The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect storm of disruption for many industries — from healthcare and legal to retail, finance, travel, hospitality, and more. Regardless of your market — or your market share — your business has probably had to pivot rapidly to stay competitive.

The very way we do business has been tested by the changing rules and consumer trends governed by this virus.

Travel for work and play has been hindered, office layouts have changed to protect employees, and even the way we work has shifted from a primarily in-office staff to an emphasis on remote workers.

Resilient companies have emphasized people to stay in the flow, and the continuity of this crisis is causing an acceleration in digital transformation — including an increased emphasis on automation.

3 Powerful COVID-19 Strategies to Keep Business Moving Forward

Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) must keep a keen eye on their bottom lines while balancing the needs of their employees and customers against the necessity for business continuity.

But even a small business can take simple steps to make their office environment safer while continuing to focus on optimizing processes that help drive revenue.

Here are a few options to consider when determining a reopening strategy, a reorganization, or forging a new path toward business success in a post-COVID world.

1. Go Digital

To transform digitally is to use modern technology to solve traditional problems. In this case, a digital approach can help your business streamline workflows and develop initiatives that will allow employees to work smarter — whether they’re in-house or remotely located.

Developing automated processes, integrating data systems, improving supply chain speed and reliability, and ensuring compliance with data security regulations are all important ways to keep your business running smoothly through a crisis.

2. Consider a Remote Work Staff

Businesses needed to stay functional during COVID-19, precipitating a flurry of remote working situations designed to ensure employees stayed safe while companies pursued operational efficiency.

Now, it appears the work-at-home trend is here to stay. Global Workplace Analytics suggests that up to 30% of the workforce could be remotely-based by the end of 2021.

For businesses, emphasizing infrastructure like a cloud-based network, document management, and enterprise content management services are critical to allowing employees to keep productivity high — wherever they’re located.

These services can enable staff to collaborate with ease, sharing, editing, storing, and accessing mission-critical information at a click. Plus, they provide strong security measures to ensure that only authorized personnel has access to sensitive data, keeping proprietary information safe.

3. Harness Ecommerce and Contactless Solutions

COVID-19 has caused a massive acceleration of e-commerce, causing a 77% rise year-over-year. It is reflective of the impact of government cautions and regulations, such as social distancing, combined with a shift in consumer behavior.

Savvy businesses are finding new ways to get their products and services online or offering a range of contactless shopping solutions to help consumers feel secure enough to keep purchasing at a high level.

Opting in to these technologies means developing a robust network that can handle increased online traffic and ensuring that payment methods and online data are secured. The easiest way for small businesses to access this kind of next-level technologies is through a managed services provider (MSP) that can expertly assess, develop, and maintain a workable e-commerce solution.

Blue Technologies Has Everything You Need to Succeed

At Blue Technologies, we have access to state-of-the-art technologies that are specifically targeted at helping SMBs do more with less.

Our team of managed services experts can provide a host of cost-effective, high-level strategies designed to boost your productivity, accelerate workflows, help employees thrive, and make it easier for your customers to shop your brand.

From manufacturing to retail, we have solutions for every market and every industry. Our professionals will expertly assess your needs, develop and deploy a custom solution targeted to meet your goals, and maintain your infrastructure over time.

Then, you can concentrate on the crucial matter of getting back to business — successfully.

Ready to explore all the ways your business can excel, even during COVID-19? Contact a Blue Technologies consultant today to discover how our range of services can help your business not only maintain — but exceed — expectations.