WORK / LIFE : BUSINESS TRAVEL |
|||
|
Staying connected to headquarters remotely
As the New York – based director of brand and digital marketing for Fiverr , the online freelance marketplace headquartered in Tel Aviv , Matt Clunan and his team typically traveled to Israel at least once per quarter to collaborate with their larger team . When the pandemic hit , Clunan says he initially feared his office of about 30 would feel cut off from their roughly 500 colleagues seven time zones away .
“ Not seeing someone face-to-face changes how you communicate ,” he says .
At first Clunan ’ s team resorted to video-based communication , but before long he noticed that staff members in both cities were overwhelmed by constant video meetings . An avid podcast listener , Clunan decided to try a prerecorded , audio-only format to improve internal communications .
With the help of the independent podcast publishing company Wonder Media Network , he and his team began producing internal podcasts in early April . The format offered a respite from video
|
calls , allowed team members to consume the roughly halfhour-long updates at their own convenience , arrive at meetings already briefed , and make better use of those limited hours when staff members on both sides of the planet are available .
“ It allows us to stay connected on a more personal level , and I think that ’ s what was missing ,” says Clunan . “ Whether there are travel restrictions or not , [ internal podcasts ] will continue to be part of our [ team ’ s ] culture .”
In-person demos from a distance
Manhattan-based primary care provider Eden Health ’ s virtual care practice has exploded in popularity since the start of the pandemic , but the company still needed to find ways to show its clinics to potential landlords or employers considering building out an Eden Health clinic for employees .
The company offers its digital services in 48 states , and in-person healthcare solutions throughout the New York tristate area , Chicago , Washington , DC , and Boston . “ Normally we ’ d invite folks out , give them a tour of the office , then sit down and talk through what it might look like in their space ,” says Jonathan Stevens , head of growth for Eden Health .
|
But this year the company turned to a new , travel-free approach : 360-degree virtual tours .
“ In some ways it ’ s better because we can not only show them one location , we can actually show them many of our clinics , and the different configurations , layouts , and aesthetics ,” says Stevens .
Stevens adds that it ’ s a lot easier for his sales team to send a link via email than it is to get a prospect to schedule an in-person tour .
“ The virtual tours are hosted on URLs that you can share with the prospects ,” he says . “ You give them the tour together and say , ‘ As you ’ re thinking through this , you can take yourselves through the tour again .’ ”
A sales floor without a floor
Prior to the pandemic , HP hosted guests at its Customer Welcome Centers ( CWCs ) all over the world to demonstrate its latest innovations for clients , media , analysts , and technology partners .
But when the CWCs were closed in February 2020 because of the pandemic , Ester Chiachio , HP ’ s Head of Corporate Experiences , and her team began exploring digital and virtual alternatives .
At first they used video presentation tools to host meetings online . Next , they brought in telepresence
|
robots that would allow visitors to explore the physical space remotely from their laptops or PCs . Then they created a 3D rendering of the flagship CWC location in Palo Alto for customers to explore in virtual reality .
“ We realized that our imagination is the limit ,” says Chiachio , explaining that CWCs in VR aren ’ t limited to just re-creating existing spaces . “ We ’ ve created a lot of spaces that are brand-new .”
HP has also incorporated augmented reality that lets customers place digital products in real-world environments like home offices , hospitals , and other workplace settings , and they can integrate 3D applications from customer blueprints for a true hybrid experience .
Chiachio says the shift to providing digital experiences presented unexpected benefits . For example , presentations can be translated into the audience ’ s native language , and they can be delivered to larger groups — not just people able to travel to a CWC .
“ The reach we ’ re having with our events in terms of participants has increased 800 %,” Chiachio says . “ From every angle there ’ s added value .”
|