StartupTalky

Tag: after coronavirus

  • How To Tackle Virtual Team Management Challenges?

    Virtual Teams are becoming a part of life slowly and steadily. This concept has picked up the pace in the past 5 to 6 years. It is becoming a trend now and a good alternative for traditional management systems. With the inclusion of technologies in our life virtual teams have become an essential part for organizations. Although there also come certain challenges. Here we will discuss certain Virtual Team Management Challenges. What can be the measures an organization can take up to tackle these challenges?

    Let us first discuss what does actually Virtual Team means?

    Virtual Teams
    Types of Virtual Teams
    5 Virtual Team Challenges

    Virtual Teams

    Virtual Team Survey done in 2020
    Virtual Team Survey done in 2020

    When people from different areas or locations come together with the help of technologies like telephone, video call, voice call, e-mail or fax and work together forming a team for a specific cause being at where they are can be termed as Virtual Teams.

    So, here people are assigned different tasks on the basis of their hierarchy. So they can perform them virtually through different locations. Nowadays, video calls are the best alternative as it helps people to interact in a better way. It also helps in creating a better environment as compared to phone calls. It creates a more interactive session.

    Virtual Team meetings are also an efficient and effective way to conduct meetings. It helps a person to save cost of traveling and setting up an office.

    6 Ways – What Makes A Successful Business Partnership
    We constantly see people and companies collaborating with each other to bringabout successful outcomes. However, it is not as easy to work in collaborationwith people and companies as one might think. When one starts working incollaboration lots of things come into play. Many compromises have to …
    StartupTalkyParnas Ghosh

    Types of Virtual Teams

    Types Of Virtual Teams Meaning
    Networked Teams Under this people from different expertise and knowledge comes together to solve a particular issue.
    Parallel Teams It is formed for a short span and is usually formed among the people in the same organisation regarding any specific issue.
    Product Development Teams Teams takes part from different countries and contribute their ideas towards a new product development
    Production Teams In this every individual does his own work and at the end all indiviiduals works are combined for the end product
    Service Teams Under this the work is done in different countries according to their time zone. Suppose one country’s work is done then the other country will take it from that position according to their time zone
    Management Teams These teams are formed at different geographical area. Managers forms this and takes the decision under the same organisation. Big decisions of the organisations are taken under this.
    Action Teams These teams are formed for a quick solution to a problem and when the problem is solved these teams are put off

    5 Virtual Team Challenges

    Growth of Successful Virtual Teams
    Growth of Successful Virtual Teams

    1. Focusing On Tasks

    First of all, while developing a team proper instructions should be provided.  What task to perform, time management, and about the resources that will help them to reach a certain goal. But the main emphasis should be on how should the process takes place. They should be taught how tasks can be tackled. Focusing on the goal is important but should not be given primary importance. Also, as a team leader, you have to simplify the processes and tasks to your team members. Each individual should be clear about the task assigned to them.

    2. Developing Rhythmic Communication

    While managing a team virtually good communication is a must. When people are located at different places it is easy to get distracted. And as a manager of the meeting you have to take care that the focus of the people does not get away. Try to make the other people feel comfortable and create a healthy decorum. Also, if you are doing it on a regular basis try to fix a certain time. They will try to clear out their minds from other daily routine tasks which will help them to focus on the meeting.

    3. Start Off With An Informal Communication

    Whenever you are starting off a virtual meeting do not directly jump in into the formal part. Start with a healthy gesture and ask people that what were they doing before this or how are they holding up. It will help the other person feel more involved and comfortable. First few minutes you can ask them what is going on around them. This will make them feel important and will provide a better output during work.

    4. Allowing Flexible Work Hours

    When a virtual meet is conducted it is important to provide them with flexible work hours. Asking them to submit the task assigned within flexible hours will help you create a good bond. It will also help them provide better work with less amount of stress. Although try not to let them lose too much. Give them flexible hours but in a preferred amount of time. The time provided should be beneficial to both you and your workers.

    5. Ask Your Team Members To Share Their Opinion

    Whenever a virtual meet is conducted make sure all your co-workers feel involved. When a task comes under you and your team tries to listen out to everyone’s opinion. Ask them how they can do it better. If anyone comes up with a great solution try to reward that worker and praise him. This will help in creating an involved environment and also will help them to boost their morale.

