5 Organisations Using Technology to Reach Their Supporters, Customers and Communities During COVID-19
The COVID-19 virus has created a “new normal”, from the way we live, to the way we work, and the way we communicate with each other. Change has come incredibly fast, forcing companies to adjust their priorities and join forces in tackling a global pandemic.
Charities have doubled their efforts to raise money and deliver crucial goods to people in need, major telecommunications companies have democratised Internet access to keep communities connected, medical equipment manufacturers have boosted their capacity to stock healthcare professionals with life-saving supplies.
United in their purpose, but varying in their approach, here are five organisations helping us through this challenging time and drawing on innovative technologies to get the job done.
1. Save the Children
Save the Children has launched the largest appeal in its 100-year history, hoping to raise $100 million in just a few weeks to help young people and families struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Time is of the essence, particularly after the organisation had to cancel or postpone all of its community fundraising events.
“We only have a matter of weeks to take swift action, that will determine how many lives we can save,” stressed Save the Children CEO, Kevin Watkins, in a recent press release.
Save the Children is doing everything to ensure its appeal has the biggest impact. It has dedicated a team to scale and build dedicated COVID-19 web pages with Adobe Experience Manager, and is using campaign orchestration software, targeted promotions, and Adobe Analytics to ensure it can measure the effectiveness of its efforts.
2. Oakhouse Foods
In January 2020, most people saw meal delivery as a luxury. Today, it has become an essential and potentially life-saving service, especially for older citizens and those more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19.
In addition to growing demand for its frozen meals, the UK’s Oakhouse Foods has also seen record levels of traffic on its website. Meanwhile, guidance from governments and media continues to evolve, which means the company has had to become more agile to keep up.
Fortunately, Oakhouse Foods was already set up to take this challenge on, having moved its website to Magento 2 Commerce in August 2019 and redesigned the experience to be more user-friendly and efficient. It also optimised its site for mobile and tablet users, mindful of people with poor eyesight and mobility. A flexible platform allows the Oakhouse team to regularly update its messaging online and provide assurance to customers that it is keeping up with the necessary social distancing and safety guidelines.
3. ApiHa
France was among the first European nations to record COVID-19 cases. As a leading supplier to healthcare institutions, ApiHa urgently needed to set up an open marketplace through which hospitals could order Personal Protective Equipment, hand wash, and respirators.
The result was StopCOVID19.fr, a fully functioning website that the company helped to set up in less than two weeks, collaborating with the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance. Built on Magento Commerce, the site matches French healthcare providers with vendors who manufacture or deliver critical suppliers.
Fortunately, ApiHa was able to create the StopCOVID19.fr website in just 48 hours and due to it being hosted in the cloud, it came at no cost. This has given ApiHa on the opportunity to focus on supporting healthcare professionals in their fight against the virus.
4. EE
Similarly, to other healthcare workers globally, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is on the front lines of the pandemic. Whilst social distancing is a measure in forced to everyone, NHS keyworkers are putting themselves at risk each day to see, diagnose and, treat thousands of patients.
To show its appreciation for NHS workers, telecoms leaders EE has offered all NHS staff unlimited mobile data until October of this year. In the words of Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division: “This is a thank you from all of us at EE to those in the NHS that are working so hard for us all”.
To spread the word, EE uses Adobe Target to create targeted banners on NHS customers’ profiles, as well as Adobe Analytics to ensure its ads are being seen and getting click-throughs. The offer comes on top of the existing 20% discount that EE offers to NHS workers.
5. Police ICT
Social distancing measures have also raised a challenge for the UK’s police force – how can they support citizens and uphold the law while working remotely?
Working with Police ICT, a limited company that helps UK police to digitise their operations, the police force adopted Adobe Document Cloud in late 2019. E-signature capabilities helped it to reduce statement-processing times from days to minutes, and collectively win back almost 25,000 hours of time for its offers. Today, Police ICT and the UK police are exploring new applications of Adobe Document Cloud to keep both the public and their own ranks safe through the pandemic.
For police forces, being able to securely digitise in-person processes is about more than time and cost savings – it’s hugely important in protecting the health of officers and citizens.
We cannot predict exactly what the world will look-like post COVID-19. However, we can all do our part to keep ourselves and the people around us healthy. The actions taken by these organisations are an inspiration, and an encouraging sign that we are headed in the right direction.