CLAREMONT, CA— Companies are clearly looking to technology to push their post-pandemic productivity and boost growth—accelerating the adoption of new technology and associated behaviors—according to The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC).
The Pandemic has Driven Adoption of Advanced Technology
“The adoption of technology accelerated tenfold during the pandemic,” points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc and manufacturing expert known for creating supply chain resiliency. “Clients are turning to technology to keep up with the rise in e-commerce, rapidly changing customer buying behaviors, and the volatility of both demand and supply.”
“Additive manufacturing (3D printing) allows production on-demand for the customer,” notes Anderson. “Artificial intelligence (AI) enables predictive analytics and sales forecasting. The Internet of Things (IoT) and AI allow manufacturers to predict when machines will fail. So maintenance and repair can be scheduled before failure occurs. Plus, digital twins are poised to transform manufacturing processes and offer new ways to reduce costs, monitor assets, and optimize performance. Blockchain is the future of supply chain transparency.”
Embracing Technology Means Embracing a New Digital Culture
“Having embraced work from home policies, organizations now need to transform faster to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses recognize that digital transformation is driven by a change in mindset, embracing open principles, processes, and culture.” says Dr. Maynard Brusman, a San Francisco Bay Area consulting psychologist and executive coach.
“Organizations need to nurture collaboration and empower employees to bring their best ideas and selves to work, which accelerates innovation in an agile manner,” he notes.
“Cultural change and technology modernization are of critical importance for digital transformation,” advises Dr. Brusman. “Cultural characteristics that are key for transformation include adaptability, inclusion, transparency, and collaboration.
Successful Tech Adoption Puts Customers First
“New platforms are being introduced every day to help businesses and consumers maximize their reach,” explains Kathleen McEntee, president of Kathleen McEntee and Associates, Ltd. (KMA), a full-service marketing firm that helps companies reach their target markets with the right message, through the right media, for the greatest impact. “But there’s a blurred line between what businesses want and what their customers expect. Businesses want customers—both new and existing ones—to buy larger quantities, more often. Consumers want to find products easily and immediately.”
“As the workforce settles into new ways of working, novel tools are needed to support them,” adds McEntee. “Healthcare is an example where implementing easy-to-use project management systems and creating central patient records repositories will allow multiple providers to collaborate, diagnose, and provide the appropriate treatment.
“To keep up, existing tools need to constantly evolve. Services need to be more flexible for their customers,” she notes. “It’s fascinating to consider what the jolt of the pandemic has done to accelerate practical creativity.”
Necessity is the Mother of Technological Reinvention
Many of the technologies recently adopted by businesses and consumers have been repositioned or reintroduced as a result of the pandemic—sometimes creating totally new market opportunities, according to Linda Popky, president of Redwood Shores, CA-based strategic firm marketing firm Leverage2Market Associates, and author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing That Matters.
“It was simple for Uber to refocus on Uber Eats—they put drivers to good use while food was more likely to need a ride than people. But Zoom, which has become the accepted verb for video conferencing, was conceived as a business-to-business platform. The pandemic drove millions of consumers to flock to Zoom for personal use, while it became the platform of choice for remote schooling,” she notes. “That required the Zoom team to add functionality for the consumer market, upgrade security features, and rework their support model.
“COVID tracking and vaccination passports are just two new applications that have developed as a result of the pandemic. Expect to see more of these appear as we settle into the new hybrid work environment.,” she adds.
Who’s Monitoring the Customer Pulse?
“We’ll see ‘high tech, high touch’ on steroids,” says SAC Founder Alan Weiss, PhD. “The late John Nesbitt was right, way back in 1985—but even he couldn’t envision ‘live chats’ in a computer, individually customized ordering pages, or tele-health.
“If an iPhone can check its owner’s pulse, why can’t every company check the pulse of its customers?” Weiss asks.
Originally published on Expert Click, June 1, 2021.