This past Tuesday (March 24, 2020), Clearbridge Mobile launched #CBMchats, a series meant to inform our followers on the value of mobile business during a time of crisis. The purpose of this roundup post is to gather key insights and takeaways from each topic and discussion. As each week’s discussion goes live we will be updating this post with relevant information, analytics, and opinions.

Week 1: Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rapid escalation of customers seeking solutions to accommodate working from home. This week’s topic focused on learning from our audience what essential technologies and apps they have been using to stay productive during this time. Below are our key takeaways:

Zoom and Slack are essential to communication

Our first question highlighted the struggle many businesses have had in quickly transitioning their entire organization to a work-from-home model and the important role technology plays in supporting the initiative. From the get-go, it was clear that both Zoom and Slack were the favorites. 

Productivity shouldn’t be a concern

Our fourth question addressed the challenges faced by businesses that aren’t used to supporting a remote workforce or doing the majority of their work digitally. Many of these businesses have expressed concern over productivity and fear that the distraction of being at home will negatively impact productivity levels. However, as suggested by our audience and this Stanford University study, employees are more productive when working from home. Additionally, managers should be looking to measure productivity differently than they traditionally have. This unique set of circumstances calls for new habits to be developed.

Working remotely could become the new normal

As COVID -19 has forced enterprises to rethink the way they do business, many people are wondering if the global shift towards remote work will affect the future of work and change the workforce. Our audience thinks so, and so do we. Businesses are now beginning to see that while this situation is unusual, their investment in technology has allowed operations to continue running. Knowing that this is possible, we could see more flexible policies surrounding remote work and more frequent use in a variety of industries including education and healthcare. 

Thanks for joining us!

On behalf of the Clearbridge Mobile team, thank you to everyone who participated in our first #CBMchats Twitter chat. Our next discussion is on Thursday, April 2nd and will be focused on sharing insights on how mobile can be a key solution for maintaining business continuity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In the meantime, for businesses interested in learning more about mobility and how maintaining digital lines of business can mitigate the business risks of COVID19, check out this article and feel free to contact us to find out how we can help.