Editor’s note: Commercial Integrator has teamed up with the IMCCA, the New York-based non-profit industry association for unified communication and workplace collaboration, to produce a quarterly supplement, titled Collaboration Today and Tomorrow, that focuses on all things collaboration from multiple perspectives.
The past three years have brought significant changes to the way that businesses conduct their operations. The shift to remote work and the increased use of digital-communication tools have forced many companies to reevaluate their strategies and find new ways to collaborate effectively.
The reactions to these changes have varied widely. Some companies have embraced new ways of working, quickly adapting to the use of new or expanded tools and strategies. Others, meanwhile, have struggled to adapt, finding it difficult to maintain the same level of connection among team members — to say nothing of connecting with customers and suppliers.
These days, one of the commonest challenges that organizations confront is the lack of face-to-face interaction. The loss of informal conversations and impromptu meetings has made it more difficult for us, as humans, to build relationships and establish trust.
Additionally, some companies have found it hard to maintain company culture and remote-employee engagement, and they’ve struggled to sustain the same level of productivity and motivation among team members.
Download: Collaboration Today and Tomorrow: Spring 2023 Edition
Diverse and Geographically Dispersed
To be sure, not all changes have been negative. Some companies have found the shift to remote work beneficial, as it has allowed them to attract a more diverse and geographically dispersed workforce. Moreover, it has enabled them to reduce costs associated with office space and other logistical expenses. And multiple research studies have pointed out how remote work has increased productivity among knowledge workers.
My personal experience has been that organizations that embraced remote work — especially those that did so prior to the pandemic — have fared better due to infrastructure and processes already being in place and contributing to their culture. That’s far better than having had to create all that while under the various stresses of recent years.
What’s ultimately undeniable is that everyone in the collaboration industry has been greatly impacted by the pandemic — for better or worse — and the changes resulting from it. Accordingly, I asked a few of our colleagues the following question: Have you made any significant, long-term changes to the way your clients and you conduct business and operations in light of the last three years?
Of course, the responses leaned toward how people are communicating. I was surprised not only by the overall positive personal response to current tools but also by how it was reflected across both those who were established remote workers and those who, arguably, were not longtime advocates for the technology.
What follows are our various respondents’ thoughts.
Amelia Vrabel, business development manager, Cloud/UCC, AVI-SPL
The process of learning to engage, build relationships and strengthen partnerships using a plethora of UCC tools — in particular, video — was largely accelerated since the pandemic began in March 2020. Personally, I became much more comfortable on camera, and this allowed me to “meet” with people all over the country, whereas, in the past, it would have taken many days of travel to set up these meetings and begin these discussions. I now use video for nearly every meeting. It’s much easier to connect and reconnect more regularly, as well as accelerate activities and projects. Often, I’m amazed at some of the friendships and partnerships I’ve been able to build with people I’ve never met in person, and I’m grateful that all these tools are available and continue to evolve to make the world a smaller place.
Michelle Loret, pro AV senior account manager, ADI Global Distribution
I’ve worked remotely for over a decade, but that was never the case for my clients. Now, almost 70% have a hybrid-work schedule, and many of the design engineers work remotely or for companies multiple states away. Initial meetings by videoconference, once a rarity, are ubiquitous and comfortable. The adoption has been a godsend. From travel budgets to human resources, the efficiency and cost savings are reflected in the results. Some clients even prefer it.
The last three years have irrevocably changed business as we know it. Although I am a big proponent of in-person human interaction, technology wins the day. And now, it allows my clients and me to succeed in business with previously unthinkable methods. It’s a win for us and our industry.
Neil Posnansky, regional operations manager, AVI-SPL
The major change in conducting business is the significant decrease in in-person meetings. Most business is now conducted via video. People are no longer at the office full time. Customers and team members may be located throughout the world. Video is helpful and efficient. Team members are face to face via video. You can speak with more people in a day via video versus traveling from office to office. People are quite comfortable with video. They seem to want to hold a call versus getting together in person.
Gabe Moronta, head of growth and customer experience, Visla
I haven’t made any significant changes in how I interact with customers. That’s mainly because I was already a remote-based employee for a few years and doing what I knew needed to be done, as I saw the writing on the wall. But more specifically, when I did have the need to go meet with a customer face to face, it was the perfect opportunity to train the customer in the tools that I was advising/consulting on. The saying “Eating your own dog food” comes to mind. The irony of people in this particular subsector of the technology business is that too many are not willing to use the tools they’re selling. If that’s the case, why should any client want to, either? It becomes a project for bragging rights at that point. “I closed an X-amount-of-dollars project” looks nice on your résumé, but it does little to help the customers.
We are at a crossroads for technology, where it is significantly easier to find out when someone is blowing smoke versus when they actually care about the potential partnership. The question shouldn’t be what changes you have made; instead, it should be why you haven’t made any significant changes.
Dominic Kent, freelance content strategist and copywriter for unified comms and contact center
Our last contributor, Dominic Kent, takes top honors for the most to-the-point response (and the one that is closest to my personal experience). He gave permission for his response to be used verbatim.
I don’t think I’m the right person to comment in that case. I work async and have always used messenger apps as my primary communication method. There hasn’t really been any change for me, as I was an early adopter.
Download a digital version of the Spring 2023 Collaboration Today and Tomorrow issue here.
For the latest Collaboration Today and Tomorrow content, check back quarterly on CommercialIntegrator.com.
Responses compiled and with an introduction by Mark Okern.
