Time to put away that crystal ball. If anything, 2020 has taught us to embrace a certain level of unpredictability in our lives. And while a global pandemic probably didnʼt enter into most peopleʼs plans, one thing is sure: we will be feeling its impacts for the foreseeable future. No sprint to the finish line here. For support teams, this might feel a little daunting. And why not? Customers are reaching out in record numbers. Your team may still be working from home.

You might say this is one of the worst possible times to be growing a business, but that’s not necessarily the case. On our new Sit Down Startup podcast, we talked to founders about how a customer-focused approach can help you thrive even as the world transforms before your eyes. They shared their thoughts on customer experience, empathy and hope as we look to the future. Read on for a few lessons from some inspiring founders.

Customer-oriented companies put consumers’ needs and expectations above the needs of the business—because customers are the business. That strategy may seem like common sense since it lines up with famous truisms like “The customer comes first” and “The customer is always right.” But many businesses still favor a sales-oriented approach, in which the needs and wants of the company are prioritized over the customer.

How well are your company’s products and services meeting your customers’ expectations? More importantly, how can you tell? The answer lies in measuring customer satisfaction. It’s a common buzzword thrown around in management and customer service meetings, but there isn't a single metric that can fully capture your customers' happiness. Instead, customer satisfaction is best quantified using multiple metrics.

2020 has been a whirlwind year, and with billions of people forced to contend with our new reality, we’ve noticed some interesting shifts in the way businesses and customers use messaging. As part of our new normal, where physical distancing and closures have changed how we work, socialize, and do business, use of messaging apps is increasing. According to our most recent Zendesk Snapshot, American smartphone users will spend 20% more of their time in messaging apps than before.

Here are the newest integrations from Zendesk to help your agents provide great customer experiences.

Like the perfect storm, 2020 blew in and turned business on its head. And today, business operations, offices, and even customers look quite different. According to a recent McKinsey survey, over 75 percent of customers in the U.S. have tried something new when it comes to how they shop, the services they use, or how they communicate with companies. Many of these changes are likely to stick around long after the pandemic is over.

Many small and midsize businesses (SMBs) rely on a patchwork system of multiple tools just to capture customer information and respond to requests. This can result in time wasted, missed requests and lost sales—not a great look for a growing business. What’s more, these workarounds and stopgaps simply don’t scale. As your business matures, your technology needs to mature too.

According to a recent NPR survey of state health departments, the national coronavirus contact tracing workforce tripled in just six weeks, jumping from 11,142 workers to 37,110—and public health researchers say it needs to grow even more. Recent surges in cases underscore the importance of reopening countries, states, schools, and businesses carefully and as safely as possible—when the time is right.

The world will keep changing, and now is the time to embrace it. Change can be challenging, of course, but it can also push you to build an even better customer experience, listen to your customers more closely and work harder to stand out from your competition—and these are all good things. One of the ways you can equip your team to embrace change is with a virtual sandbox environment.