The pandemic that started with the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has been a challenging period for businesses, called VUCA. VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. In this period when we have difficulty understanding events and cannot make predictions, customer and employee expectations have also changed. Managing customer experience and employee experience has become more difficult. The VUCA era, in which it is important for businesses to survive, is now being replaced by VUCA 2.0.
VUCA 2.0 era
The VUCA era was full of challenges and uncertainties for both individuals and businesses. For those businesses that survived and learned, the so-called VUCA 2.0 era has begun. The concept of VUCA 2.0 was developed by Harvard Business School Professor Bill George.
In VUCA 2.0, volatility is replaced by vision, uncertainty by understanding, complexity by courage and ambiguity by adaptability.
Review your vision
During the pandemic, many businesses had to suspend their vision and focus on the current situation. A survival reflex was shown in the face of suddenly changing conditions. During this period, while there were businesses that came to a standstill in some sectors, businesses that grew exponentially in some sectors attracted attention. Company visions before the pandemic were completely forgotten in this changing period. In order to take the right steps towards the future in the new period, businesses need to review their visions and take action in accordance with their visions.
Understand your customers and employees
Perhaps we are moving towards a new era where we can no longer return to the old normal. In this new era, businesses need to constantly review their business models and constantly update themselves. Businesses that listen to their customers and employees with an appropriate vision will stand out in the new era if they show the courage to take the right steps.
All the information that businesses need in the new era is hidden in their customers and employees. Therefore, managing customer and employee experiences in the new era is more important than ever. Measuring and collecting feedback at all customer touchpoints, collecting feedback from employees in all processes from recruitment to leaving the job will enable them to understand their customers and employees. Customer and employee experience should be seen as two halves of the same apple. Businesses should continue to measure with metrics such as NPS, eNPS, etc. and focus on getting the right feedback with open and closed-ended questions.
Taking bold steps
In the new era, businesses need to take bolder steps. One of these bold steps is to be people-oriented and transparent. Businesses should replace the concepts of consumer and employee with “human” and manage all processes with transparency and sincerity.
Another important point is to review all business processes and update them in accordance with the new era. Your value propositions such as speed, quality, price and innovation may have stood out for your brand so far. With the experience you gained during the pandemic, add new ones to your value propositions and make them permanent.
Adapt fast
In the pandemic, both individuals and businesses have had to adapt to changing conditions. It is now important for businesses to be more flexible in unexpected situations and to be able to adapt without wasting time. The ability to adapt not only allows you to survive in difficult situations, but also allows you to capture opportunities. With digital transformation, we see new opportunities constantly emerging. We have witnessed the incredible rise of e-commerce in the pandemic. Businesses must improve their adaptability to capture opportunities even in adverse situations.
