The COVID-19 pandemic has forced employees to work from home and Gartner has predicted that even after the pandemic is over, 41% of employees will continue to work from home at least part-time, compared with 30% before the pandemic. So, what does the office of the future mean for your customers?
As the world is preparing for the vaccine, the new workforce post-COVID-19 will be radically different. Hybrid working – a combination of in-office and at-home working – will become the new normal which will lead customers to take a ‘remote first’ approach to IT solutions.
This new hybrid approach to working will bring a host of new business opportunities to leverage. Existing customers will have evolved and have a new set of needs, and new customers will need support to setup their new hybrid-working businesses. We have put together these seven tips to help you support your customers as they adapt to the new hybrid way of working.
1. Prioritise security
Hybrid-working models are prompting customers to invest heavily in security as the need for workplace parity grows. The home office needs to be as secure as if the employee were based in the office. Customers will be looking for security solutions to enable a secure remote-work environment. Even if you’re not a security specialist, there are options available, such as security-as-a-service, to secure your customer’s infrastructure.
2. Simplify collaboration
In a distanced and dispersed workplace, reliable remote collaboration solutions are imperative for smooth business operations. Customers will be evaluating different platforms to suit their requirements. Simplicity and security are key considerations for customers, so be prepared to offer collaboration solutions that offer both.
3. Prepare for growth
As economies recover, companies will grow and expand, but for the time being customers are uncertain about the future. Give customers peace of mind that you offer scalable IT infrastructures, even for small businesses.
4. Focus on cloud solutions
Hybrid working has accelerated the move to cloud solutions to speed up customer’s digital transformation strategies. Cloud services offer many benefits such as flexibility, cost-effectiveness, reliability and security. Help your customers move to the cloud seamlessly and grow predictable recurring revenue streams at the same time.
5. Stay ahead of the competition
Make time for your own development and complete education and training programmes to help you stay at the front of the pack. Keeping up to date with new solutions, offerings and promotions can help you identify new opportunities for your customers and add more value.
6. Be proactive
As customers’ needs transform to suit the new normal, they will want to switch off solutions that are no longer needed. Be ready to support customers by thinking ahead of what their new needs might be. Start bolstering those new customer relationships now so you’re ready to help them adapt to the new hybrid workplace.
7. Rely on trusted partners
Customers need flexible, adaptable work environments. Comstor has created a set of Business Kits designed to help your customers adapt to long-term flexible working. These kits include business resiliency solutions that ensure employees can stay connected and sensitive data is protected. They’re also fully scalable and will satisfy the needs of either smaller or larger businesses. Find out more about our Business Kits.
Part of the SCSP blog series
Sourced from: Westcon-Comstor News. View the original article here.