Rethinking Your Technology Use During COVID-19

Rethinking Your Technology Use During COVID-19

The effects of COVID-19 on the technology sector are various and, possibly, long-lasting. The slowing down of global trade is affecting raw materials supply, disrupting the electronics value chain, causing inflation on products and decreased demand for services as consumers try to save money they no longer receive due to spikes in unemployment. In addition, the pandemic has caused widespread remote working – businesses are now pushed to rapidly adapt their operations, re-evaluate risks, and change consumer behaviors and needs. Lastly, potential carbon emission reductions could result in a renewed focus on sustainability practices in tech and many other industries.

As a consumer, what can you do with all this information? How can you adapt your buying behavior to receive quality, ease, sustainability, and durability for the least impact on your finances?

1. Simplify the process

Whether you run a small business or take care of your family's tech needs, bringing tech software and hardware necessities under one umbrella may help you save $$ and time. Do you have six different providers for your wireless, IT, digital security, telephone, website design, and cloud services? If so, find a company that can help you check all the boxes for a package deal, ensuring your different systems work smoothly and cohesively.

2. Have conversations about your tech needs

Take a step back and analyze your technology needs, asking those around you what would improve their work or daily life. Gather what you find and relay that information to a reliable technology provider who could advise you on the best quality-price products and services that respond to your necessities.

Trusting a tech wiz who represents a business to solve your issues may seem questionable. However, many technology companies stay alive and thrive on your success. Hence, they become invested in your satisfaction with their services and products on a business and personal level. Who doesn't want to end a day's work knowing they made someone's life just a little bit better?

3. Be open to new ways of doing things

As a COVID-19 survival mechanism, your old tech provider may raise its prices or limit its services. That may be a signal for you to switch companies or at least consider alternatives – not only in providers but in the specific products and services you have been operating on so far.  Challenging times require creativity and progress – businesses need to differentiate themselves on the market, or they will lose to competitors – and some newer tech offerings may provide you with what you didn't even know you needed. Have you been struggling to keep your co-workers on the same page because your communication platforms are glitchy and mediocre? You thought X was the best platform on the market, but it's now disappointing you. Are you ready to give a new shiny Y a chance?

4. Think of our aching planet

The current pandemic has allowed us to reconsider our choices and futures. As you evaluate things, take a moment to ask yourself: Where does technology fit in my life? How much do I know about how my tech products are made and how my behavior affects this planet? How can I reduce my paper and energy consumption so that years down the road, I and future generations can still enjoy nature and its bounty?