A month ago, Google, Microsoft, Adobe, and companies all over the United States and world asked their employees to work remotely and new data from CloudApp shows how that phrase has completely altered the way work has been done.
CloudApp, a remote first product used by 53% of the Fortune 500, allows you to capture and share instantly created videos, GIFs, and screenshots. It analyzed usage of its 3 million + community over the last month and found some key shifts in the “new normal”
With the morning commute gone – the work day begins earlier
CloudApp found that usage of its product its up 2.2x over an average day in 2020 since quarantine started the week of March 13th.
With the morning commute wiped out for many office workers now at home, hours have completely shifted for communication and collaboration. Many people are taking on homeschooling kids, findings space and time to work with having roommates, and working more with less entertainment options.
The shift to earlier work creates less smooth arch in usage during the remainder of the day as people shift to learning new break times and routines that they didn’t have when in an office.
Office workers using video more
Visual and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, CloudApp, and Slack have all become staples for the remote economy during COVID-19.
JD Prater of Quora reported that Teams (310%) and Zoom (124%) saw enormous growth in questions about the products since the quarantine.
CloudApp shows that usage of its video product has increased nearly 3x over the last month. With its screenshot, and GIF creation tools also seeing large gains.
As office workers look to adjust to the quarantine, it’s clear that video and visuals have become a baseline for connection.
Burning the remote midnight oil
With limited entertainment options, and more distractions during the day, office workers are turning to their laptops during the latest Tiger King episode.
CloudApp found that usage has spiked more than 2x during “after hours”. Walking the dog, teaching kids science class, or just a need to get outside has forced people into having a more spaced out work day.
Communication and collaboration is up
Teams adjusting to being newly remote are communicating and collaborating more than ever before to stay connected.
Overall business usage (2.6x) and video usage (2.8x) have both been the primary growth points for communication using CloudApp.
Video length has also seen an increase. Users are recording videos that are more than 1.5x longer than their previous average video length.
Executives look to set the communication example
Leaders of companies are one of the highest usage segments. They are creating nearly 2x the visuals with CloudApp to help keep their teams connected .
Scott Smith, CEO of CloudApp had this to say.
‘With a morning commute now gone for the majority of office workers, usage during morning hours has spiked by over 2x. We’ve also seen usage spike during non-business hours by over 2x, which as we’ve talked to customers and reflected on, see that its tied to the need to balance children and family or just adjusting to seclusion at home, while maintaining a normal full workload. Executives have increased their usage by nearly 100% as they try to navigate the short and long term effects of this.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to find ways to communicate and collaborate when they aren’t able to be next to each other. With the serendipitous meetings and conversations now gone, they are turning to companies like CloudApp, Slack, Microsoft, and Zoom to help them adjust to the new current normal.
Data released last fall from CloudApp, showed that >50% of younger generations were already working remote. One thing is for sure, this moment forced on companies will help them to create playbooks to adjust to the new demands and realities of remote work.
Subscrition companies are showing resilience
Some data recently released by Zuora, showed that 53% of companies surveyed have not seen any impact yet from COVID-19. Of the companies Accelerating, Slowing, and Contracting, Zuora found trends across industries:
- Accelerating: OTT Video Streaming, Digital News & Media, E-Learning, Communications Software
- Limited Impact: B2B & B2C Software, Information Services
- Slowing: Consumer IoT, Business IoT Services, Software for Small Businesses, Memberships
- Contracting: Travel & Hospitality, Sports Related Services
We may not know where the end of this pandemic is, but the short term trends of staying connected through synchronous (Zoom) and asynchronous (CloudApp) tools has been an interesting one to see. Skip the handshake, send a CloudApp video instead. And if you find yourself in a situation where data has been lost, try some data recovery software.
