2020 irrevocably changed what modern work looks like. At one point in the year, more than half of the global workforce was working remotely enabled by digital communication tools that replace in-person interaction. Many office workers will never go back full-time. Every day, more businesses announce flexible remote work policies. These changes open up employers to increasingly distributed teams and new talent markets. Accelerated migration to the cloud and adoption of remote contact centers are enabling a growing, agile workforce.
Trend
02
Digital drives the agile workforce
Digital connection reshaped the working world. The future is agile and distributed.
report COVID-19 accelerated their move to the cloud
Cloud migration accelerated across every company, from 500-25,000+ employees.
average number of new channels businesses plan to add this year, with roughly one third planning to add live chat, chatbots, IVR and video
report they plan to increase or maintain their current communications channel offerings after the pandemic
Businesses plan to expand where and how they engage customers.
“In the Omdia Future of Work Survey conducted in August 2020, 2 out of 3 respondents plan to encourage certain teams or business functions to work remotely post-COVID-19.”
Omdia Collaborative Meeting Services Market Tracker 2H20 Analysis, November 2020
Employees dividing time between home and office is not the only way the workplace is transforming. Companies are using digital communications to reimagine their front-line engagement so that employees can serve customers from anywhere, under any circumstances. Sales associates are using text and video to deliver personalized recommendations to clients from the sales floor. Cable technicians can field problem reports and troubleshoot remotely. Food delivery workers let customers know when their orders will arrive from the road for contactless drop-offs.
What's next
The working world will no longer be constrained by shared physical locations or physical hardware. The average knowledge worker will spend close to half their time in the office and half remote, while service workers’ day-to-day will be enhanced with digital communications. Businesses will maintain the new workflows they’ve created to drive additional customer loyalty and create new revenue streams.
“We’re never going back to fully analog. Every in-person experience in the future will have a digital element. Businesses that don't adopt this model will take a hit on customer loyalty and relevance.”
Glenn Weinstein Chief Customer Officer, TwilioThe Twilio Engagement Builder Spotlight recognizes what innovative organizations have built to stay connected to their customers and communities.
Nike hit the ground running when the pandemic struck, shifting to an online-only model while still delivering the great one-on-one service customers experience in stores. From their homes, retail employees (aka “store athletes”) help digital consumers shop for the perfect pair of running shoes using Nike’s app messaging system based on the Twilio platform. Engagement was so strong that even after stores reopened store athletes continued using the platform to support digital consumers. Online sales are still growing.