5 technology trends to inspire in 2020

With South African businesses back in full swing for the year ahead, Realm Digital highlights 5 technology trends that are set to make a truly meaningful impact in 2020.

1. Automation nation

Automation in workplaces and workflows continue to make it easier, simpler and more efficient for South African businesses and their employees to get the job done. And 2020 presents some opportunities for streamlining efforts and, more importantly, reaping the rewards.

Project management, finances, dispatch, stock control, warehousing, coordination, account management, testing, quality assurance, sales; the potential and ability to improve, refine and accelerate business workflows across the board have never been more accessible, paving the way to minimising costs and improving efficiencies.

2. Out with customer support, in with consumer engagement

When it comes to customer support in 2020, the bar has been set extremely high, but the tools needed to meet consumers’ lofty expectations have never been more readily available.

From helpdesk automation to live chat widgets and AI-driven engagement bots, the entire customer support rule book has been re-written, with the likes of Freshworks providing the benchmark for what consumer support and engagement should and could look like in 2020.

3. An accessible online for all

As brands and businesses continue to strive towards more efficient and effective online customer satisfaction, the ability to incorporate disability-friendly development and design aspects into web and mobile platforms has paved the way for all-inclusive access across digital brands and properties.

From catering to the visually impaired with subtilities and transcripts to providing larger, more easily-clickable buttons and links with clearer descriptions, providing the tools to an accessible online experience is another way companies are able to make deeper, meaningful connections with their customers on a level that matters most to them.

4. Up in the Cloud

Moving businesses to the cloud was definitely one of the biggest trends in 2019, although it is the area of hybrid cloud computing that gained the most traction at the turn of the decade. Simply put, the hybrid cloud involves implementing a mix of on-premises, private cloud and public cloud services to afford businesses greater flexibility and the opportunity to optimise data deployment. And, the now-estimated $1.2 trillion industry is set to further skyrocket businesses and workflows in the new year, helping to rapidly roll out applications and enhance companies’ push towards digital transformation.

5. Re-writing the mobile app game

While mobile app development took centre stage in online business development in the 2010s, the turn of the decade saw the rise of Progressive Web Apps, and 2020 is set to be the year that this technology truly shines through.

Gone are the days when rolling out mobile apps meant long, lumbering project hours which devastated budgets and devoured retainers, with PWAs essentially allowing a user to interact with a website on their phone, as if it were a mobile application. Lower costs, quicker turnarounds, better business.

Interested in finding out more about one of these trends, and the impact it could have on your business? We’d love to connect with you.