware. But, one thing that has picked pace is the adoption of digital tools to carry out tasks sitting at home which you would otherwise do outside. COVID-19 has an immolated routine lifestyle as countries are under lockdown and have instructed people to maintain social distancing. 

With COVID-19 companies and their way of working has literally transformed everything. Now that COVID-19 is here to stay for a while, life cannot come to a standstill which is why companies and enterprises across the world are using these digital tools for a fast-track digital transformation. Companies can use these tools to rethink their business models and ideologies which will ensure their business doesn’t get affected due to the pandemic and also will keep them ahead of the competition.

Custom software development companies have seen a time that has seen them develop some of the best applications in the swiftest manner. With new applications on board, the need to go out has been literally wiped off. Country heads with prominent IT companies have made use of the best Artificial Intelligence platforms to ensure, at home digital services and digitalization takes place. 

In this article, we intend to see these transformations which we will address in the further sections.

How COVID-19 has brought in digital transformation

Digital tools and technologies have been avid supporters of governments, companies and healthcare industries. The pandemic indeed has triggered an unprecedented demand for digital technology solutions such as Learning management systems, telehealth applications, and designing targeted responses.

1.Work from home- Remote working Scenarios

Most IT companies usually have a major portion of their teamwork remotely on a project but for many others, companies are usually resistant towards the idea because of the nature of their operations. Companies that were initially working only in office premises are now forced to work on the concept of a distributed workforce allowing its team to work from home for precaution’s sake. Workhuman in a survey surprisingly mentioned that only one-third of the working population in the US worked from home before the pandemic. Bigger organizations like Twitter have always encouraged their team to work from home and other organizations like Google made rapid work-from-home policies in the event of the lockdown and the need to work from home.

With COVID-19 many companies are facing a situation where the unexpected falls before them. One thing that has been exposed due to this crisis is the unpreparedness of several companies in being prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. Many companies do not have the relevant technology infrastructure to offer that kind of service to its team. But what it has understood is the need to fast-track its digital attempts and be prepared for any such situation in the future. 

The question yet remains is whether the company will switch a part of their digital strategy and retain the status quo after the lockdown gets over, or will they shift back to their usual office working hours. 

The digital workspace will be the catchiest trend in the future because gone are the days when the workplace was a physical space. Today is the time of an ecosystem that is always connected which has literally blurred the boundaries between physical offices and the place where the work actually happens. With more and more digitalization on the anvil for workspaces, teams are now collaborating and interacting in creative ways. The conventional ‘create and push’ information perspective no longer works the ever-evolving needs of the employees.

For future needs, COVID-19  has indeed forced and also motivated companies to accommodate work from home needs for the future. 

Facts about work-from-home pre COVID-19:

• 78% of remote workers primarily work from home, 9% work from an office, 7% work from a coworking space, 5% work from a cafe and 1% work from elsewhere.

• 83% of employees feel they do not need an office to be productive. 

• By 2020, organizations that support a “choose-your-own-work-style” culture will boost employee retention rates by more than 10%.
• 27% of workers regard their commute as a waste of time.
• Allowing a worker to telecommute half the time can save an employer more than $11,000 a year.

2.Telehealth

Telehealth was not a new concept before the outbreak but after COVID-19  telehealth applications have seen major pushing by the healthcare systems in order to expand the applications through smartphones and other tools

As a pro-active telehealth application service provider company, we believe that technology can go a long way in treating patients and also diagnose them even when they do not have those symptoms. People in these times are worried about seeking treatment in crowded facilities hence the invasion of telehealth technology has been a booster. For the pandemic to not to spread, telemedicine limits the human-to-human contact for slowing down transmission. There are many benefits of having sound telehealth systems but there also are challenges that need to be addressed COVID-19 or not. 

Telehealth is a tool in its own right and keeping in mind the varieties of telehealth applications available, it is very useful in connecting a doctor with a patient via smartphones or tablets from the safe confines of your house. For those who do not have access to good healthcare in their vicinity, it also has proven to be an effective tool for remote consultation. Even in the cases of those patients who have the symptoms of the virus, doctors initially see the patient through live video interactions and asynchronous messaging to undertake ongoing communications.

Symptom trackers and chatbots also are areas of promise for clocking in faster coronavirus response. These AI-based technologies make algorithms that are modified in order to adapt to the new information regarding the virus. The chatbots interact with the patients and can easily perform detailed assessments and provide ongoing support. Even escalation is possible if the patient needs more care.

Home monitoring and tricorders also are proving to be a path-breaking approach to patient care. The new wave of digital health transformation entails consumer devices like smartwatches, home TVs and medical tricorders which can perform holistic remote care. The data so generated from the analysis also can be further used to monitor the patients further.

 More than one-half of all U.S. hospitals have a telehealth program. The graph below exclusively talks about how the market players and revenue will take a surge by the end of this year.

Also read: Telehealth for COVID 19: When Healthcare Meets Technology

3.Remote learning with E-learning applications

Most of the countries are under lockdowns which have necessitated the need to shut down educational institutions across the world. With this, schools and universities are turning to virtual learning options with the remaining studies for the term or semester shifted to online learning. Many universities already had an established Learning management system but there are many of them yet to build a digital learning experience for their students. The majority of the institutions are not ready to create a set up for online classes.

This transition to digital technology is one of the forms of disruptive technologies to have hit the education sector after the pandemic. But for those who are not prepared for it yet, COVID-19 surely has motivated them to establish one sooner if not later. 

COVID-19 has accelerated the speed, but the future also looks bright. 

Source: Menafn.com

Our LMS solutions have helped several students prepare for their competitive exams with the barrage of material in the forms of documents, videos, and audios. The robust LMS system enables a smooth interaction between the materials a student has to study and the tests which they take. The data analytics tool embedded in the application has also enabled the students to get a clearer perspective of their performance and helps them do a comparative analysis.

4.Conducting virtual events

Business cannot stop and COVID-19 or not the business has to keep going, only the method changes. After the COVID-19 mayhem, several person-to-person events were canceled worldwide but thanks to the new-age digital tools these events have now been shifted to virtual events. The Mobile world congress which is a popular event and a gathering of top electronic manufacturers was one of the first large-scale virtual events that were conducted. The Next top event that was conducted on a virtual platform was Google Cloud Next ‘20 which was further changed to Digital connect. 

The virus has indeed pushed conference organizers and the owners to come up with unconventional ways to provide alternative options keeping in mind the safety needs of the people involved in it.

5.Mobile applications

There has not just been an outbreak of the virus but also an inundation of mobile applications ever since social distancing became the norm. Mobile applications have been quickly developed by agile custom software development companies to cater to several needs. Chapter247 as one of the most preferred mobile application development companies have helped clients build mobile applications in very short periods owing to their urgent applications.

COVID-19 response apps have inundated the markets like never before. But it is our advice to check the sanctity of the mobile applications before installing them as several applications might also jeopardize the security of the installers. 

See how the Contract tracing app of Singapore has helped the country keep the transmission in control.

The future

Many people consider digital transformation as a standalone IT project. But, we believe digital transformation is not a destination but a journey that needs to be taken especially when conditions are so grave. Even the most advanced technology companies are transforming themselves to be more digital. Traditional manufacturing companies are still taking steps for undertaking digital transformation. 

COVID-19 has entrusted people with opportunities galore into accelerating their journey for digital adoption. It is high time that companies change their business strategies to evolve. The trigger being COVID-19, digitalization is set to become the way of conducting lives and businesses.

Are you digital ready?

Ask us how these digital tools can be employed in your business journey. We have a strong repertoire of services available that will make the route smoother and will prepare your business for the future.