Covid-19 has changed the way we live and work on a fundamental scale.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit, we saw a sudden acceleration in digital transformation.

Companies everywhere began enabling remote work, and innovative tools like AI systems and IoT began working to protect everyday consumers and employees.

One of the most exciting innovations that companies will be investing in going forward is contactless technology.

As companies return to offices and retail locations, the biggest concern facing most customers is how teams are approaching hygiene and safety.

Contactless technologies give companies a way to stay productive without risking the spread of dangerous germs and bacteria.

Here are just a few contactless tech solutions that will help businesses to thrive in the new age.

Contactless Payments

Contactless payment systems are probably the best-known form of contactless tech available today.

These tools make it quick and easy for consumers to check out a retail location on their own.

We’ve had contactless payment solutions in many large supermarkets and stores for some years now.

However, it’s likely that companies of all sizes will begin making more investments here.

Companies will want to offer customers the chance to complete the full checkout process as cleanly as possible.

They will offer options that don’t require interacting with any physical buttons or staff members whenever they are able.

For companies that can simply ship products directly to customers, the easiest option will be to set up a hosted website where clients can purchase products and choose their “contactless delivery” preferences from your shipping provider.

This will become commonplace.

Contactless payments have become a natural part of the day-to-day consumer environment for most customers. This will be something they expect to see in all environments tomorrow.

Contactless Meetings

Payments and transactions aren’t the only things benefiting from the contactless environment.

Companies that hold regular meetings with remote workers, external clients, and shareholders will also want to avoid exposing their staff to shared meeting spaces where germs can thrive.

Fortunately, vendors are beginning to innovate with contactless meeting tools that may help with this.

Contactless meetings involve using things like personal devices to log into a meeting without having to use a shared computer screen.

Customers can use smart speakers with voice recognition to request changes in the meeting environment or share content with colleagues.

There are even cameras with intelligence built-in, which can respond to gestures made in a meeting setting.

Contactless meetings should reduce the number of cleaning steps that need to be taken between each corporate meeting.

There’s even the option to implement cameras that can detect capacity in a room or atmospheric elements like room temperature.

Remember, though, many of the sensors and tools that make contactless meetings effective will require a higher internet speed.

Contactless Tech Support

In the new hybrid work environment, where more people are working from home as well as in the office, it’s important for companies to have a way of supporting staff wherever they are.

Contactless tech support will allow companies of all sizes to track the performance of various tools that their employees are using.

This will enable them to offer help when necessary.

For instance, tool-tracking software in a hybrid environment could show an IT professional when a smartphone is ready to take on some new updates.

The IT team member could then remotely enable those updates for the employee or inform them of what they need to do next to keep their device working as it should.

Addressing problems will also be easier.

Through video conferencing and screen sharing services, it’s also possible for tech professionals to guide employees through certain troubleshooting activities without having to send an engineer or technician into the field.

AR technology and smart glasses could even allow professionals to one day walk a technician through a process step by step, without any face-to-face contact.

Contactless Customer Service

As the consumer space has continued to evolve following the pandemic, companies have experimented with a host of ways to create more engaging experiences for clients.

We’ve seen the rise of AR applications that allow users to test makeup and clothes without having to try them on in person. This reduces the risk of germs passing between people in a store.

AR solutions can have a broader application in this sector.

Contactless customer service can also allow customers to make orders at a restaurant from their phone without having to speak to or approach a professional.

The customer can then use the same app to complete their purchase and leave a review about their experience.

As technology and connectivity continue to transform, there will also be opportunities to bring more augmented reality technology into the customer service space.

When onboarding new customers, companies can use such solutions to show teams how to do things digitally.

Augmented reality can give clients an easy way to see how different parts of an item work, too.

Using Contactless Tech

Contactless solutions promise a higher degree of safety for companies and their customers in the age of business post-pandemic.

As the world gradually heals from the impact of the pandemic, we’ll all be more cautious about the way that we interact with other people and businesses.

Investing in contactless tech for both your employees and your customers will keep you ahead of the curve.

The right contactless solutions don’t just put customer minds at rest.

They also ensure that your employees stay safe, so you don’t have to risk losing top talent in the months to come.

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Jasmine Williams covers the good and the bad of today’s business and marketing. When she’s not being all serious and busy, she’s usually hunched over a book or dancing in the kitchen, trying hard to maintain rhythm, and delivering some fine cooking (her family says so). Contact her @JazzyWilliams88