    So, Managing a virtual team can become a great alternative if you and your teammates become used to it. More and more organizations are shifting to this type of team management.

    10 Best Virtual Team Building Activities For Remote Employees
    Virtual team building is that the same because the regular team building, thesole distinction is that you just don’t seem to be within the same physicalarea. during this building activity, every member interacts throughinternet-connected tools. The reason for the virtual team building activities…
    StartupTalkySweta kumari

    Virtual Team Management Challenges – FAQs

    What are the challenges of managing virtual teams?

    5 Challenges of Virtual Teams

    • Focusing On Tasks
    • Developing Rhythmic Communication
    • Start Off With An Informal Communication
    • Allowing Flexible Work Hours
    • Ask Your Team Members To Share Their Opinion

    What is the meaning of virtual team?

    When people from different areas or locations come together with the help of technologies like telephone, video call, voice call, e-mail or fax and work together forming a team for a specific cause being at where they are can be termed as Virtual Teams.

    What is an example of a virtual team?

    Example of a Virtual Team:

    Company A, a plane manufacturer, is facing heavy pressure from competitors. To address the issue, Company A connects experts from the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe to collaborate and create a new innovative plane design.

    What are the types of Virtual Teams?

    7 Types of Virtual Teams

    • Networked Teams
    • Parallel Teams
    • Product Development Teams
    • Production Teams
    • Service Teams
    • Management Teams
    • Action Teams

    How to Build and Manage a Successful Team
    Everyone has what it takes to become a leader. Some need a gentle nudge in theright direction to break out of their shell. Being in the position of a leader,means you have to handle numerous tasks, from managing a team to developing anew leader. Having to direct and guide a lot of people, correc…
    StartupTalkyLakshya Singh

  • How to Provide a Contactless Experience to your Customers

    As the fight against the contagious coronavirus continues, this world seems like a changed place. This pandemic is going to leave an everlasting effect on consumer behavior, with concerns shifting towards health and safety. Various guidelines have been published on how to continue with daily life without the fear of contracting the virus. This had made one thing clear- A contactless tomorrow is not just a remote possibility but is also a necessity. People are reassessing their ways of interacting with different organizations, demanding a whole new contactless experience. Here are a few practices that will help the business to ensure a contactless experience to it’s customers.

    1. Contactless Deliveries

    With the e-commerce organizations resuming their operations post this pandemic, consumers would feel safe with the deliveries only if it was contactless. Contactless deliveries can be executed in a myriad ways. It depends on the type of business, kind of item purchased, and environmental conditions of delivery. The organizations must be ahead of time in giving their customers a positive experience in a contactless market.

    practice contactless delivery

    i) Gaining Consumer Trust

    The organization’s first step in such unprecedented times should be to ensure its customers about the safety measures being undertaken to give them a contactless experience. Different companies must have designed their own guidelines for different scenarios, but regardless of what those guidelines might be, expectations must be established with customers much ahead of time.

    ii) Clear Communication

    The business must maintain clear communication about the delivery,i.e. When, where, and how the item will be delivered. Unlike normal deliveries, contactless deliveries demand more transparency. There should be alerts when the order is processed, dispatched, or delivered. In other words, there are countless scenarios in which a business can respond to different situations. But the bottom line is that there must be clear communication and specificity between the business and the consumer.

    Also Read: 9 Founders Shared their tips on Surviving Coronavirus Outbreak

    2. Contactless Payments

    Contactless payment is a way to pay for goods and services without using credit cards, debit cards, or hard cash. Normalcy in life is surely going to be hard to achieve post-pandemic. Unlike debit cards and credit cards, contactless payments never touch the point of sales thus making it one of the safest methods of payments for the current situation. thus, creating a contactless payment market would be a wise choice for all the businesses.

    contactless payment providers

    Also Read: The Rise Of Digital Contactless Payments Post The COVID-19 Pandemic

    i) Some Examples of Contactless Payment Providers

    There are a number of ways in which proper contactless payments can be done with the help of some payment providers. Most of the organizations already use all such payment methods and for such businesses who were not using these payment methods much actively, this could be a great opportunity for introducing those features. The following are examples of different payment providers.

