A phrase I’m sure we are all used to and are a bit fed up of hearing by now! But it’s been interesting to see how, in an ever changing global landscape, how the ‘new normal’ has slowly transitioned into what we consider to be normal. We are now quite accustomed to joining a queue on our food shops, and whenever we leave the house the face-masks-and-hand-gel check has become equally as pressing as tapping our pockets and bags for keys, cards and phones. As a population we have created new habits and adapted to them, all within a couple of months.

For the team here at Trench Networks, and indeed many others across the UK, lockdown did cause us to slow down initially. Although critical infrastructure projects such as the likes of Stansted Airport continued, we saw our largest housebuilding projects turn to ghost sites.

As a result of lockdown, the number of new orders stunted for a short time, mostly because companies and housebuilders were unsure as to when they’d reopen. But for the most part business has been buoyant – we realise we are fortunate that many sites need internet access, pandemic or no pandemic!

The Trench Networks team has been able to manage social distancing and maintain hygiene as we are lucky to have a large office space and a small, but perfectly formed, team. We have coordinated who comes into the office as and when it is necessary for physical Outpost builds for example, and for this reason it has been easy to manage ourselves. We’ve all been working from home and have made the best of technology. Our service desk is functioning as it would in the office, and our brilliant team has all really pulled together to get used to distance working and ensure it is business as normal for our clients.

We are committed to the health and safety of our team and clients and all of our staff are kitted out with full, regular PPE and Covid-19 PPE and adapt to whatever PPE/guidelines that are required from individual sites. It has been great to see the sites putting in place measures to keep everyone safe.

Technology’s value

Right now, it is really important for us to listen to what is happening. There has been such a significant change, so things need time to settle down. When they do, we hope people will realise how much easier it is to have technology. If anyone was once a technology-sceptic, I’m sure the pandemic has changed their outlook. Lockdown has normalised its everyday use, so much so that it will probably be strange to see our colleagues in 3D when everyone returns to the office!

But in terms of looking at technology’s future, companies are realising they can save on financial cost, especially in terms of meetings. For UK-wide businesses, it costs a great deal of money to send management teams to business meetings which could have been done remotely. Although face-to-face meetings still have value, it is important to have that flexibility should online be the only option.

Adapting to the ‘new normal’

Here at Trench Networks, we can configure the technology to fully reflect the needs of smaller and larger clients. We are here to support them as and when lockdown is eased, whether their security requirements have changed or their connectivity needs to be strengthened. We always like to think that we’re on a journey with our customers, making their requirements become a reality. Adapting to the ‘new normal’ is a part of this continual collaboration, and we are well-poised to help our customers make important changes when they feel it is time to.

It has been refreshing to see the construction industry come together and respond positively to the challenges it has faced. Whilst it is uncertain as to when the pandemic will end, there have been slight changes to the industry which we’d do well to maintain once Covid-19 is a thing of the past. There is an undoubted sense of us ‘all being in this together’, and it is a mentality which could potentially work wonders in a notoriously fragmented industry. Keeping connected is a phrase that doesn’t solely pertain to technology, but people too.