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Over a year and a few months since the first COVID-19 case was reported in the United States, we still haven’t been able to return to how life was pre-COVID. And who knows, maybe this is the new normal. Despite a lot of progress having been made since the first case was reported, with currently 20% of the population having been fully vaccinated, we can still say that COVID will leave an indelible mark in our lives.
As much as our personal lives have been affected by the pandemic, it is safe to say that businesses have been the ones affected the most. Small businesses, in particular, have felt the wrath of this pandemic, with a good number even going under. Those that managed to stay afloat have had to adopt inventive ways and methods on how to go about business, and most of it is a credit to the ever-changing digital space.
Different businesses have been affected by the pandemic differently. While most have without a doubt suffered massive losses and been held back, there are those that haven’t experienced any problems or noticed differences in the income streams, and others had things change for the better. All these differences boil down to the nature of the business as well as how the people concerned are willing to adapt to change.
The most common way in which businesses have had to change their operations is by adopting remote working. Now, this may work for a majority of organizations, but as we mentioned, different industries have been hit in different ways forcing them to adopt new methods. For example, restaurants and people in the catering industry have had to look to online deliveries.
Health practitioners have also had to adopt telemedicine for them to be still able to reach their patients. However, despite different companies coping differently, we can say that one thing that remains constant in all this is the help of technology and particularly innovative “COVID business software” that has made countless organizations be able to continue with operations despite everything that is happening.
So precisely what impact has software innovation during this pandemic had on businesses, and how have different industries benefitted from these innovations? Below we discuss how various innovations have come to the rescue of many companies during these challenging times and how some may actually end up changing the future even after COVID is long gone.
Corporate Sector
If there’s a group of people that haven’t been affected majorly by the pandemic, it is the people who work in offices. In as much as people still can’t go to work safely or hold private meetings in enclosed spaces, that hasn’t hindered operations by much. These people can still do all these things from the comfort of their homes with very minimal inconveniences.
The emergence of online meeting platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet has made it easier for workers to connect with each other, all be it remotely. Everything that people used to do during physical meetings can still be done virtually. From presentations to idea pitching and even voting where necessary, everything is possible.
Also, as long as the workers have the necessary programs installed on their computers, things such as database management and accounting can still be done without having to get to the office, and if reports are needed by various heads of departments, it is as easy as sending an email.
Experts predict that even after the pandemic is over, some organizations will still have provisions for remote working because of the huge strides that have been made as a result of the pandemic.
Healthcare Industry
The healthcare industry is one that has been deeply affected by this pandemic in more than one way. There was a point where hospitals were getting overwhelmed with an increase in the number of COVID patients coming in. This meant that people looking for other services could not be attended to. In addition, many people were afraid of going into hospitals because there was a huge chance that they could go back home having caught the virus.
For this reason, telemedicine became quite popular. This is where you can see your doctor virtually from the comfort of your home. As long as there aren’t any physical examinations required, patients can talk to their doctors via video call and then have the doctor email the prescription, after which the medication can be delivered right to your doorstep.
It is expected that this will become a normal thing as people look to avoid the whole process of having to leave your home and going to wait in a doctor’s office then see him and go elsewhere to buy medication.
Catering & Hospitality Industry
Restaurants have also felt the wrath of the pandemic, especially during the time when everything was still new, and restaurants have been forced to close down to curb the spread of the virus. While some sunk during that time, others managed to survive, and this was again through the help of COVID business software applications that made it possible for restaurants to reach their clients at home.
Door Dash, Uber Eats, and Grub Hub became even more popular as they helped to connect eateries and other restaurants to their customers who were stuck at home. This helped a vast majority of restaurants to stay afloat despite the fact that they couldn’t welcome customers to their establishments.
Shopping
Online shopping was a thing even before the pandemic, but the way it has grown over the past year has been tremendous. More and more stores have been forced to incorporate an online shopping option for their customers because not many people are willing to leave their houses just to go buy a pair of shoes.
COVID-19 may have shaken the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades, but it sure has brought out the best software innovations that will, without a doubt, prove to be very helpful in the years to come.
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This content is brought to you by Hannah Madison.
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