In times of crisis you can see who has the skills to survive, grow and develop, and who simply will remain static. This is not alien to human nature, when we have a threat, we can either freeze, run or attack.
To me, and to the Imagineer team, attacking is definitely the way of thinking and acting. In this crisis, if I have been clear about anything, it is that we must take advantage of the wave.
Certainly, with COVID19 there is an unprecedented business system, at least not in the modern contemporary age. The World has suffered wars, plagues and other series of unfortunate events in the last 200 years and has managed to transcend without major problem, but our generation, at least all those under 40 years of age, the most imposing thing we have experienced was the fall of the WTC in 2001 and the market crash in 2008.
This time presents to us with a different paradigm. In 2008 the crisis was originated from a financial problem and at the end because of the banks' actions, in 2001 it was a scenario of terrorism that was endured in the short term.
The COVID19 presents a different paradigm, not so easy to predict. Unlike other pandemics, this time the markets are interconnected, a company not only sells local but also global and the markets´ conformation is more complex than during the early Spanish Flu, the last century.
At the same time, for almost half a decade, many business advisers have been intense in pointing out that the digital transformation was urgent, not only for the company's back office and having fast and agile processes internally; digital channels needed to be developed.
Digital channels such as a web page, presence on social networks, and having payment methods by credit card today seem obvious things that any serious business should have, but unfortunately that´s not the reality.
Today 49% of the restaurants in Costa Rica are closed, and the food delivery apps are saturated. There is more than 100 thousand employees unable to work during crisis because employers did not adapt the digital channels in time.
Today there is no other alternative, you have to move to a digital version. It is a big mistake not to digitize, this means:
The costs of Digital Transformation are not high if you have the right partners. It is important to note that technology by itself does not make a difference, it is the strategy, methodology and content creation that will allow it to be successful.
In these moments of crisis, it is urgent that you transform your business. Sell online and let your competition drown for not having the tools that are available to everyone.