Right now, everyone is curious as to in what manner the coming normalization process will unfold. It will surely not be the same, and so we need the help of entrepreneurs redesigning technology to help us overcome our fears.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, infectious diseases from tuberculosis to the bubonic plague prompted architects to adapt the design of buildings and cities. For instance, white sanatoriums were developed to treat tuberculosis, lined with cheap, easy to clean, easy to install ceramics used in wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.

Industrialization changed the shape, durability and appearance of the buildings from their foundations to their roofs and everything in between thanks to careful planning. With this change, lifestyles adapted also. The aftermath of our current outbreak is likely to have a similar effect. New living and working areas shaped by technology have to be implemented without losing time. We have to use designs and new ventilation technologies that minimize contact.

Smartphones turn into keys

Smartphones are becoming our keys to minimizing contact. Internet-connected doors, elevators, turnstiles, food and beverage machines, smart cards, cloud-based solutions and robots are expected to enable the emergence of zero-contact houses, offices, cars and cities.

It is high time that major companies start to sniff out startups to negotiate the complete redesign of living and working areas. While the cumbersome structure of big companies was formerly an obstacle to the flow of innovative developments, COVID-19 is causing this structure to be overturned.

Zero contact all-day

As you set off to go about your day, think about what you touch most consistently when leaving the house. There are countless points of contact, from the front door to the elevator, public transport, pay points, turnstiles and more.

When life begins to return to normal, we will still be questioning these minute actions. However, imagine you could do them all with zero contact, getting off the elevator at the right floor without so much as pushing a button, having the air conditioner change automatically and getting on and off public transport never having to remove your hands from your pockets.

Smart filters change the atmosphere

Ventilation solutions will be incorporated into many places, such as multistory apartments and residences, offices, cars and public transportation vehicles. Similarly, replaceable smart filters will be able to inform those concerned of when maintenance was last performed.

Cars with zero touchpoints

The automotive industry and car rental companies will have to change their perspective. Cars will have to be offered for use almost like new.

The most important detail for this will be the cleaning of the cars, whether standard cleaning is carried out according to the hygiene rules. Details such as zero contact use in cars and use with zero ventilation filters will be more prominent. In cars, crash tests will be replaced by new tests with zero-touch filter points.

6 suggestions to continue working during pandemic

Ekmob, which develops field sales technologies, suggests companies communicate via video calls to boost customer confidence, increase focus, be active during the day, maintain team morale and accelerate the campaigns.

The pandemic, which continues to affect the world at large, has forced most employees to work from home. Working from home has profoundly affected the sales efficiency of most workplaces. A large number of companies have had to change their strategies to adapt to the situation in a way they were not prepared for. Field sales management technologies company Ekmob has a number of suggestions for companies to increase their sales. Ekmob's six-step plan provides the key to success for organizations taking their first foray into the digital world.

Increase performance

According to Ekmob, a startup that benefitted from support from Türk Telekom's startup acceleration program PİLOT, companies need to change to increase their performance and mitigate damage caused by the pandemic.

According to Ekmob Founder and CEO Sunay Şener, it is possible to realize the sales teams' top performance by implementing a number of key strategies and working remotely.

Reassure the customer

The newer this situation is for you, the newer it is for your customers. For this reason, you must make the other party feel safe. Here are a few tricks to note.

– Share conference time and content with your customer in advance to show the importance you place on meetings.

– Absolutely send e-mail invitations to all participants. If you are going to videoconference, add the meeting link to the location section. Specify the time and content.

– Go ahead with every detail you specify in the conference. Offer the other party a pleasant experience.

– Do not hold meetings for longer than 10 minutes. Remember that there are a lot of distractions when people are in a home environment.

– Be sure not to have noisy interruptions on your side and conduct meetings in a calm atmosphere.

– Process the details of the meeting in your customer relationship management (CRM) and decide when to call again.

Focus on your current customers

The process of acquiring new customers is more difficult now due to the coronavirus outbreak and thus it is better to focus on strengthening communication with existing customers to minimize the damage. Be sure to communicate regularly with your customer portfolio. If possible, keep your relationship alive with your customer by making a five-minute phone call each week at a certain day and time.

