Without realising it, the team at Stream Interactive were well-suited and ready for something like COVID 19
When the New Zealand government enforced the first nation-wide lockdown in March 2020, we quickly went into ‘remote’ mode. In-house expertise had us connected via a VPN link into the office network. Working remotely for most of us has been the norm for many, many years, with some of our programming workforce living in different countries and timezones.
Teamwork & efficiency gains
Our usual project and strategy meetings continued without a hitch and in most cases major efficiencies were gained. Using tools like Skype, Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams and WeChat connecting with our clients also became super-easy and very productive.
As luck would have it, we had several projects about to hit the production line and given that most of our clients were now at home, a perfect storm of ‘getting it done’ emerged.
On top of that, stalled projects or those that were sitting on the back-burner all of a sudden became urgent or crucial for our customers... to do NOW! Organisations wanted to engage with their members, businesses wanted to enhance what they were doing, improving online sales and becoming more efficient. What started out as a very scary year for us has turned into one of our busiest.
A new year, a new attitude
Even when the lockdowns are lifted ’Online’ seems to be a positive way forward for many, it’s now become a part of our everyday lives. A barrier has been pierced, with the possibilities now being allowed to flow through. Our advice is to push ahead with your ‘online’ strategies, we'll definitely be doing that. We’re lifting our game in 2021, improving our products and services, advertising more and building new tools. As we’ve seen in 2020, if you stay still, you get left behind.