Improved Work-Life Balance, Better Customer Service, and More Time in Nature: What We’ll Keep From Pandemic Life

When I think back over the last year and a half, it’s sometimes hard to find the silver lining. So many lives were lost or changed forever that it doesn’t feel right to consider any positive impacts. However, when interviewing candidates for our excellent support team, we asked interviewees what they thought were the best and worst aspects of the pandemic for them personally.Then, I began to wonder how the rest of my coworkers might respond to this question. So I asked. Here are some good things that came out of the pandemic, according to the folks at ShortStack.

An appreciation of better customer service

  When I initially posed the question, I wanted to know what business-related changes people enjoyed. Since we were at work, it seemed like a natural place to start.A lot of our team gravitated toward customer service-related changes businesses made to help customers during a tough time. Given our reputation for outstanding customer service, I’m not surprised that these experiences and customer-centered offerings were the most impactful.

We often hear that the service we provide is a top reason people love our company. After all, it’s only human to feel a level of satisfaction from spending our hard-earned money at places that appreciate our patronage. Here are a few of the services we enjoyed:

Grocery pick-up/delivery

“Curbside grocery pick-up and delivery. I know these services were available before the pandemic, but now they're everywhere. Having someone who knows the store do the shopping for me makes my life so much easier, and I'm happy to pay a few bucks for the convenience.”- JANE

Curbside doggie drop-off/pick-up

“When we took the dogs to the vet or the groomers, they came out to the car, got the dogs, and brought them back out to the car when they were done. It was so awesome.”- JESSICA

More curbside love

“Curbside is a godsend.”- MIKE

Takeout, please

“More options for takeout. I'm all for bringing my food home anymore to enjoy.”- ADAM H.

More streamlined options

“Streamlining commerce with contactless payment and delivery processes, etc.”- ADAM P.

Convenience is key

“I love how many choices we now have for convenient food, with more restaurants and grocery stores offering online ordering, curbside pickup, and home/work delivery. One of our friends dropped off her daughter for a sleepover a few weeks ago and, on the way, ordered Cinnabon to be delivered to our house. Lazy, decadent, awesome.”- DOUG

Takeout with a twist

“I enjoyed being able to order alcohol to-go from restaurants. Why should I limit myself to just food from a place that makes a great drink?”- KENNYThis conversation also made me realize how food-motivated my coworkers are. (Oh, and Cinnabon, call us.)

A more balanced work-life balance

The more we got to talking, the more we considered our own company and how much we enjoyed the work from home life (after we got over the initial shock of it, of course).

Work from home appreciation

“I like how both work from home and remote work are more accepted.”- DYLAN

The perks of working from home

“I liked towel-dried hair and not wearing makeup. And having more time with my kids. Even if it was just quantity time and not always quality, it's always been something I've always struggled with as a working mom.”- AMY

A much-needed culture shift

“I'm a fan of the (hopefully lasting) culture shift toward flexible hours and remote work. Just the general idea of letting people be more responsible for their own work.”- ADAM P.Based on the feedback from our team, our CEO is letting folks work from home a couple of days a week. Now that’s compassionate leadership!

A new approach to entertainment

As our chat continued, more life-related changes came to mind. Mainly about what folks did in their free time. With restaurants and bars closed, travel destinations under lockdown, and gyms locked up, many of us found ourselves (or the people around us) looking for new ways to stay entertained.

New movies in the comfort of your own home

“I really hope releasing movies same-day to streaming services and theaters sticks around. Sometimes I just want to watch a new movie from the comfort of my couch, not worrying about other people making noise or getting nudged by a random elbow. I'll gladly pay extra to sit back and relax at home (not to mention skipping out on the crazy snack bar prices).”- JUSTIN

Nature for all

“Though I didn't like all my hiking spots being more crowded than usual, it was nice to see more people enjoying outdoor stuff.”- LEA

Getting out and about

“I hope everyone's connection to nature sticks around. Everyone was getting out, biking, hiking, and walking. It is definitely something I am sticking with and have found my evening walks as a 'me time'.”- RINA

Working out at home

“I enjoy doing yoga at home. My studio now offers recordings that expire within 24 hours, which allows me to continue going to class, but in my own time.”- JANE

Fitness on demand

“I love that fitness centers, yoga and barre studios, gymnasium and personal trainers offer their services through apps, livestream, and on-demand platforms. It made it easy to work out any time and at a lower cost.”- BUNNY

A new perspective on caring for yourself and others when sick

Finally, though none of us wanted to think about it, we did realize there were some health-related perks to wearing masks and staying home.

Masks aren’t so bad

“It'd be super awesome if people kept wearing masks if they were sick/thought they might be getting sick with anything. Would help to curb things like colds and flu going around.”- JUSTIN

Hand sanitizer accessibility

“I also enjoy the accessibility to hand sanitizer. Where you go, you can find some and it comes in handy!”- RINA

Keep your cold to yourself

“Staying home or at least wearing a mask if you are sick.”- MIKEI hope our list of positives helped you think of some of your own. And just maybe, as the world starts to go back to normal, some of the best changes are here to stay.