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We must not focus on new sales, let’s have a compassionate COVID-19 response.

tech must not focus on sales, let's have a compassionate COVID-19 response

Right now, there are a lot of unknowns, and if you run a business of any size, we are globally facing a fight for the very survival of our companies.

The large corporations publically traded are hammered on the stock exchange; entire industries shut down overnight with the remaining ones rightfully concerned for the future.

People are losing investments, retirement portfolios are down, and the outlook for the future is uncertain.

Our employees and your employees can’t predict what the future will hold and how long we will be in this crisis.

Here is the part that angers me:

Most vendors are sending out information on new products, designed to help ease us into a moment of a remote workforce, while this is great, it comes with a risk.

One product, for medical clients, is a remote health information portal, if you sign up today they won’t start billing you for six months … the fine print includes a multi-year contract you have to sign today under duress.

Other emails I’m getting from Vendors are here are great products to support your work from home, these too come with new contracts and fees.

Meanwhile, no one is telling you that inventory is dropping across the board. Right now, I would be hard-pressed to equip an office with a USB headset and a Webcam, let alone a laptop.

Much like toilet paper, they appear to be coming online via the grey market at increased pricing.

Daily, I get 3-5 emails from vendors disguised as a ‘COVID-19’ update, all of them containing a link to some ‘deal’ to help ease my discomfort. For example, today, a shoe company sent out an email to inform me that they’ve closed all their stores but were happy to send me a link to free shipping and a coupon code….

I don’t particularly appreciate how this is being handled by corporations. It’s unethical and wrong.

Don’t use this as an opportunity to capitalize on a market, trap people into contracts and add to already a significant amount of stress.

Let’s all take a moment, pause, reflect and then take action.

Let’s work together to help us through this.

Let’s come out together, on the other side, stronger than before.