    a) Apple Pay

    Apple pay is a preprogrammed app called ‘wallet’ present on IOS mobile phones. There is no need of downloading any extra app because all of the transactions can be managed by apple pay itself. Users can feel secure using the app as it is one of the safest payment methods.

    b) Samsung Pay

    This contactless payment method is used py Samsung mobile users where one can carry all their debit cards, credit cards, or membership cards all in one place. It allows the user to pay online, in person, or in the app.

    c) Google Pay

    Google pay is another popular form of contactless payments used for users who do not have any in-built app on their mobile phones for online transactions. Users can feel confident as the transactions are protected with fingerprint, passwords, face-locks.

    d) Paytm

    Paytm helps the user to transfer money instantly at zero cost using the ‘Paytm wallet. This app can also be used for payments for online recharge, utility bill payments, book travel, or event tickets. The most appealing part about these payment methods is that the user gets gift coupons and vouchers regularly.

    e) PhonePe

    PhonePe is another famous contactless payment provider that ensures its users a seamless payment experience. Users can easily transfer money, pay utility bills, recharge phones, buy gold, and shop online as well as offline.

    iii) Benefits of Contactless Payments

    There are countless benefits of contactless payments not just in times like these. These payment methods, not just help the consumer but also allows the businesses in several ways.

    a) It is More Secure than Regular Payment Methods

    These are authenticated payment methods and are safer than regular transactions through debit and credit cards. The bank details provided by the user are encrypted which makes it hard to breach.

    b) Quicker Checkouts

    In this fast-tracked world, people want to get their work done faster. With contactless payments, you can speed up the check out process which benefits both the customer and the business. It rids you of returning the change and even saves you from entering pins of different devices.

    c) It allows the Business to handle Customers smoothly

    When a business reduces its time for completion of a transaction, it also attracts more customers. By providing contactless payments, a business can improve its customer experience and make them feel safe and confident in such hard times.

    Conclusion

    As we navigate this unprecedented crisis together, it’s important that all the sectors work together as a team. We hope that these research notes shed some light on the contactless customer experience.

  • The Role Of Drones In The Upcoming Future

    The COVID-19 pandemic has created a big problem not only for the people but a bigger problem for the government of the respective countries of the world. This pandemic has now led to so many deaths in the whole world and that too due to its wide spread of virus by the physical contact. Now, government of the countries are trying to have the social distance within the society and trying to resolve the problem of group working so that people can work with minimum or without physical contact. On looking in this case, many experts are saying that drones can play a key role by helping people in different ways to prevent further spread of the corona virus outbreak and any other upcoming pandemic in the future. So, let us see the complete report on the role of drones in the upcoming future.

    Role of drones in the working sectors

    1) Drones as a Surveillance device

    Drones as a Surveillance device
    Drones as a Surveillance device

    All the government authorities across the world are trying to prevent the spread of the virus. This can be only possible by reducing the people contact (group of bulk interactions). For this, most of the countries are imposing the ban of mass gatherings in order to ensure a social distancing which can only limit physical contact and can help in the wide spread of such pandemic in the upcoming future.

    Drones can help the police and the security officials to monitor the people’s movement and social gatherings. Police and the security officials will be helped by eliminating such gatherings from the society which will eventually decrease the risk to society.

    Also Read: Robotic Farming- The Upcoming Revolution in the Agriculture Sector

    2) Drones as a Broadcast device

    Police and security authorities can also use drones for any type of broadcast messages and information for any type of measures taken for the betterment of the society like the lockdown or anything else. This can work effectively especially in the rural area where, there is a lack of technology resources and any type of open communication channels for health information or anything related to their betterment. Drones equipped with loudspeakers can be used for making any type of public announcements for any type of necessary precautions or for making social-distancing or even for wearing the mask if found outside the home. Let us make you know that the countries like China and many European countries are using drones for broadcasting messages to public while doing surveillance.

