In a rapidly changing world, business leaders must be prepared to leave their comfort zones and embrace new product propositions if they want to remain successful in the months and years to come. This is according to Kyocera.
For organisations in the technology sector, certain tools and solutions thrived during the pandemic and continue to do so, with video collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom the most prominent examples. Meanwhile, other areas of the industry struggled with the closure of offices, schools and universities, including printer or desktop computer manufacturers. Businesses have had to adapt quickly, as the way information moves through the organisation has become much more dynamic and multifaceted.
For Rod Barthet, CEO of Kyocera Document Solutions UK, having a diverse range of products and services that cover a variety of different areas is key to surviving in the new working world, and helps future-proof the business against further major disruption down the line.
Barthet said: “The past 18 months have shown that technology organisations can be just as vulnerable as companies in any other sector. The positive we can take from the upheaval of the pandemic is that there are lots of lessons we can learn to ensure we’re well-prepared for similar events in future.
“Organisations in all sectors need to increase their digital adoption, transform their processes and find new ways to innovate, and technology companies need to be there to deliver this. With this in mind, technology leaders need to take a long hard look at the services they offer and realise that focusing on a narrow product proposition or service offering means their business isn’t as resilient as it could be. In effect, we no longer need change to prosper; we need to evolve to survive.”
The shift to permanent hybrid and remote working models has also played a significant role in this need to diversify. It is expected that by 2023, just under a quarter of the workforce will be working remotely full time.
Barthet continued: “There is a wealth of opportunities in this changed working world for businesses willing to seize them. If, for example, your service has always revolved around hardware (printers, computers, physical storage devices and so on) then now could be the time to consider expanding to software as well, especially with the continued growth of cloud. This is something we have focused on as a business over the last five years, and has been a hugely effective way of anticipating and preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.
“Developing cloud-ready software will allow an organisation to extend its reach, build links with new customers and partners, and open up new revenue streams. It is through this kind of innovative thought and engagement that successful companies will continue to add value and remain relevant to their customers and partners in the long term.”
Barthet concluded: “Adaptability is the name of the game in the post-pandemic era. Things are returning to some sort of normality, but much of our working lives won’t be the same as before. Make the effort to diversify and leave your comfort zone, and there’s every reason to approach the future with optimism.”
For more information, visit: uk.kyocera.com
