CCS Insight Predicts: Remote work and collaboration
Analyst CCS Insight hosted its annual ‘Predictions Week: 2021 and Beyond’ earlier this month. It’s always a must-attend event on the Earnest calendar – providing some great insights into the big tech trends impacting the B2B world today.
Here’s the first in a blog series sharing some of the key insights. This time round, we focus on the very topical subject of remote work and collaboration.
The shift to remote working as a result of the pandemic has had a fundamental
impact on the way we work.
It’s opened the eyes of many leadership teams to the benefits of remote and
flexible working and is likely to have a longer lasting impact on the way we work.
Business leaders are seeing there’s an opportunity:
CCS Insight Predicts:
“In 2022, more than half of office employees will still work from home”
Tech winners in the space:
Earnest comment:
This has big implications for B2B marketers both in their internal and external comms strategies – and channel choices. Those holding out for the mass return to the office and for ‘normal’ campaigning to resume may need to rethink their approaches.
Last year, CCS Insight predicted that more people would see the value of a regular ‘digitally detox’.
While many employees are enjoying the flexibility working from home brings, they’re also working longer hours and finding it harder to switch off – with real concerns about the impact on mental health.
Interesting tech developments are emerging in this space:
CCS Insight Predicts:
“Features that track and promote well-being appear in all collaboration and HR applications by 2021.”
Earnest comment:
B2B marketers need to be mindful of the emerging wellbeing crisis. There’s also an opportunity for their brands to do good – creating content, applications or partnerships that genuinely help their customers to de-stress and support their mental health.
A recent CCS Insight Senior IT leadership investment survey 2020 explored the biggest non-technical challenges for remote working:
Technology is needed that supports new interactions, collaboration and innovation in a remote setting
There are tech players landing substantial investment in this space:
This is likely to grow to become a major area of competition – through small players and larger companies like Microsoft and Google
CCS Insight Predicts:
“Online whiteboard and co-editing technologies become a hot area of investment in 2021.”
Earnest comment:
Despite people adjusting to life on camera, there’s still much work that needs doing to fully leverage video-based collaboration tools to really get the creative juices going. Miro and Mural hold much promise for agencies and clients alike – which could turn awkward PPT based workshops into something a lot more illuminating and engaging.
Next in the trend watching series – The rise and rise of the Cloud
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Photo by PressFoto.
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