Technology In The Post-COVID World

Wow, it’s 2020. What a crazy ride so far this year! Picture this if it happened in 2019. You are sitting at your desk in your cubicle or office, and receive a call from the office manager or director. “Excuse me, can you please make me 5 copies of this form?”, they ask. As you begin to walk up to the centralized copy/scan/print multi-function machine, you take a look at the small screen. Fingerprints and residue have remained on the device the majority of the day. You search for your bottle of hand sanitizer or antibacterial hand wipes, wondering how many times you will have to do that this week.

As you enter into the 2:00 PM board meeting, you notice that the digital whiteboard used to give the presentation is turned on, and yet even the stylus used to control the device is now viewed as a necessary evil. You pull out your hand sanitizer and wipe it down with a wet wipe before moving on. During the day as you look around, you see your co-workers with masks on and the office looks very different than just a few weeks ago.

After work, you head over to meet friends for dinner at your favorite restaurant, and you notice that the thick laminated plastic menus have now been replaced with simple printed paper menus. As you leave the restaurant on the way home you need gas. As you stop by the pump, you notice plastic gloves with an encouraging sign on the pump to wear them. You wonder why, but put them on anyway. For many of us, when we press the rewind button back to simply the end of last year, we cannot believe our very eyes. Fast-forward to 2020, and this is our reality.

COVID-19 has truly changed the way we look at the world, and from a technology standpoint it is no exception. There are no doubts that things are changing. Companies, churches, schools, and non-profits have all had to change the way they look at technology. Offices this time last year may have printed thousands of pieces of paper. Those same offices may have had to transition to working from home, or even worse, shut their doors permanently. Schools are trying to find that happy balance between educating our children and keeping them safe. Of course, I am not telling you something that you are not already aware of.

Now more than ever, it is critical that office employees maintain a close relationship with all of their external vendors. Efficiency and not wasting any money in an organization’s operational budget is essential. This is where there are tremendous opportunities in office technology. A great company does not simply want to gain a customer, they look to build a long-term partnership.  They do not simply provide office solutions, but an excellent customer experience. They desire to give strong financial benefits to their partner and are value driven, not simply transactional.

With the number of large technology corporations acquiring small to mid-sized technology companies, where does that leave the customer that desires simplicity, flexibility, and a local presence regarding service? For customers that need client intimacy, changes in technology can be a daunting task. After all, 2020 is the world of Zoom video meeting interactions, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Marketing, and cutting-edge speed. The days of company employees simply maintaining the stance “We are a copy and print company” are long-gone.

One perspective remains constant, and that is that the only thing constant is change. This is why local companies like Modern Impressions embrace change, while continuing to maintain intimate relationships with our customers. We embrace the diversification of products and services, from MNS and Help-Desk to wireless solutions that provide value to all customers.

Products like our new “90-day Health Network” plan provide our current and prospective customers alike with a short term, inexpensive, flexible plan in managed network services for both employees working in the office as well as from home. With changes in IT and the cloud, we are in front of it all providing complimentary assessments to those that need it. We offer customized plans that work well for any budget. As 2020 continues into 2021, we will continue introducing exciting new products and services to serve our vertical markets and provide an excellent client experience.

From a copy and print perspective, we are happy to announce that we introduced the new Ricoh 5^th color production printer in the 4^th quarter of 2019. This versatile, ultra-high-quality piece of technology has amazing capabilities that large corporations, print companies, large churches, and other high-volume entities can maximize their efficiency and save money. To learn more about the 5^th color machine, visit our production page here.

We are also excited to bring you the new and reintroduced www.modernimpressions.com, which went live in the 1^st quarter of 2020! The new website already has great customer-centric capabilities to make business easier. From our new and improved “Business Products” page, to the ability to place service calls and get industry leading support, it is all right here. We are also working on a special service that we will be launching through our website very soon that will revolutionize the way prospective customers do business with us! So many new beginnings here at MI!

The world is changing, and we are choosing to embrace the change. It is our personality, process, and purpose that propels us to serve our clients better each day. For over 50 years in the Carolina’s, we here at Modern Impressions have navigated through difficult times, changing market conditions, recessions, and hardship and came out better. We have faith in the God that we serve, that He is in control, and wants to use us to serve our community and help others. Remember, it is foresight, not hindsight, that is the key to your vision in the future. Signing off for now,

Bobby Clanton,

President of Modern Impressions