Business trends 2022: What will stay, What will go and What to consider for the future.

It's 2022, and with the start of a new year, we often see economic projections, industry forecasts and tech trends that may affect how we all do business. As omicron dominates headlines and covid19 continues to affect the economy, certain technologies will become more popular, consumer habits will change, and other practices will be left behind.

This post will touch on some of the most important emerging trends and changes ahead, and the mainstays that keep businesses profitable. We'll discuss what will stay, what will go and what to consider.

What will stay:

• Cloud-based technology:
  Keeping your IT infrastructure in the cloud allows your business tighter security, safer data, better quality of service, less costly and to be more scalable in the long run. Read more HERE.
• Remote and hybrid work options for your employees:
  Zoom meetings aren’t going anywhere! Although remote work solutions won’t work for every business, it’s important that you explore options to give your employees greater work/life balance and, if possible, the option to take work home via cloud communications software.
• Online customer experience is king:
  As the pandemic is still very much a part of our lives, the online customer experience becomes even more important. Invest in a functional and easy to navigate website UI, and streamlined ecommerce functionality.
• Cyber security as a priority:
  Basic security measures that have been used in the past may no longer be sufficient in 2022. Continue to prioritise your cyber security with these helpful tips: read here.

What will go:

• Clunky equipment:
  As keep moving forward in the future of tech, you’ll have less of a need for unnecessary, bulky and outdated telco equipment. Enquire with your telco provider about how you can upgrade your system, your package and your phone infrastructure.
• High volumes of foot traffic in your brick and mortar storefronts:
  Think of ways you can diversify, digitise, pivot and take more of your offering online.
• An offshore telco support team:
  When you experience an outage, the worst thing is trying to get real time support with a team that is based off shore. Change to a provider that offers 24/7 reliable and helpful assistance that is based in Australia.

What to consider:

• Changes on coverage:
  3G coverage will be obsolete, and 5G coverage will continue to expand.
• Mobile commerce will increase:
  As consumers continue to increase their screen time, so too does their mobile browsing and purchasing. In 2022, mobile purchases are set to rise by at least 68%.
• Voice assistant and other AI functionality will become more common:
  Streamlining business-process automation means empowering customers, vendors, and employees to attain answers, solve problems or perform certain functions on their own.
• The Metaverse will soon become mainstream:
  Businesses will start constructing what their role will be in being part of this immersive experience, both for their customers and for the longevity of their brands.

In light of these trends and changes, there are many ways you can get your business on board for the year. Is your business well equipped for 2022? Whether it be a simple step in moving to cloud-based technology, or a larger pivot to considering what is next in the steps of your digital expansion, our team at Comvirt is here to help. Give us a call on 1300 512 645.