This virus has brought our world to a standstill. Never before, at this breadth or pace, have the lives of so many people around the world been impacted. But there are early signs of recovery as the vaccine rollout progresses and as the rate of infections starts to slow down in some hard-hit areas. As such, some counties, towns, and states are slowly beginning to reopen their businesses, public areas, and more.

The Next ‘Normal’

While there have been many predictions about when we “get back to normal,” many expect 2022 to be the year. But does this mean that things will go back to the way they were before?

The end of lockdown may not necessarily signal a return to the “normal” we knew. Re-openings will take various configurations, with different countries, territories, and business sectors opening up at different speeds and in different ways. In this way, it might be best to talk about the next new normal as characterized by uncertainty and unpredictability.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best

You will need to take steps to ensure that your company is ready to function in a post-pandemic world, even accounting for all the other business challenges currently on your plate. Being adequately prepared to move in response to external crises will help you preserve market stability in the long run.

Although some may feel pressure to concentrate resources on making up for lost sales instead, if time and consideration aren’t given to build a “move-forward” strategy, companies may find themselves struggling even further. By being agile, creating a strategy, and communicating policies and goals to ensure that all your team members are ready for the new normal, businesses set themselves up for successfully navigating this or any other crisis in the future.

One way to prepare? Get your company organized so that you are well-positioned to capitalize when ‘normal’ returns (whatever that may look like).

Go Digital

Digitizing your company is the best way of organizing your company’s workflows. Many organizations rely on paper documentation for governance, organizational needs, and general management. Converting paper documents to digital ones increases operating performance, streamlines your workflow, and improves a business’s customer relationships and the public perception of your company.

More significantly, digitization guarantees that their electronic counterparts can remain available if paper records are lost or destroyed. In this respect, companies operating in the medical, financial, and legal fields are especially vulnerable.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on many businesses in many areas, from supply chain logistics to labor. Business continuity and disaster recovery programs ensure that your organization will have the capability to operate its critical business functions during emergency events.

Services to consider when migrating to a digital work system:

• Artificial Intelligence: Streamline your organization’s processes with machine learning and other AI tools designed to automate workflows.
• Imaging and Data Capture: Convert paper and electronic documents into functional data through sophisticated optical character recognition (OCR) and intelligent character recognition (ICR) software that can be fed directly into your ERP, medical claims, or billing system. 
• Digital Mailroom: Reduce the complexity, cost, and time associated with opening, managing, and distributing inbound documents, freeing your staff to focus on core competencies.
• Enrollment Form Processing: Increase the speed and accuracy of processing enrollment forms and accompanying payments, while reallocating resources to core business functions.
• Print and Mail: Manage large-scale communications with an outbound digital mailroom. Outsourcing this function also allows your organization to leverage deep postage discounts in addition to saving on production costs.

There is no doubt that businesses have been hit hard during this unprecedented time. But in the next normal, those who invest in the right tools, systems, and teams, and have the right mindset will be better equipped to thrive in the new business climate.