Post-Pandemic Predictions

I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Governments around the world are opening back up. Businesses are making adjustments to adhere to new health and safety regulations. Some are calling it the “new normal.” I don’t like that term. Change has always been a normal part of life, and we’ll continue to evolve, change, modify and move forward as best we can to ensure our customers, employees and businesses stay healthy.

I have been asked in a number of interviews about what business will look like when we can finally say, “COVID-19 … that’s now behind us.” But will it ever really be so? It may be years before we can say, “It is over. Just a memory.” And, the lingering psychological effect may never go away. Our younger generation saw their classrooms closed, proms and graduation ceremonies canceled and their parents losing their jobs. Young people just out of college also lost their jobs, and with unemployment at an all-time high, worried if they would ever be able to get ahead in their careers. For many, this has been worse than bad, and many will have nightmarish memories regarding the collapse of our economy, not to mention the sickness and death, that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. I watched how my grandparents, who lived through the Great Depression, saved money and feared the loss of what they worked so hard for.

Looking forward, what’s in store? What will change? In other words, what are my post-pandemic predictions? Keep in mind, these are business predictions with a focus on customer service and experience. I’ve been researching and listening to what others are saying as I formed my own opinions. Here are four of my favorites:

The remote workforce is here to stay. While many businesses will be bringing their people back into the office, some organizations learned a “work from home” or remote workforce is not only doable but is an advantage. I interviewed a number of business owners and executives who said they are already working on downsizing their offices and building out their remote workforce strategy. In the customer service world, contact centers already had a good percentage of agents working from home. That number has multiplied, and many will continue. Not all businesses will go remote, but enough to have a major impact on real estate.

Customer journey maps may need to be redrawn. I’ve been thinking about how businesses will have to redefine what the typical customer journey looks like post-COVID-19. Other experts have mentioned how customer journey maps are going to have to change. If you’ve taken the time to go through a customer journey mapping exercise, you’ll find there are new journeys to map and a few to throw out. The business process and workflow are changing to adjust to the new ways customers are buying and how companies are supporting those customers. Ryan Lester, senior director of CX technologies at LogMeIn said it best: “Brands will need to either throw out or drastically redraw their customer journey maps to accurately reflect the new mode of customer behavior post-COVID-19.” 

The “digital age” just went into “hyperspace.” The term “hyperspace” is a science fiction reference, perhaps most famously used in the movie Star Wars when Han Solo said to the young Luke Skywalker, “Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops, boy!” before the spaceship went into high speed. If you’re a Star Trek fan, this is another way of saying “warp speed.” It’s not that new technology was created in the last three months—the technology was already there. It was the mass adoption of existing technology that caused this digital boom. For example, video communication has been around for a long time, but it was not used to the extent that it’s being used today. Now that businesses are starting to open up, don’t expect the use of virtual communications technology to return to the level it was prior to COVID-19. While it’s not going to replace many in-person meetings and events, it’s not going away. We’ll see more and more of it—and it will get even better as people become more comfortable adopting this existing technology.

A new “gig” will expand within the gig economy. Food delivery through Uber Eats, GrubHub, etc., exploded during the pandemic. It was all about convenience and safety. While there have always been “giggers” out there willing to do tasks and errands for others, this part of the gig economy will expand as more people who have lost jobs will be looking for part-time (or full-time) work as independent contractors. Just as TaskRabbit helps by providing freelance labor, we’ll see various forms of personal concierge services emerge as the new gig opportunity.

Change is inevitable. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated many changes much faster than any of us could have anticipated. Who knew before all this began just a few months ago that the world would have taken this turn? The important thing now is to adopt the “new normal” and adapt along with these changes to make the continuation of doing “business as usual” safe for everyone.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and the host of Amazing Business Radio.

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com.