Imagining a time before face masks, incessant hand washing and social distancing is becoming increasingly difficult. It was around this time last year that people could be observed wearing PPE in supermarkets and convenience stores, though it was largely seen as being needlessly hyper-cautious.
For the past few years, we have offered up the industry’s views on sleeper trends, the nascent technology movements that may not immediately impact how end-users currently do business but are poised to have long-term consequences. Considering business conditions 12 short months ago, when PPE was not in the vocabulary of the general populace, we are now acutely aware of how drastic and immediate changes can be thrust upon us.
As we look at the second and final installment of sleeper trends, 2020 serves as a reminder that technologies and paradigm shifts no longer require a long runway before taking off. We’re not above asking the magic eight ball what the future holds, but we’ll stick to our panel of industry professionals to assess long-term prospects, barring any further unforeseen global events.
The Future
Michael Pietrunti, senior vice president, U.S. multi-brand dealer channel for Xerox, cited the company’s Future of Work survey, in which 82% of respondents believe organizations will return to their workplaces in 12 to 18 months. Survey results were reported last June, which puts the high end of the projection near the end of 2021.
“With the anticipation that offices will continue to be meeting places for collaboration, dealers need to leverage prior sales with customers to create a seamless work experience between the office and home environments,” Pietrunti said. “In a challenging economic period, that’s particularly compelling. When customers can try workflow automation for themselves, using technology like MFPs they’ve already invested in, it’s a low-risk proving ground that sets the stage for bigger bets in workflow automation to come.
“As we know from developing the ConnectKey platform that underpins our MFP ecosystem, smart printers can serve as the entry into larger digital transformation efforts. Through cloud and mobile digital workflow apps, they’re a simple way to help customers start adapting to new workflows.”
Technology Adoption
When it comes to today’s cutting-edge technology movements—blockchain, augmented reality and the Internet of Things (IoT)—Toshiba America Business Solutions is already immersed in them, according to Larry White, COO. He notes that blockchain and other technologies, if widely adopted, have the potential to simplify collaboration in a more secure and authentic manner.
“Augmented reality devices such as smart glasses will enable every surface to become a screen while further changing and improving the way we communicate, collaborate and work,” White said. “Our company is also looking to create more intelligent spaces and smart places by connecting homes, offices and even cities using IoT.”
One of the areas brought to light by the pandemic is the security of hardware and solutions, notes Jose Estebanez, vice president of corporate marketing, Kyocera Document Solutions America. The remote workforce highlighted just how unprepared many organizations were, and security threats abound for organizations of all sizes, not just the major corporations and banking institutions.
“Manufacturers have taken huge steps to improve their capabilities, and in 2021, we will see that they will convey that message with more force than ever,” he said. “Not being able to compete with the very best technology in this area of security will become a real differential factor, not only for manufacturers but also for dealers, as a failure to do so simply means that customers see you as someone who isn’t taking your role in the industry seriously. Security will be the starting point for every other conversation that takes place about the future of the workplace.”
In assessing the impact of the pandemic, Stephanie Kennard, Y Soft’s executive vice president of sales for North and Latin America, sees a trio of notable areas worth monitoring for the long run. One is a possible change in the way businesses manage their infrastructure, and with servers moving off-premises, she wonders how quickly this infrastructure pivot will happen. The second area could be a meaningful and permanent shift toward touchless technologies, with near-field communications (NFC) and beacons becoming a standard for authentication.
Lastly, Kennard wonders whether regulatory compliance could change to encompass employees’ home networks and hardware. “Companies could be liable for data outside of their control,” she said. “How do we help them manage that?”
Relationship Management
Some manufacturers, like Brother International, have already pivoted to address long-term changes in how they foster relationships with their dealer partners. While in-person meetings will resume in the not-too-distant future, Dan Waldinger, senior director, B2B marketing, notes that incorporating supplementary virtual channels to foster a two-way feedback system has been “a phenomenal lesson of the pandemic.”
One such example is the Brother Partner Authorized Total Hub (PATH). “This is a digital portal for all partner needs, from selling to marketing materials and much more, which partners can access 24/7,” he said. “Leveraging digital means to react to market trends and customer needs will reap long-term rewards for OEMs and dealers alike.”
