Nearly every industry working across the globe has suffered a severe setback by the COVID-19 pandemic. This virus was initially limited to China but now has left its impact globally in almost 200 countries across the world. The most common way by which this illness spreads is due to close contact with the already infected person. WHO therefore made it mandatory to maintain social distancing thereby limiting the spread. This has accelerated digital transformation, which was already in the making. With the outbreak, it seems the entire universe has come to a standstill. Businesses have been badly affected; be it big or small organizations. The hospitality sector in particular has been hurt the most. As covid 19 hit the world, restaurants, bars and hotels shut shop. Hotel occupancy was obliterated and as a result the global economy has dropped to rock bottom.
A lesson learned, companies worldwide are now slowly and cautiously on the road to recovery by building business resilience plans. Business resilience is the ability to rapidly adapt and adjust to all types of risks in order to survive and thrive in an increasingly hostile environment. Business resilience and business continuity go hand in hand and play a major role in an organization’s disaster recovery plan. This past decade saw a transformation from core business functions, such as finance and human resources, to move away from manual processes and automate key areas and thereby enabling top leaders to focus on wider business opportunities. Going digital became everyone’s goal. Digital transformation is the process using digital technologies to create or modify existing business processes, culture etc. to meet the ever changing business and market requirements.
You might also be interested to read: COVID-19 Accelerates Digital Transformation
Post covid lockdown, we are heading for a new normal. The role of technology in the post covid era shall gain more importance than ever. One such technology which grew is the contactless payment model. Contactless payments were first introduced in the Western countries in early 2007 and this miracle of contactless model became so popular that at present one in every three card payments is contactless. This technology is becoming widespread and can be used in shops, restaurants, healthcare, etc. Initially, contactless fingerprinting was introduced at the airports for security reasons.
The world in the present scenario is in the grip of a corona epidemic that has led to closure of businesses and grounded thousands of flights.There is a direct relationship at strategic locations such as airports and other workplaces for access control and time and attendance. That brings us to the iris- based identity authentication system. They are totally contactless and do not require close contact with other people. Thus epidemics like coronavirus are putting a spotlight on contactless biometrics.
Healthcare organizations face ever-evolving challenges in their respective sector. Digital transformation in healthcare has made things simpler. Digital technology encompasses all aspects of how a healthcare business interacts with patients, etc. It is basically about improving patient experience. In order to achieve a successful digital transformation, healthcare organizations must realise that technology works for people.
Even the retail sector has seen leaps and bounds in terms of digital transformation. Retail digital transformation simply means using digital technologies to create game-changing business innovations that disrupt existing industries or create whole new ones. This gives a new dimension to marketing transformation and customer experience too.
All in all, from the need for contactless paying options to new ways to eliminate crowd or touched-based systems, mankind will have to adapt to meet the needs of a changed lifestyle.
You might also be interested to read: Leadership Role of HR in Digital Transformation
References:
- “Connect&GO provides contactless solutions for a post-COVID-19 world” by Charlotte Coates on April 28, 2020
- “COVID-19: Why contactless payment is a wiser choice” by MoneyControl on Mar 11, 2020
- “COVID-19 Crisis: How retailers can win consumers post lockdown” by Charu Lamba
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