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As 2021 draws to a close, businesses across all industries are now looking forward to the year 2022. With that said, many factors have already shaped businesses to what they are today. Climate change, the rise of AI, global shifts, the shifting landscape of politics, the evolution of economics…just to name a few.
As a result, businesses are always looking for new ways to expand. As we anticipate 2022, there will be many major trends that will affect businesses everywhere. Here are just 6 of the many business trends that we will see more of in 2022.
More Project Management Tools Usage
First, project management has become a hot topic in businesses, no matter the industry. Project management refers to having structure and order in producing something in a company or organization. This has brought on a need for easier ways to manage the lifetime of a project from start to finish.
Therefore, in 2022, you’ll most likely see more and more usage of project management tools – online and or mobile. While project management used to be taken care of by the standard Microsoft Office suite, businesses can now expand to online or applications to help keep things running smoothly.
Examples of project management tools include:
- Asana
- Easy Project
- Smartsheet, etc.
Live Chat Provided by AI
Nowadays, consumers want their questions and concerns answered right away. Depending on their situation, they might not have time to wait business days for a response. That’s why live chat has become a popular way to get quick responses from businesses.
Live chat is especially common with call centers, since responses are automated. While robots won’t replace human call reps, they can still fill in for when humans aren’t available (especially during after-hours).
Writing services like Lucky Assignments and Gum Essays utilize live chat to make it easier for customers to request services, receive free quotes, and ask questions. By placing the live chat button on the homepage, both websites allow for users to click and fill out a form about their inquiry.
Additional benefits of enabling live chat in a business include:
- Telemarketing
- Other technical support
- Cross-sales
- Surveys and questionnaires for marketing department
- Smart assistants
- Outgoing calls (often a mix of robot and human interactions), etc.
More Sustainability in Business Operations
With climate change already a reality, sustainability has become a priority in many companies and organizations. With sustainability, a company can do the following to ensure a more promising Earth:
- Reducing and eliminating waste
- Recycling
- Adopting greener products
- Adopting greener policies, etc.
More Authenticity
Today’s consumers want businesses to be more authentic. In other words, consumers shouldn’t have to see or interact with a “faceless” company. That’s where authenticity should shine.
Now, brands and companies are looking into making more meaningful connections to their consumer base. Foster human connections consists of adapting human qualities such as:
- Compassion
- Empathy
- Humility
- Reliability
- Transparency, etc.
Now, authenticity doesn’t just been being more human emotionally, but also verbally (written and spoken). Online writing tools like Writinity and Research Papers UK strive to ensure that writing is written as authentically and professionally as possible. With that said, more and more business will want to make all of their operations more authentically in the following ways:
- Writing marketing emails that make sense
- Creating enticing newsletters
- Ensuring that product descriptions and web designs are free from typos and errors, etc.
More Ways to Raise Funds
Fundraising efforts have evolved since the traditional bell-and-bucket tactic. Now, there are crowdfunding apps and platforms, which can help businesses and organizations reach more investors and donors. In 2022, expect more updated efforts to raise funds, including:
- Initial coin offerings (ICOs)
- Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs)
- Public decentralized blockchain networks
- Tokenization, etc.
Running a Business with Purpose
Finally, businesses will know how to run operations with a purpose. Since authenticity is important in connecting with consumers emotionally, authenticity can also equate to having a long-term goal for your business. In other words, why does your business exist?
By looking at your consumers, and how the world has evolved over the years, you’ll come up with a 100% authentic reason for being. This is especially important when coming up with your company’s (or organization’s) mission statement.
Ultimately, the year 2022 promises to be either a fresh start for fledgling businesses, or a needed reset for struggling established companies. With these 6 notable trends, you’ll sense a theme of creating a better world. Whether it’s to be kinder to the Earth, or to treat consumers with the upmost care, these business trends will be evident in 2022, as well as for many more years to come.
See you in 2022!
What are some other 2022 business trends entrepreneurs should look out for? Let us know down in the comments.
This article originally published on GREY Journal.