    Also Read: Computerized Medicine and how it will change India

    3) Drones as a Medicine and Grocery Deliveries device

    Drones as a Medicine and Grocery Deliveries device
    Drones as a Medicine and Grocery Deliveries device

    During this pandemic, we have seen the global lock-down in the whole world. The people are not even allowed to move outside even for the shopping of the daily utility materials. People are having fear in having any type of medical help. So, in this case drones can help in the delivery of any essential good without any physical contact or it can help in taking up the samples for any type of test required by anyone in the society.

    Also Read: Impact On The E-Commerce Due To Global Lockdown

    Not only this, doctors and hospitals will be helped in any type of medical supplies and laboratory testing and also drones can be the safest and fastest ways to deliver medical supplies and transport samples from hospitals to laboratories. One of the live example was seen in Wuhan, the epicenter of the pandemic, where drones were used to deliver medical supplies in the hospital.

  • 14 Founders Shared Opinions on how Industry and Customer Behavior will Change after Coronavirus Fight

    Covid-19, which has shaken the whole world has brought everyone’s life at halt. This highly contagious disease is spreading so fast that Indian Government has ordered 1.3 billion residents to stay home. In this lockdown period, all malls, theaters, companies, shops, restaurants, manufacturing units are shut. This will affect businesses and economy badly. Many companies have told their employees to work from home. But, its not possible for all companies like manufacturing units, theaters, malls to let their employees work from home.

    People are also scared of going out. This coronavirus has made people’s lifestyle slow and it will take time for everyone including companies to come back on track after this long period of lock down. COVID-19 has put slowdown to a business everywhere. Travel, Hotel, Events, and Entertainment are the sectors that are suffering. But on the other hand, other sectors such as eCommerce, EduTech have benefited immensely.

    How Industry and Customer Behavior will Change after Coronavirus Fight? 

    We have asked few companies about changes in industry and customer behavior with respect to their company after this coronavirus outbreak.  

    Also Read:

    Rising Sun

    Pooja Nagdev, Founder and CEO

    At this time people have become more aware and going back to the basics. I see that with respect to FMCG ethical labelling will be enforced and people will more watchful of the ingredients they are consuming. The trend for natural and organic care will be the rise.

    Indi Collage

    Anuradha Singh

    At the moment people are more inclined towards online shopping but once the epidemic comes under control we expect to see more of experience based buying & shopping as a social interaction

    Tres’Chic Academe

    Chitra Balasubramaniam, CEO

    Since we operate online most of the time doing business the customer satisfaction is high & this corona virus situation has made us realise our step taking our business online earlier & given us good dividends by doing so.

    CASA EXOTIQUE

    Bhawana Bhatnagar, Interior Stylist, Founder

    There is no denying that business has taken a real hit because of the spread of this menacing disease. Many business firms are closing their stores, and numerous art and design fairs have been either canceled, postponed, or their upcoming plans have been modified. Moreover, due to the hindrance brought about in the global business, overseas procurement has become impossible. Due to this, the supply chain is going to be affected and this will change the dynamics of business. Customers are looking at products customized for them, made locally by us.

    MyStarHub

    Swapnil Mahajan, Founder & CEO

    Well, we are already experiencing a shift from traditional gifts to personalized online gifting due to the digital revolution. With isolation being the key preventive measure in checking the spread of Coronavirus, digital gifting solutions will certainly get a boost.

    While celebrations have been put on hold and people are staying indoors, getting a personalized video message from one’s favorite star on a special occasion will be a unique gift to cast off gloom in the environment and bring some cheerful moments to make the day memorable. Especially in the current scenario, being able to send and receive these celebrity video shoutouts that too without any fear of being exposed to the virus will gain popularity to keep the celebratory spirit on.

    Also Read:

    Team Pumpkin

    Ranjeet Kumar, Co-founder

    Just like every other industry, the digital media and advertising sector is also strongly impacted by the virus outbreak. Since consumers are locking themselves indoors to stay safe and social distancing has become the norm of the day, there is a likely boost expected in the consumption of content online. Internet penetration has already taken B2C marketing online, the isolation mandate due to COVID-19 will now de-popularize out-of-home advertisement and also lead B2B ad turn towards digital.

    As people keep avoiding social gatherings and public places, they eventually would rely more on social media and therefore, the digital media consumption will increase significantly. Social networking platforms will shine even brighter during the need to stay connected and access content. And above all, digital marketing will provide immense opportunities for businesses to create leads without traveling and having any face-to-face interactions.

