Evolution of Technology - The Silver Lining around 2020.

2020 is a year that nobody will soon forget, and mostly for not very positive reasons.

However, there was a silver lining: The pandemic forced an evolution of digital communications. Don’t get me wrong, that evolution was already happening, but the pandemic certainly expedited it. At Impact North, we experienced the results directly and indirectly.

The first direct example is the obvious—working remotely. Impact North’s staff learned how to work effectively and efficiently away from the office. Thanks to meeting applications like Zoom and Go to Meeting, and the convenience of remoting into our servers through VPN’s, our office expanded from 1 floor to 200 square kilometres. High speed internet has been a godsend for our company.

But the remote workplace also leads to an indirect example. This was a massively successful year for our new home builders. Why? Because as many other companies successfully migrated to remote work, lots of GTA renters and condo-dwellers learned they can purchase a home farther outside the city. Commuting is no longer a necessity, so distance is no longer an obstacle. Communities in Brampton, Waterdown, Stouffville, Brantford, Bowmanville and Holland Landing, to name a few, all experienced phenomenal results during one of the most financially unpredictable time periods we’ve ever seen.

And that leads us back to a direct example: the development of our own software and applications to perform sales online. Pre-pandemic, sales needed to be performed in person. But now, thanks to traffic limitations, the general need to provide safe options for consumers, and the evolution of FINTRAC regulations, Impact North has developed its own proprietary online sales system that provides appointment booking, real-time inventory and the ability to purchase a home from anywhere with an internet connection. It’s important for our clients to provide purchasers with the ability to purchase their new home in whatever environment makes them comfortable, and is easy for them and for sales representatives to navigate. While this certainly would have happened in the near future, 2020 forced it to happen sooner.

In the end, everything in life and business is about adapting. Whatever happens in the world, you must be ready and willing to adapt, to evolve, to improve, to expand—to do whatever it takes to not only keep up, but to thrive. It’s about keeping your eyes on what’s ahead, planning, attacking and conquering; finding that silver lining and making it yours.

If you’re interested in learning a little more about the above-mentioned software and what Impact North can do for you, we’re always happy to hear from you.

–David Seigel, Vice President of Client Services