Q&A: How the Internet saved business

InternetNZ’s interim CEO Andrew Cushen sheds some light on business Internet usage, domain name trends and emerging Internet-enabled technologies.

NZB: From your recent discussions with the business community, what are the main concerns they have around Internet usage in 2022?

ANDREW: Lockdown and Covid-19 have changed a lot of expectations. Two particular trends show through in the conversation.

Firstly, that it is leading to a new wave of digitisation in business. We’ve seen an increase in domain name registrations as more organisations look to establish or revitalise their online presence. As a result of that, there are now more than 740,000 .nz domain names registered.

This growth during lockdown is similar to many other countries, as businesses looked to retain and increase their customer bases while customers have been at home.
Secondly, businesses are having to adapt to more remote working. Of course, that’s only applicable to those who work from desks. At first this was just a necessary solution to being able to keep people productive during lockdown, but now expectations have changed. With people demonstrating how they can work from home, many more expect the flexibility to do so.

With the pandemic forcing businesses to operate with dispersed workforces, what are some of the current concerns around Internet management and usage?

ANDREW: We regularly survey on this and our data shows that employees already wanted to work from home more. That’s increased since the pandemic. There is some emerging evidence that employees are leaving work that doesn’t accommodate their desires for more flexibility.

Our most recent data shows that 60 percent of workers believe they could do their work from home, and 50 percent of respondents would also like to work from home more. Working from home is a good thing – it reduces traffic, pollution and stress, and as lockdowns have shown, people can be just as productive.

There are some challenges to working from home too, with the three most commonly reported issues being “too many face-to-face meetings”, “flexible working options not offered” and “Internet not fast enough”.

Most of these issues are resolvable. Understandably, many business owners are thinking about the best way to manage their staff in this new environment, and my encouragement to them is that the Internet can enable you to be more flexible, and keep productivity high. Perhaps think about how you can be more flexible first, and see how it works. You’ll likely see more engaged, productive and happy staff.

What are some golden rules for successfully managing a widespread workforce? And explain some of the common issues experienced around Internet usage?

ANDREW: At the start of the lockdowns, we shared 14 tips for how people and businesses can make the most of connectivity and working from home. Many of these are still applicable. They include:

Keeping a normal routine to minimise disruption to your work and life.
Setting up a dedicated space for working from home. That includes ensuring you have the tech to do things well.
Giving your body and mind a break. Working from home can blur the lines between when work stops and ends. In fact, some of the data shows that many people have been working longer and harder while locked down. It’s important to take the time to rest your eyes, stretch your legs and keep yourself hydrated. It’s probably wise to manage access to the fridge though!
Keep an eye on your colleagues and keep the connection up. Being at home isn’t a reason not to stay connected and engaged with your colleagues and workplace. There are many options available for staff to chat, call and video each other to keep an organisational culture strong.

All of these rules are enabled by having the right connectivity at home. Discover what options are available for you on the NZ Broadband Map, at broadbandmap.nz.
Usage isn’t really a concern these days as the majority of plans available are uncapped. However, employers may wish to consider contributing to the cost of connectivity at home when it is being used for work too. It could be cheaper than the total costs of having that person in the office.

What issues are top of mind at the moment around domain name usage? Any advice for business owners?

ANDREW: Your .nz domain name is your own part of the digital world. With a domain name you can build your own online identity, without the risks of basing it on someone else’s platform. Our data shows the following trends coming through:

Growth in the importance of websites for businesses, as well as social media, in terms of driving customer loyalty.
Growth in the importance of apps and social media for consumers.
Growth in domain name awareness among consumers – use of domains and websites continues to grow over time for both personal and home business use.
More consumers reserving domain names for future business use.
Growth in the use of .nz domains by businesses and indicative growth among consumers1.
Growth in businesses who feel .nz is more trustworthy than other domain names.
Six in ten businesses and half of consumers agree .nz domain names are more valuable than other domain names.

What future issues do you predict regarding web usage in New Zealand?

ANDREW: The Internet is here to stay, and it will get faster, more useful and more vital to how we operate. What we can expect is ever better technologies and applications that help us all be more productive, engaged and profitable online.

Customers increasingly expect to be able to find you online, and find out about what you offer before they give you a call. If you aren’t online, maybe you should start thinking about how to do so now. There are many ways the Internet can aid you and your staff to do more, faster and better than before.

What’s your take on new and emerging Internet-enabled technologies that impact on businesses?

ANDREW: We are only just seeing the start of what high-speed Internet connectivity can do for our communities and economy. New Zealand has some of the best connectivity in the world; fibre rolling out to towns the size of Granity (look it up!) and three mobile companies rolling out 5G. We also have better wireless performance available and satellite options that provide for an exciting mix of different tech for different uses. High-speed networks allow technologies like augmented and virtual reality to be far more useful by showing people what they could be building, making or buying before the order is even placed. Some of the emerging uses of this tech render being physically present as optional.

Some other technologies are harder to predict. The current market conditions are proving to be very challenging in the cryptocurrency space, and relatedly for the NFT market. It’s too soon to tell whether these are useful, deployable technologies or just bubbles and fads.

What is happening with Artificial Intelligence is far more interesting though, as it offers the ability to automate so many processes, insights and decisions than ever before. This is pretty bleeding-edge stuff for businesses though, and actually deploying it in your business may be a challenge for now. As the technology develops, we’re more likely to see use cases that are more readily deployable and supported by a range of providers. AI certainly has the potential to take work off your plate as a business owner and is worth keeping an eye on.