If you’re anything like me you’ve probably spent much of your free time over the last 12 months burrowed away on the sofa, binging on boxsets and chocolate while craving a return to some semblance of normality.
Make no mistake – for most of us lockdown, and the period of isolation it has enforced upon us, has been tough. But when we put our business hats on it has actually given us the opportunity to embrace new ways of working that may well stay with us for years to come.
For those of us working in PR, marketing and sales-led roles, collaboration has always been key – after all, isolation in our line of work is not really an option. So, it was always inevitable that e-meets using platforms such as Zoom, Teams and Skype would quickly become the norm.
The big question for businesses, then, is whether this is a passing, lockdown trend or whether the last 12 months has actually generated a meaningful change to the way we communicate and do business with each other.
Even as someone who craves a return to the heady days of face-to-face meetings and events, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I firmly believe it will be the latter.
I say this because I’ve witnessed and taken note of the way online communication has revolutionised the way we work together – how it has generated a whole range of new societal conventions and norms and made it easier to get together to do business in a way that is flexible and works for all parties.
It has meant it is possible for any brand, big or small, to put on an engaging session for its clients, customers or employees. They can do this for five people, or for 500.
One of my favourite examples of this was the Meet the Potters event we ran for our client Potters Poultry last summer. It brought together more than 80 people from the world of agriculture and proved to be a real celebration of a brand which has been at the heart of its sector for generations.
However, perhaps most of all e-meets have helped us to be human, allowing us to work in tandem and communicate during this cruel, isolating crisis. I’d imagine that’s something we all want to hold onto in the post-pandemic world.
For more information on how e-meets might be able to help your business join us for our latest webinar, Selling to clients through e-meets, on Thursday 11th February, 1.30-2.30pm.