    Ozonetel

    Chaitanya Chokkareddy, Co-founder & Chief Innovative Officer

    We are already seeing many companies curious to understand how the work from home model can work for their industry. We have executed Work From Home facility for Acko General within a quick time span. We do think this might act as a point where companies start thinking about their backup for remote functioning.

    Dineout

    Ankit Mehrotra, Co-founder & CEO

    The pandemic has severely affected our operations and we’re seeing a heavy downfall in demand of our services at the moment. Social gathering is the key to our industry, while social distancing is the key to fighting this virus today and we’re strongly promoting it on all our platforms.  

    While we are not sure of the full consequences of the ongoing crises, this is certainly going to affect consumer behaviour as far as the F&B industry is concerned. Consumers will take some time to gain the confidence to go out again. The key is to provide for the safety and confidence for our diners once the pandemic subsides. We need to go above and beyond to make customers feel safe and engaging with them over the topic. A slew of measures can be taken as per the protocol prescribed by the Health Ministry, including increased access to hand sanitizers and hygiene procedures, body temperature checks for everyone at the premises, etc.

    Meanwhile, we stand strong with our partners and are hopeful and positive for the betterment of the situation. We shall be ready with the help of technology to help serve both our diners and restaurants stronger and better than ever.

    Packman Packaging

    Gaurav Jalan, Director and Founder

    It is too early to say currently, the industry is still operating as much as it can. But if it becomes a prolonged situation then there might be some issues but they will be temporary not permanent.

    There might be a possibilities that sales of packaging materials may dip a bit because of several advisory such as not going outside a designated territory in that case several businesses that uses packaging materials will be affected.

    One may also see rise in online sales that may still boost the packaging industry as it will open an avenue for supplying their products to several e-business platforms.

    For Packman, their customers are the assets so it will ensure that it can continue its services to its clients and customers. In general one should be prepared and monitor where the company and industry will go in these tumultous times. Customers also understand what is going on so we are sure that our customer will still view us in the same light as they do.

    Bridged.co

    Ashwin Chalam, CEO

    We expect potential and present clients to become conservative with their expenses. Businesses will not be looking to experiment much (with good reason) and will only want to work with teams that have a proven track record and can satisfy critical requirements.

    The coronavirus outbreak doesn’t change the fact that businesses are in the information age, and they will need access to high-quality data. Bridged’s USP is that we provide businesses across industries (primarily AI/ML and financial services) with a cost-effective and scalable data solution. During these trying times, we will leverage that.

    Zolostays

    Dr. Nikhil Sikri, CEO & Co-Founder

    With respect to the co-living space that we operate in, we will most likely see a decline in the number of bookings as this is a pandemic situation which has been declared by the World Health Organization and social distancing is the need of the hour. However, we do have single room occupancy which could also have higher response rate for our prospective customers and existing residents to shift into.

    CarveNiche

    Avneet Makkar, Founder & CEO

    The online education market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 44% between financial years 2019 and 2024, these trends are expected to disrupt the industry going forward. Keeping current trends in mind, ed-tech services will offer immersive and industry-specific learning across larger groups. Online learning and personalization of education will garner prime importance.

    ZEUX Innovation

    Hemal Gathani, Co-founder

    Post the COVID pandemic, we will see the world becoming even flatter. COVID will teach people how to work remotely. And companies would want to take advantage of the best available talent from across the globe at the right price with the location not being a factor.

    We will also see a surge in spending on digital initiatives. Industries would want to digitize everything possible. But going digital won’t be a differentiating factor and won’t necessarily lead them to success. Companies that provide the best user experience on digital channels will take a lead.

    This is the time to invest in enabling best in class user experience as not only businesses will be compelled to go digital but there will be a massive shift in user behavior to do more things online.

    Tjori

    Mansi Gupta, Founder & CEO

    The most important thing is to inform the customers about the exact reality of the scenario and give guarantees and assurances about the safe guarding of their money and products. Nobody loses anything because of this and all people need to realise that we are just at a halt for the next 21 days’ post which all activities would resume better than normal.

    The pre planning done at any situation always help the company and we are also banking on ours, but at this unforeseen times we solve every problem as it comes. Through this platform I wish to advice people to stay indoors and safe.

