Preparing For A Post-COVID-19 World

In a few short weeks, the world changed. And most of us weren’t ready.

No-one could have predicted the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on our lives and livelihoods. Most businesses are living through the difficult realisation that they’re not as prepared for disruption as they thought they were.

Whatever your business was like before doesn’t matter anymore. What’s most important right now is getting through this time and preparing for a post-COVID-19 world, where the widely-held beliefs about the way we do things no longer apply. This isn’t a blip on the radar – it will shape the way we do business now and in the future.

Business leaders like Vusi Thembekwayo and Herman Singh have already weighed in on a world transformed by COVID-19, and I’d like to challenge others to get involved in this discussion. The more we understand how this pandemic is changing society and business, the better we can adapt our organisations to not only survive but also thrive.

The advice below isn’t just about preparing for a post-COVID-19 World but about coming out of the other end more resilient. It’s about making your organisational immune system strong enough to withstand anything that the world can throw at you.

Become a digital business any way you can

For years, I’ve been saying that every business is a digital business. It’s never been more true than a time when people barely leave their yard.

If you didn’t believe that physical bank branches were optional, omnichannel was non-negotiable or that your business had to be mobile-first, believe it now. It’s no surprise that digital-first businesses like Amazon, Takealot and Peloton are the ones that are weathering COVID-19 the best. Their very operating models are designed around digital, from the way they structure their workforces to the services they offer.

It’s not just the usual suspects of Amazon, Google and Facebook that are using digital technologies such as AI to augment what they do. The Department of Health’s AI-powered WhatsApp COVID-19 platform has been so successful that the World Health Organisation adopted it. Shoprite has debuted QR payments to enable cashless transactions. Telkom is working with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases on contact tracing solutions. DStv opened up news and education channels to non-subscribers.

There’s never been a more critical moment to change your thinking around digital, from something you do to something you are. As we face a volatile future, digital and data is critical in how we will be able to model risk and make the right decisions.

Embrace minimalism to grow your importance

Almost overnight, society has been divided into two worlds: essential and non-essential. Consumers and businesses both have been forced into a mindset of minimalism, reassessing what’s truly necessary. Staying relevant means adopting a ‘make it work’ attitude, finding ways to engage, acquire, manage and recover what’s already there.

Some companies have switched from their normal production to refurbishing outdated ventilators; others have restarted production on old models that never made it to market. Doctors are using scuba-diving masks as protective equipment. Companies such as South African Breweries are using alcohol left over from the distilling process to produce hand sanitisers.

If, like many businesses out there, your core business is deemed ‘inessential’, now is the chance to ask yourself how you can become essential. Start reimagining how you can use your existing skills,product lines, resources and supply chains to meet new needs. It may be the time to postpone your growth strategies in favour of new ones focused on making the most of what you have.

Work together to create shared futures

What happens when you no longer control your own supply chain? When your trucks or factories are idle because there’s no demand for what you sell? Or you’re struggling to get your product in the hands of your customers because of logistical back-ups?

You work together with someone else to thread the gaps, until your supply chain becomes a much more robust supply mesh.

We’re seeing some innovative, often unlikely partnerships emerge due to COVID-19. Pick n Pay has bolstered its ability to deliver groceries by partnering with alcohol app Bottles. The automotive industry has shifted gears from manufacturing car parts to medical equipment. Universities and start-ups are using 3D printers to manufacture everything from face shields to ventilator parts. Hotels and schools are housing people with nowhere to go.

The lines between businesses and industries are becoming blurred as people come together to fight a challenge that’s too big to face alone. Staying resilient in a post-COVID world, where the rules have been rewritten, will mean continuing to embrace the spirit of ubuntu and seek strategic partnerships.

Learn to work from anywhere and everywhere

We may call it the future of work, but there’s nothing futuristic about it. From cloud services to remote video to online training platforms, the capabilities to set up digital workplaces have been around for years.

Lockdown is showing South African businesses just how mature their business-as-usual readiness really is. And it’s safe to say that the transition from physical to remote ways of working hasn’t been easy for most businesses.

Sure, many businesses have embraced Zoom and Microsoft Teams. But virtual meetings are only one aspect of an always-on workforce. To survive COVID-19 and beyond, we need to prioritise digital across all aspects of the business, so that it can run even when the rest of us can barely move.

Business Continuity Processes aren’t just a back-up for when things go wrong. Work from home capabilities, cloud services, virtual training modules aren’t just nice-to-haves. The gig economy isn’t just an overused catchphrase. They are essential to being able to do business in a world where digital has stopped being a thing and become everything. 

Become more than just a product provider

Everything you thought you knew about your customers is probably wrong. What may have been true just half a year ago no longer applies. The criteria we use to make buying decisions has changed, and are going to continue to do so once restrictions lift and the world is a little bit more open again.

When you think about the choices you’re making right now, what speaks to you? Why are you choosing certain products and brands during lockdown? The ability to deliver to your door? User-friendly mobile shopping that lets you get everything you need without hassle? Convenience? Longevity?

It’s not simply a question of ticking off a checklist of benefits. In a time of physical isolation, many organisations are finding out what it means to create emotive, human-centric experiences with the use of technology. Apps like Houseparty and Zoom are thriving, and consumers are flocking to livestreams of concerts, museum tours and safaris. Even sports events are finding success online - this year’s Wrestlemania was the most socially successful wrestling event in history.

There’s only one way to stay relevant. Stop looking at what you offer as a product and start seeing it as a living service - something that has a meaningful effect on how people live and feel. Everything you do needs to come from a place of empathy, using insights and customer experience to make sure you always have a role in their lives.

This isn’t an easy time. COVID-19 has turned everything we thought we knew on its head. But you don’t have to see it time as a moment of fear and uncertainty. Instead, I challenge organisations to use this pandemic as a burning platform to become smarter and more resilient in the long term.

About Lee Naik

Lee Naik was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology and is recognized as one of South Africa's leading digital and technology transformation experts. Lee is presently the CEO of TransUnion Africa where he leads a portfolio of big data, digital and information services businesses that help organizations make more informed decisions and consumers manage their personal information to lead to a higher quality of life.

Check out more articles and blogs from Lee on LinkedIn and ITWeb follow him on twitter (@naikl) or on instagram (leenaik) for his latest commentary.

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