INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Businesses have been forced to quickly adapt in order to keep operating during the global coronavirus outbreak
For instance companies that were reluctant to implement remote working policies in the past have now been forced to do so quickly as
governments around the world have ordered their citizens to stay at home.To learn more about how businesses have been disrupted by the
outbreak and the complications that could arise while working from home, TheIndianSubcontinent Pro spoke with the president of TeamViewer
Americas, Finn Faldi.How is TeamViewer handling the recent coronavirus outbreak and what steps have you taken to prevent your employees from
being exposed to it?As of late-March, TeamViewer was trying hard to keep up with the torrent of rapid changes affecting the business and
social environment resulting from the spread of coronavirus
We have more than 900 employees around the world, including in China
However, our headquarters and our largest number of people are in Germany, where the company was founded and where the coronavirus hit
steps to prepare ourselves as best as possible
For example, several weeks ago, we began providing detailed information about appropriate workplace hygiene measures and set up new hygiene
stations with hand sanitizers at all our offices
At the same time, we imposed worldwide travel restrictions on all of our employees, either recommending or requiring them to do as much as
By now, with the exception of a handful of employees essential for business continuity, the majority of our employees including those from
our United States office are all working from home
people to collaborate from wherever they happen to be
And we practice what we preach.In what respects is the coronavirus been most disruptive to your business?Our normal sales processes globally
have been directly affected
As a result, some sales methods, particularly those in which personal interaction is needed, have been suspended
solutions, are being postponed or cancelled everywhere
However, the demand for remote connectivity has increased as a direct result of the pandemic
continuing to move forward at a rapid pace
And we are working hard to service those additional requests as fast as possible and with the quality that customers expect from us.(Image
credit: Shutterstock)How can organizations adapt to the need to work remotely as a result of the COVID-19? What complications might arise?A
movement toward increased flexibility for employees, including work from home, was already well underway before the coronavirus struck
There are lots of good reasons behind the move to work remotely, both for the worker and the employer
We are convinced that this emergency will accelerate that movement, making it more common for work in the future.But will remote work
arrangements apply to every business? Probably not
Every type of organization has its own distinctive requirements
As a result, the types of jobs being done, and the interactions of employees with one another as well as with their clients, will all be
different.What advice would you give to organizations implementing a remote working policy for the first time?Knowledge-based organizations
in which digital transformation has already begun have a head start on implementing remote working policies because most of their critical
information is already accessible through their digital network
One size does not fit all
Department heads and IT department personnel need to be closely involved, both on the technical side and on the policy side, to craft the
survive an incident of this kind? Very few businesses, regardless of size, are able to comfortably absorb the cost of an extended disruption
either to their productivity or to their customer patronage
That said, effective connectivity solutions for business are almost entirely independent of company size: affordable solutions that make
sense are already available for small organizations as well as large ones
employees, even after the pandemic has passed
Our Blizz online phone and video conference platform will continue to be available free of charge for up to five participants
hundreds of participants at the same time
Although there are multiple providers of those services, a huge benefit of TeamViewer is that we provide a single tool that can perform all
different shape going forward?The technology for including hundreds of people in an interactive electronic conference is already available;
there is no limit on the number who can be included in one-way communications
Some organizations may find that digital conferencing works well for its stakeholders, and therefore would continue offering it as a format
affect long-term business strategy and arrangements between business partners? Without an effective, widely available vaccine and global
long-term investment decisions
Any service business where face-to-face contact with customers is involved would be heavily impacted
Whole segments of the economy involving close contact between individuals such as healthcare, fitness, or grooming, as well as those that
involve assembling large numbers of people in the same place, are already experiencing disruption
Some may not survive, at least not in their present form
With global supply chains and worldwide travel now baked into the economy, regional solutions may not be sufficient or even
