One thing has become clear – in this digitally run world, the personal touch still has its place.
When kicking into action to set up the technical aspects of our home workstations for the lockdown period, we felt lucky to be a business that was able to push forward with our projects using a number of digital tools.
Once we had ourselves all sorted our first priority was to check in with our clients, all in varying states of operation and preparedness. Never had it felt more grounding to touch base with a chat over the phone. And I don’t think clients have ever been more appreciative to share in experiences, challenges and solutions together.
Most days, I follow a quick and short rule – don’t send more than a few emails without a follow-up korero over the phone. And, if you need more info, you can’t beat getting together over a cuppa. With this in mind, a whole nation heading home to work, live and play in one go, with an indefinite end date, was always going to pose some challenges.
Video calling was, of course, a lifesaver. A strange combination of presentation-level professionalism mixed in with a rogue child or pet crossing the screen at times. Internally, the ability to screen share made team collaboration on projects all the more possible.
Whilst we all have our moments where technology isn’t our best friend, modern ways of working are as flexible, strong and adaptable as the team involved. After that first adjustment hurdle is crossed, it’s freeing to work anywhere and anytime.
All musings aside, nothing has felt better than getting back together in the office – sharing coffees, ideas and laughs. It sure feels good to back amongst my Publica people.
