2020 is behind us and here comes 2021. In retrospect, we really did a fantastic job weathering the early storm brought on by COVID-19.
Our advanced business continuity planning helped immensely, and we were ahead of many of our competitors in moving our teams and businesses to virtual footing. Our customers didn’t miss a beat with us and, surprisingly, our service metrics improved across the board and we gained market share. At the same time, our employee engagement scores continued to increase, as did our NPS scores. Nice surprises indeed! What does that mean for this second year of the pandemic? Businesses have more or less ignored the political turmoil in Washington and as the health care crisis improves, business sentiment should follow. The pace of change in our business will accelerate; if you aren’t innovating and delivering more for customers, look out.

If we’ve learned anything in the last year and a half, it is to expect the unexpected. This mindset has allowed us to be unfazed by the ongoing stops and starts brought on by COVID and made us a more resilient and agile company. We decided early on in the pandemic to communicate even more than our norm. Keeping the team up to date and bringing the entire company along every step of the way was never viewed as optional. Our employees are smart and have a right to know what decisions are being made. People and customers are our top company priorities. Continuing to reinforce our commitment to both paved the way for us during a time of personal stress for many on our team. Communicate, be transparent, and don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know.

For the past twenty years, we’ve had a relatively stable environment of low but steady economic growth and job creation. The pandemic is creating volatility that we’ve forgotten about, but on balance isn’t unexpected. If you accept that there is no normal state, it is much easier to make your organization resilient and adaptive. We’ve also recognized that the pandemic has blurred the already fuzzy line between work and home life. Creating enough space for people to confidently manage work while balancing their unique circumstances at home has been very important to us and drives many decisions. We have trusted our employees from Day 1 of the pandemic; in my view, it was the only approach for us to take and it has benefitted all of us. As we navigate these ongoing challenges, there has been one constant in our many successes: collaboration. Doing business during a pandemic has required deeper collaboration between our diverse teams, customers, and community. If history is a guide, times of upheaval lead to disruption and incredible innovation. We have increased our investments in R&D and, despite the challenges we all face, today we’re excited about what lies ahead.

Time moves on. Business as usual sounds somewhat comforting but if you’re waiting for a return to 2019 don’t hold your breath. The world has changed, and we must continue to adapt and tailor solutions and practices to where the market and customers have moved.
If the past is a prologue, pandemics and crises usually are catalysts for profound change. If we look down the road one can imagine, and frankly, we are starting to see much innovation in services industries, from self-checkout at the supermarket to digitally transformed (less human interaction) user experiences. The combination of changing user expectations and challenging demographics will usher in a golden age of innovation and productivity gains.
Business customers no longer act differently than consumers – they expect great customer experiences and information when and where they want it – there is no return to days gone by. Moving on and embracing the current dynamics of the 2020’s is the new business as usual.