Digital-savvy firms best placed to prosper during crisis
COVID-19 will cause a “monumental” shift in the way we do business with digitalready companies the ones set to thrive, according to ISR Training co-founder Ryan Tuckwood.
ISR Training offers digital and one-on-one sales and business training.
Four years ago the business, co-founded by Mr Tuckwood and Jack Corbett, moved largely to a digital model. “We decided to deliver our training – previously done in a physical classroom – and turn it into a digital program and that is looking like a stroke of genius now because it means we can still help a lot of people,” he said.
Mr Tuckwood said businesses that prepared for a worst-case scenario are best placed to survive the crisis while workers and firms without a plan should think about what they can offer online. “If you are a restaurant or chef – whatever it may be – you have some knowledge there that you can share with anyone around the world.
“Can you create a piece of education and some value to the market that you can then commercialise and monetise?”
Mr Tuckwood said it wasn’t necessarily about monetisation but rather being there for people during tough times.
He said the other impact of
COVID-19 was for digital education to become more widely accepted.
“People want to learn things … and I think what will come out of this, which I think will be a huge blessing for everyone, is a huge change in people’s learning behaviour.
“I think digital training and education will become more widely accepted around the world.
“This is going to be a monumental shift in people’s belief.”
Kynd’s Michael Metcalfe, whose business developed an app and platform that helps people living with disabilities choose the right local support for their National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), said the pandemic had provided a boost to his company with more carers and clients looking to them for work or services.
“Half of the time we work remotely, so it is just business as usual,” he said.