How do you imagine customer experience in a post-Covid world? There are going to be possible changes in customer preferences and business models to survive this crisis. Once the customers acclimatize to the new digital model, it'll already accelerate shifts way before any crisis.
2021 will witness some immediate changes in top technological and business innovation depending on individual experiences during the pandemic.
Technology trends to watch out for this year
1. Smart Work from Home Technologies
The epidemic has transformed the way we execute business and do things. At first, employers were radical in allowing employees to work remotely on a large scale. Even when employees were expecting increased work flexibility, it was never to be.
The ongoing restrictions and lockdowns have made employers embrace the work-from-home culture as a new normal. And this culture will outlive the pandemic. Some organizations have even offered their employees the option of working remotely permanently.
With work from home becoming the hottest trend, many innovative tools are in increased demand, such as Zoom, WebEx, and MS Teams. These tools have noticed enormous usage over the last few months, and it’s expected to continue even this year.
2. Increased development of 5G infrastructure
There is no denying that the demand for high-speed internet and access to well-connected homes, smart cities, and autonomous mobility have advanced the 5G internet technology. This year will witness new infrastructure and application development updates from both the startups and larger organizations.
Many telecom companies are planning to deliver 5G technology by the end of 2021. However, an American telecommunications company Verizon had already extended nationwide 5G technology to cover 230 million people in December 2020. Also, China is rapidly deploying 5G and Swedish MNC, Ericsson is leading the worldwide charge. More than 300 operators are investing in this high-speed technology, and around 40 countries have already launched commercial 5G services.
The development of high-speed networks will drive smart city plans globally and help grow the autonomous mobility sector.
In 2021, AI and industrial automation technology will be in massive demand and see rapid growth. The resuming operations of supply chains and manufacturing may notice a lack of staffing. Therefore, AI, IoT, and robotics will be the key solutions to handle manufacturing.
3. Virtual reality and augmented reality for remote work
The immersive technologies from augmented and virtual reality have given a new shape to remote work. Avatars, indoor navigation, remote assistance, AI integration with VR and AT, AR cloud, and mobility will be the major attraction of 2021. Leveraging these technologies will ultimately accelerate the growth of the 5G network and expand the network bandwidth.
4. Customer Data Platforms (CDP)
Last year, we observed a rising demand for customer data platforms (CDP). It isn’t easy to sort data from multiple sources. For an efficient run, it’s essential to have well-curated and timely operations.
According to a study, insufficient data wastes around $3 trillion annually. Thus, companies need to address this issue at the earliest. Fortunately, these platforms help solve this issue by fetching data from all sources, organizing, tagging, and making it usable.
5. The Internet of Behaviors
Internet of Behaviors (IoB) is an advancing trend of 2021. Organizations are leveraging the benefits of technology to track customer behaviors. Some practical tools include big data, facial recognition, and location tracking.
Gartner predicted that over half of the global population would be subject to at least one IoB program by 2025.
Several businesses are choosing the hybrid cloud model due to its convenience. It deals with the following customer challenges:
- Exponential data growth
- Privacy
- Security and compliance
Conclusion,
Technology trends in 2021 will keep up with the previous year to some extent. However, the influence of coronavirus pandemic will grow during that time. Most of our behaviors and processes will become part of the new normal. It'll help drive major business and technological revolutions.
