The Future of Office Technology

Nine months ago, no one would have imagined that by the end of the year 42% of Americans would be working from home, a number that is not likely to change in the near future. The decorative plumbing and hardware industry certainly has adapted. Virtual meetings are now par for the course for many DPHA members, as they help to save time and improve efficiency while keeping wellness in the forefront.

Advances in virtual technology will continue to redefine the future of work, and in many cases improve productivity and professional accomplishment. AI-driven platforms such as Remesh can give you consumer insights in minutes, enabling showrooms and manufacturers to research markets and collect and summarize anonymized views of up to 1,000 people on a topic or new product. This platform and others allow marketing specialists to react to focus group comments in real time.

Digital tools such as sticky notes, shared digital whiteboards and co-editing tools help to bring team members together if they are working from home. With the ability to video chat and share files, many of our members have adopted Microsoft Teams and Sharepoint.

Advances in technology will help make working and connecting with customers remotely more efficient and easier. Affordable home smart boards and large multi-monitor displays will make it possible for showrooms to project proposed designs from being viewed on a laptop or even smartphone. Advances in 3-D printing will allow showrooms to showcase products from around their world to their clients’ and prospects’ home offices.

Ten years from now, the crackly Zoom calls will be a distant memory as remote work technology will be the next best thing to being there.