5 Digital Technologies, That Are Trending Post COVID-19

Many technological trends saw their development during the period of this coronavirus pandemic or COVID-19 which paralyzed businesses and economies across the world.

However, digital transformation was the key during this phase and continued to persist.

Many technologies played a vital role in keeping society operational during the quarantine.

And these technologies can have a lasting impact in the months and years to come.

It is for this reason; we present to you the technological trends which have shown their usefulness during the lockdown across the globe:

1. Remote Work or Telework

During this period of the pandemic, lockdown forced us to stay at home and most companies had to implement remote working policies for their employees.

Remote work was facilitated using technologies such as virtual private networks (VPN), cloud technology, collaborative work tools, and more.

Currently, several collaborative work tools are available on the market. Zoom and Google Meet video conferencing tools suddenly became a household name.

The most important thing with teleworking is that it is no longer necessary to go out or move around to carry out various professional tasks.

In addition to this positive point, people also saved on time and money spent on the commute to the workplace.

However, confinement did prove to be a blocking moment for people who like to work in the office.

Telework also represented challenges for companies such as the confidentiality of personal data and technical assistance in the event of a problem with the use of the tool.

Hence, most companies invested in developing their own collaboration tools for the secure sharing of data and information.

2. Online Purchases and Deliveries by Robot or Drone

Since the start of the pandemic, eCommerce has experienced inevitable growth.

Given this situation, online shopping must be supported by a robust logistics system because delivery in person is not protected and it is a risk.

Restaurants and delivery companies in the United States and China are using robot delivery services.

These robots or drones pick up goods from the vendor and drop them off at a designated location.

This ensures there is no contact with the person and hence the spread of the virus can be contained.  

There are also the drones that were used to make the delivery to protect human workers from the coronavirus and ensure prompt service to customers.

In most parts of the world, where advanced methods like drones or robots were not available, retail stores moved to eCommerce and introduced contactless delivery through humans.

The use of contact tracing apps and following safety protocols ensured they could maintain business continuity even during the lockdown.

3. eLearning Applications

COVID-19 resulted in the closure of several schools around the world.

With this pandemic situation, education has radically changed with the development of online learning, where classes are conducted over distance and on digital platforms to ensure that education is not disrupted by quarantine measures.

eLearning was not just restricted to schools.

Several professionals took up to this tool for upskilling and learning something new in their spare time during the lockdown.

4. Telehealth and Healthcare Apps

Since the start of the pandemic, remote monitoring of patients has accelerated screening for infection, followed by tracing and isolation of potential carriers.

One thing is certain, telehealth requires a certain level of technical knowledge to function, as well as a good Internet connection.

These connected health platforms allowed doctors and patients to engage remotely via online conversational interfaces and digital medical assistance.

Telehealth and healthcare apps are proving to be an effective way to contain the spread of COVID-19 while providing essential primary care.

Many doctors invested in developing teleconsultation apps to continue their patient management without any physical contact.

It also organized the way medical staff operated and streamlined the inflow of patients with a good appointment system.

5. Online and Contactless Payment

The use of online and contactless payment experienced a boom during the pandemic.

With this situation, several companies have promoted contactless payment deployments, which allow customers to pay via a smartphone or a payment card without swiping or inserting a card in the store.

Note that current contactless payments include Apple Pay and Google Pay mobile wallets, contactless credit or debit cards.

And now contactless digital payments, in the form of cards or electronic wallets, are the recommended payment method to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Conclusion

The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of new information and communication technologies, which allow business and life to continuing as usual as much as possible.

Building the infrastructure to support society and staying up to date with the latest technology will be essential for any business or country to stay competitive.

We at OneClick help businesses to make the most of these technological advancements.

Connect with our experts to transform your physical business and move to the digital channel. Because this is the new normal.