How has C-19 influenced and shaped the way we do business? Will the rise of virtual eventually kill all business travel and physical face-to-face meetings?
Meet Thomas:
He’s our fantastic Founder & Marketing Director from London (born in Wiltshire). Outside of work and raising a family, he loves triathlon and attempting to create a home brew as close to Punk IPA as possible. He’s also on a personal mission to try to help raise the next generation of low impact and conscious humans.
Recent times have brought online communication, video conferencing and virtual meetings to the fore. In our pre-pandemic world, there were experts in the value of face-to-face interaction versus commonly used forms of communication tools like text messaging, email and social media. But there were very few discussions on the pros and cons of video conferencing and meetings.
Now, after nearly one year and three UK lockdowns, face-to-face meetings have all but vanished from daily life. So 2021 feels like a great opportunity to re-evaluate and more clearly define how we communicate and converse with colleagues and clients.
The most common and perhaps instinctive response is that this new virtual way of working has been vital and novel during lockdown, but that everything will be better when we get back to the office, or back to “how it was.” Back to when we can once again jump on a two-hour flight for a one-hour face-to-face business lunch. But how much “better” will it really be, and will it all be worth the costs? Like cash, carbon, time away from family and new health risks?
Over the last year at Path, we have built relationships and business one hundred percent through and around virtual meetings and interactions. For Thomas, this article was an opportunity to grapple with the change and ask whether face-to-face meetings are actually better than our virtual ones. To explore the benefits of both, whilst identifying what works best for him.
“I (unfortunately) have always had a naturally challenging, some might say provocative personality, and my default setting is that of counter viewpoints. Also, for me personally, the new virtual working world, style, etiquette and all its intricacies suit me and my current life stage down to the ground. That said, what’s right for me isn’t necessarily right for someone else, so I’ve recently become fascinated with exploring the topic.
Since lockdown 1.0 last Spring, virtual and not physical has been adequate, hasn’t it? But…Has it even been better? Certainly, in my marketing and sales role, which is predominantly built around calls and conversations, it definitely is. I do, however, fully appreciate that in roles that require collaboration and/or co-creation nothing quite beats getting everyone in the same room to bounce ideas around. There’s nothing (yet…) that can quite match that physical, human, creative chemistry, energy and spark. Similarly, outside of the business world, for activities like live music, sport, dating, socialising and even raising children, face-to-face is not only better but pretty much essential.
It really is difficult to deny that real, human interaction is often the easier way to communicate, and it has been proven that physical interactions release beneficial hormones like oxytocin and dopamine (I’m sure we could all do with a shot of that right now!). But the reality is that physical and non-virtual business meetings can prove hugely expensive, increase your carbon footprint, negatively affect your health and wellbeing, and potentially your personal relationships. You have to ask, is that red-eye flight or dreary daily commute really worth it?
With clear benefits to virtual but also genuine and valid concerns about the lack of IRL communication, I wanted to understand more. So, during my own initial research I connected with Professor Sophie Scott, a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL. She is working on virtual data, which is not ready yet, but she referred me to her own existing and in-depth research into laughter, a form of vocal communication that is non-verbal. For example, she explained that, “As long as you can see a face, virtual or IRL, the effects and benefits of the communications are often the same.”
In many ways, our globally “enforced” new paradigm of virtual communication has also provided fresh opportunities and a level playing field in the world of business. Recently, Tom Goodwin – who describes himself as an enabler of debates about the future – posted that he could not wait for a return to business travel, which created a surprisingly rich, balanced and non-hateful reaction on social media. In response, John McDonald and Frances Martin argued that for some, business travel is an enjoyable change and stimulating experience, and for others it’s a chore that adversely impacts on other parts of their daily life. They also argue to the “unnecessary” environmental impact of business travel, which is also important to me. This discussion helps to further highlight that there are people naturally limited by circumstance, for whom business travel proves impossible, and this has often traditionally inhibited their career progression.
On reflection, virtual really does work for me. But I know others who genuinely miss those serendipitous moments and unscheduled chin wags around the water cooler. Impromptu, organic and unplanned, they provide a mini moment of magic that’s very difficult to replicate in a pre-scheduled video call. However, designer and illustrator Kris Young has a different point of view. He enjoys “times of deep focus and scheduled deep conversations,” but the traditional office does not allow that, for him. Video calling has meant more of our day is scheduled and recorded digitally, meaning we feel busier. I personally think I’ve been more effective. I love that a meeting has to end on time. And I even wonder if Microsoft or Zoom are exploring how to build in and recreate these serendipitous moments…?
Let’s be honest, I’ve only started to scratch the surface, but I guess that there are clear benefits to both IRL and virtual meetings in business. Some people thrive on travel and physical connections; others thrive on being able to control their own environment. The point is, we all need to find what suits us best. It really does depend on personality and life stage.
