We’ve experienced a shift in working culture like no other. As companies have searched for immediate solutions in response to the pandemic, all have turned to Teams and Zoom to reach their ‘anywhere’ workforces and stay productive.
The pandemic has reminded us of the pricelessness of communication and has introduced many to the power of technology as they’ve sought to streamline and improve the ways in which they collaborate. As a result, the landscape has changed. When the sun rises post-pandemic, there’s no doubt that AV will remain a vital component of the new norm.
Put simply, end-users now understand that the future workplace cannot exist without professional communications technology.
Culture driven
And as technology responds to cultural shifts, so too can it play its own role in driving culture! The past year has presented corporations with a chance to not only adapt their model in the face of adversity, but to review their long-term health and safety policies and identify what they want their workplace culture to be like far beyond the pandemic. With a focus on staff wellbeing and productivity, businesses are looking to revitalise their processes and optimise their spaces.
We as an industry have jumped at the opportunity to show end-users the endless benefits that integrated audio-visual technologies can bring. Manufacturers have been working hard to provide solutions that are reliable and easy-to-use, and that help overcome the challenges of space management. Agile and scalable solutions will empower employees to work efficiently and collaboratively in the new era of hybrid working.
But, whilst the corporate world is more aware of the capabilities AV can provide for business and is excited to invest, we must be mindful of the fact that we’re all still riding the giant wave of uncertainty and many clients are understandably cautious.
Gaining trust
It is our duty as an industry to really listen to our customers, to put them first and to work hard at gaining their trust. Developing meaningful relationships now will put us front of mind when they are ready to commit and will bring us even more opportunity in 2021. Now is the time to strike the right balance between celebrating our expertise and providing the right solutions. This year we’ll continue to see customers rely on our technical support long before the buying process has even begun. Customers need to feel that they can come to us for advice above and beyond the hardware. Never has the demand for transparency and openness been more prominent than now. And we have a duty to provide that service.
There is a lot of work to be done and, perhaps more now than ever before, we are the ones who can redefine the future workplace. We give businesses the foresight to prepare for potential opportunities, trends and crises. We can help corporations position themselves as pioneers and be ahead of the curve of innovation. We provide the tools for them to be bold, to implement a new technology-enabled wellness-first culture, become a leader in staff satisfaction and attract the best talent. We can support them in achieving their sustainability goals. And we influence their ideas of collaboration and customer visibility.
Looking long term
In this fast-changing world, it’s important to take a long-term view and give our customers confidence, no matter how uncertain the future may feel. Beyond the immediate solutions we can provide today, we should take the time to enable our clients’ long-term objectives, whether they’re to create an agile and inclusive working culture, where remote employees can access a shared workspace in real-time, or a management system that ensures businesses make the best use of every inch of space available to them, safely and smartly.
The corporate AV sector is only going to continue to grow. By building trust and developing meaningful relationships today, we can expand the opportunities for our industry in 2021 and celebrate the successes of our customers. We must nurture the current window of opportunity, not exploit it, to really reap the rewards when the pandemic has come to an end.