    Also Read:

  • What will be the Scenario after Coronavirus Outbreak?

    Humankind is now facing a global crisis due to Coronavirus outbreak. Perhaps the biggest crisis of our generation. If the growing novel coronavirus outbreak becomes a long lasting pandemic, it could result into fundamental changes in the economy, politics and the workplace. With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases growing worldwide, business leaders are scrambling to deal with a wide variety of problems, from depressing sales and supply chains to keeping employees healthy and making sure they can continue working. Many companies are taking precautions to contain the spread by asking their employees to work from home. But down the line, the impact on future might be more severe as the impacts of such major pandemics can be felt well beyond the sheer death toll. A truly global infectious disease event like COVID-19 can be every bit as transformative for the future as a global war or economic depression.

    The decisions & steps people and governments take in the next few weeks will probably shape the world for years to come. They will shape not just our healthcare systems but also our economy, politics and culture and every other aspect of human life. We must act quickly and effectively. We should also take into account the long-term consequences of our actions. We can already see the companies laying employees off resulting into growth in unemployment. When choosing between alternatives, we should ask ourselves not only how to overcome the immediate threat, but also what kind of world we will inhabit once the storm passes. After getting past this storm, we will inhabit a totally different world.

    Recession is likely to Occur

    Many economists suggest that recession is bound to happen considering the ongoing threats and situation in which businesses are shutting down. After the pandemic, the recession is certain to follow, which is going to threaten the efforts or way to shape the future of work. This will certainly lead to many questions like how to create good jobs, reduce poverty and redefine relationships and structures to narrow the enormous income inequality that overshadows the state’s wealth and success. Economists say it is harder to predict the bottom and how long it will take to climb back.

    The coronavirus will have a silver lining if it serves as the effective for constructive changes such as way that the sudden forced reliance on telecommunication is already having an impact. There are two sides to the globalization coin. On the positive side, the cross-border flow of people, goods, money and information creates new wealth and opportunity. On the negative side, it can worsen global relations, enable international terrorism and cross-border crime and allow for the rapid spread of disease. If we see, in spite of having both positive & negative outcomes, there are more negative & worse outcomes than positive ones arising due to Coronavirus outbreak.

    The Unemployment rate is increasing fast due to Lay-offs

    Impact on Future

    Considering a long term impact of novel coronavirus, smaller businesses, companies or startups will be hit harder than large ones because of their limited access to credit and less cash in the bank. The chief U.S. economist at Morgan Stanley, Ms. Zentner quoted, “There will be a swath of small businesses that simply won’t be able to survive this crisis.” Similarly, Gabriel Mathy, an assistant professor at American University, has said, “We can see employment falling much faster than G.D.P. This will probably be the world’s first recession that starts in the service sector.” The chief U.S. economist at TS Lombard, Steven Blitz expects that the unemployment rate will rise from 3.5% in February to 10.6% by April.

    Also Read: These Brands will Generate Massive Revenue During the Coronavirus Outbreak

    As of March 6, 2020, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft have all encouraged employees to work remotely where the virus has been identified. Offering remote work is an easy option for these large corporations since they have built the infrastructure to support it. Considering reports given in today’s job market, 85% of employees report a desire to work remote. Also, providing employees with the opportunity to work remotely will also allow companies to attract top talent. Due to communication platforms like Zoom, Slack, Zoho, etc., it has become really convenient to work from home. Due to this fact, some experts are predicting that remote work will increase in future also. Business travel has become crucial part of any business. When you take into account travel’s impact on global health, the workforce may not rely on travel as heavily in the future. Crisis like this has inspired innovators to create new technology for businesses. So, in future, instead of spending money on travel & stay at hotels, companies would consider alternatives such as artificial intelligence and advanced machinery to solve issues before sending employees abroad. So, it is predicted that that there will be increased reliance on technology and less on travel in future.

    At the same time, we will need to work towards eliminating problems such as social and economic differences caused by globalization. If failed to do so, we might see countries turning increasingly inward with a mindset of narrow-minded nationalism. We must hope that this recession due to Coronavirus outbreak will not be as big as Great Depression of 1929.