It would be impossible to talk about 2020 without mentioning COVID-19 and its related aspects, like: stay-at-home orders, quarantines, social distancing, and a disrupted economy. It has affected everyone in some way from coast-to-coast as well as every business, organization, and industry.
Understandably, much of the focus has been on the problem and how to solve it.
That said, as it relates to the tech industry, what are some of the things that may have been learned so far from 2020 and COVID-19?
Many teams, including Accelerated Innovations, have seen how truly nimble and resilient they are in their ability to pivot from the standard workplace to working from home without a significant dip in productivity. Teams got creative, innovated, and joined minds to establish a continuity where deadlines were met and customers were still being served at a high level. In fact, many organizations are questioning if they even need a standard workplace at all.
Then, there is travel. With everything shutdown, the world moved to Zoom and other video conferencing platforms. Many organizations have realized that the time, energy, and money spent on air travel, car rentals, hotels, and meals may not be worth it, when an HD conference call will do—not to mention the added safety logistics now in place.
In January, it would have been hard to imagine a year like we are having now, and while there are some lessons being learned, there is still much uncertainty regarding the future of many organizations across all industries.
When scaled out to include the utility industry we serve, some questions still remain. For example, what can, should, or must be done about the utility bills debt crisis from individuals and families who were affected by the virus and unable to pay? Or, how will communities respond if there is a second wave of the virus at some point in the future?
The speed at which things are changing and solutions are being created may make these and other questions irrelevant in rapid time.
