Accelerating Digital Transformation during the Pandemic

In year three of the pandemic, most of the world is settling into a “new normal.” What this new normal will ultimately look like is still to be determined. The one thing that virtually everyone can agree on is that the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently altered work expectations for the foreseeable future.

Justin Honore, the host of the Verizon Partner Network podcast, sat down with Mike Caralis, Vice President of Business Sales at Verizon Business, to discuss the digital transformation of small- and medium-sized businesses since COVID-19 first hit in 2019-2020.

The change in work environments and the expectations of both employees and customers continue to evolve to meet current needs. Caralis pointed out that the evolution is really being driven by employee needs, sharing a story of how the pandemic let him stay home and connect more deeply with his children after years of traveling and even living out of state for work.

“Now that we are opening back up, I don’t think it’s just me saying, ‘hey how do we have a better balance?’ I think the entire world is saying how do we have a better-integrated life as we are looking to work and have a family and live at the same time,” shared Caralis.

While employees struggle to find a better work-life balance, employers are also trying to find ways to continue providing great experiences to keep workers engaged and entice them back to the office. In the meantime, companies need to continue supporting employees and their customers with secure networks at home.

Caralis also noted that with “small and medium businesses, mobility and flexibility are now as important as healthcare is. What business can now interact without mobility and flexibility in it?”
Clearly, the future of small- and medium-sized businesses since the onset of the pandemic is paving the way to a workplace revolution more focused on the employee experience. As far as the customer experience direction, companies will have to find ways to bring in innovative and even immersive experiences so that there is a learning and educational aspect to those experiences. However, on an important note, security and trust within the different process flows must also be top priority.