Be more active

This sudden change can be difficult for sales teams who are accustomed to working out and about. In order to acclimatize, it is best for these staff to stay active during the day in order not to decrease their efficiency and stay healthy. This also applies to sales managers. If your home has space, and certainly if it has a garden, you should do sports to keep your psychological health up. Remember that life continues by staying in touch with your social circle outside of work, too.

Keep up your spirits

As a sales leader, it is necessary to keep the team safe and to establish effective teleworking policies. This includes giving them advice and motivating them to use their days most efficiently, and sharing positive news stories from across the country and the world. Another good idea is to hold large motivational meetings where everyone can comment. Don't let anyone be alone.

Organize a campaign, measure the result

Organize campaigns both to acquire new customers and to boost ties with existing ones. These could include discount campaigns, free offers, complimentary services or an adjustment of the terms of payment. Consider that the loss of your profits will have less impact on the loss of your customers, and do not forget that the trust-based relationships you establish in these bad days will last a lifetime.

Get used to videoconferencing culture

With most companies having started to work from home, the face-to-face sales meetings we had been accustomed to look to be suspended for a while. Field teams now manage their home and sales meetings via videoconferences and phone calls. Teleconferencing or videoconferencing now seems to be the most useful way to promote and sell the product to customers.

As a plus, selling over video and teleconferencing instead of face-to-face meetings reduces sales costs. Significant savings are made in terms of both time and transportation. After the pandemic, we expect companies that adapt to selling with this method to continue this habit.

Venture investments continue online

The pandemic has not prevented developments in investment into the venture ecosystem from emerging. While many startups have fought to survive this period without damage, two startups managed to receive investments over the last week.

Healthy living and virtual education platforms continue to attract investment in light of the outbreak. Interactive education and healthy living practices in the mobile environment have gained momentum while the rest of the economy shrinks.

The first of the investment news came from an interactive video e-learning platform, the İş Bank entrepreneurship acceleration platform Workup graduate GmPly, which received an investment of $1 million from the Buba Campus. GmPly stated that this investment, which they have received, will reach more customers first in Turkey, and then will contribute to the globalization, and that they will accelerate their second round of investment preparations to expand to Europe and then to the U.S.

Special application for women

The second boost in funds was given to Pepapp, a digital assistant application that tracks women's menstrual cycles.

The startup, which explains the investment news consecutively in the challenging period, will have a chance to strengthen its operations. Pepapp, which has 750,000 active users, also gave morale to the ecosystem by announcing that it has received an investment of $225,000 from Erdem Yurdanur and Koktail, and then from TV series and cinema actor Bensu Soral Baş. Investment signatures were made online and in real-time, keeping the social distance.

Netherlands takes lead in home office

Social distancing rules have deeply affected working life. The necessity to work remotely has caused the time spent at home to increase massively. Many institutions have now begun to discuss how to continue working from home in the long run.

According to data released by the EU statistical body Eurostat, it turns out that the Dutch last year were the nation that worked from home the most across Europe.

According to the research released by Birnoktabir.com, the Dutch take the lead in this field, with 14.1% of its citizens working remotely, followed by Finland with 14%.

The data was published by Eurostat and is also important during the social distance period we are in. When we look at the details of the research, we see that working from home across the EU is on average at 5.4%.

Women working more

The study was taken among participants ranging from the ages of 15 to 64 and showed, strikingly, that working from home in the EU has remained constant at 5% over the past 10 years.

However, the rate of those who say they work from home occasionally seems to have increased from 6% to 9%. When evaluated based on gender, it is concluded that women work more from home than men, if by a small margin. While 5.7% of women work from home, this figure stands at 5.2% for men.

The Netherlands and Finland are followed by Luxembourg with 11.6% and Austria with 9.9%.

Meanwhile, the countries in the EU that take place at the bottom of this list are Bulgaria (5 per 1,000), Romania (8 per 1,000), Hungary (1.2%), Cyprus (1.3%), Croatia and Greece (1.9%).