I believe the challenge in the future will be to provide the systematic flexibility required to manage the benefits of both virtual and face-to-face simultaneously. If the tools, technology and platforms are put in place, I genuinely believe the future of business will be better, fairer and lower impact. Although not necessarily easier to manage. Perhaps Artificial Intelligence will help?”
So, in a world that revolves around and looks forward to going back to travelling, how can brands from the sectors worst hit by the global pandemic adapt and change to support better business practices, engagement and interactions from within the home environment?
Here is Thomas’s idea…
Introducing BA Connections, a remote working subscription service concept for British Airways. An opportunity for the airline to bring decades of business travel and service knowledge to the new normal world. BA Connections offers users tools, knowhow and a first class treatment for their remote working experience and environment, taking them anywhere they need to go through virtual channels. The credentials of British Airways to operate in the business service space need no introduction. They have years of experience and the brand has carved out a sophisticated offer and a refined identity. A trusted and aspirational brand, the airline of choice has supported and carried businesspeople all over the world. Acting as the bridge between global business hubs, British Airways (and its competitors) built a network of interconnected veins and arteries through which global business ran, palms were pressed, and deep, long-lasting connections were made.
But with the onset of Covid-19 further compounding pre-existing murmurs of doubt about the air travel industry, the future of BA looks increasingly uncertain. So, here is how and where British Airways could take a leading role in piloting the international business experience into a new age.
Developed in partnership with Logitech, BA Connections brings the concept of global links into a flexible post-pandemic future. As early morning flights to meetings abroad have given way to mid-morning, spare room Zoom calls, businesses and their workforce are looking to a future where the natural response isn’t to book a last-minute flight. BA Connections is a subscription service that bridges the gap between the physical and digital – supported by optimised tech – allowing the British Airways business experience to exist seamlessly between the in-home and global stages.
The offer is structured around a three-part service: BA Connections initially delivers a Starter Kit of core tech to your home. This closed loop, returnable pack includes all the componentry needed to bring your remote working space and capabilities in line with the most demanding business needs.
The core of this kit of parts is an in-room Wi-Fi booster. Developed by connectivity experts at Logitech to specifically support the needs for video and audio streaming, this hub facilitates the whole BA Connections experience.
Paired with the Wi-Fi booster are two auxiliary units: a camera with optimised built-in lighting and a high fidelity smart microphone. The mounted camera gives sharp, photographic quality imagery, supported by a bespoke designed lighting ring with multiple brightness and colour settings to complement any skin tone, background space or surrounding décor. Embedded software gives the camera the capability to automatically adjust focal depth and lens range to crop your projected image to best portray your professional self, moving away from the in-software blurring effects that haunt the current video-conferencing experience.
The smart microphone takes conversation and verbal communication to the next level. As well as crisp and clear vocal pickup, the microphone features noise cancelling technology which learns to recognise your voice and removes even the most unintended background noise pollution. It also has a smart automatic unmute function, that learns to recognise and respond to that ever-familiar “You’re on mute!” moment.
Once the Starter Kit is installed; any businessperson would have the digital capability to broadcast a professional quality video and audio stream to any audience. This alone would set any presentation apart from the rest.
And there’s more! The second part of the BA Connections offer is a one-to-one video session with a BA stylist, bringing the airline’s huge experience of creating business lounges, environments and relationships into your home office. Supporting you with the arrangement and setup of the starter kit, the stylist will help to pair the lighting settings with your skin tone and interior aesthetic, locate and angle the camera to optimise the viewing window, and explore the room and backdrop layout to make the most of your presentation space.
All of these steps allow the BA Connections team to bring a business class finish to your professional communications. The BA team also offers video tutorials, workshops and 1-to-1 support on the latest thinking, processes and tools around bridging and owning the space between the virtual and physical business worlds.
It’s become clear that business can survive, for a time, with a lack of physical connection. That said, sharing a real world, human touch adds value to the experience of business. Even with the return to a less locked-down world, a consumer base that is increasingly conscious of its impact on the environment and the wellness benefits of remote working will no doubt be having second thoughts when considering travel. It seems more likely that there will be a balance between connections in the physical and virtual worlds.
This forms the foundation for the third and final element of the BA Connections concept: an incentive program built in the image of the old-world air miles model. The No-Fly Zone celebrates and rewards virtual connections. Users accumulate points (Virtual Miles) for conducting business and personal moments through the BA Connections platform, and the program brings things full circle by recognising the value of eventual real-world moments of togetherness. The BA Connections system tracks users’ virtual interaction time, accruing points which allow you access to reduced fares or free flights to bolster your relationships with in-person interactions. In other words, the No-Fly Zone membership and points scheme rewards considered choices with real world connections.
Our world is in a true state of flux, with the streams of change running deeper and stronger than ever before. It’s a powerful time for trusted brands to take bold steps, learning from rather than rejecting the experiences and lessons of the pandemic. This concept is one way a brand like British Airways could embrace its core strength and purpose to create new services, experiences and growth. A way for British Airways to continue to help us make Connections.