By Iolanda Ventura, from the Editorial Team
MANAUS – The search for services on the internet increased during the critical period of the Covid-19 pandemic. The migration from in-person to online services forced changes in habits and professionals had to adapt. The success of digital platforms encouraged entrepreneurs in Amazonas interviewed by ATUAL to continue using the internet even with the return of in-person work.
Amanda Rozeno, 24, teaches private English lessons. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the teacher taught her students in a physical classroom. With the social isolation caused by the pandemic, this has changed.
“It was very challenging for me, initially, because I didn’t have any materials or skills to teach using a completely digital resource. So, I had to learn, research and improve my way of teaching in this modality”, he says.
Amanda Rozeno managed to expand the audience she serves with online classes (Photo: Disclosure)
Having overcome the obstacle of familiarity with technology, Amanda says that today she sees online teaching as a way to increase the number of students. “My type of classes have become much more diverse. Let's say that necessity ended up making me leave my comfort zone and look for other ways to support myself,” she says.
This need to seek improvement in order to enter the digital world is also reported by Michel Oliveira, 35 years old. The personal trainer has been offering online training since 2017 and has increased his service during social isolation. “What made me join the online world was a question I asked myself when looking at my children: will my children, in the future, along with this generation of theirs, leave their homes to train somewhere, in a training center, in a gym?” he says.
Michel explains that the work goes beyond selling services on the internet. “You need to study much more, study personas, study your group, the offer, the audience, the average ticket, what price you are going to charge for this product”, he says.
For Michel Oliveira, freedom is one of the biggest advantages of the online service (Photo: Disclosure)
The personal trainer says that if people only look at what needs to be done, they won’t continue working. But he highlights the advantages of investing in the format. “The main point of online is the freedom you can adopt to work from anywhere in the world.”
No borders
This is the same advantage cited by image consultant Ghiysa Benchimol, who began offering training during the pandemic. Ghiysa says that what motivated her to embrace the online world was the fact that there are no borders for services. “You can serve an image and style consulting client in Japan, Sweden, Manaus, or Rio de Janeiro; there are no geographical limitations,” she says.
Ghiyza Benchimol says that what motivated her to join the online world was the fact that there were no boundaries for services (Photo: Disclosure)
Ghiysa says that in addition to the challenge of learning how to use the new platforms, one disadvantage was having to divide her time and work environment with her home. “Because at home you have family, children, dogs, and your spouse who sometimes doesn’t understand that you’re in the corner of the living room studying,” she says.
Fernanda Belo, 39, manager of two shoe and bag franchise stores, says that the biggest obstacle was keeping the brand active and present at a delicate time.
“As we started to become more active in online sales during the pandemic, the biggest challenge was communicating and impacting customers appropriately without them feeling uncomfortable or invaded at such a delicate time. In addition, it is necessary to convey that all precautions were and are being taken to ensure safety against Covid,” he says.
The physical stores are already operating, but Fernanda will maintain the online service, which was already used before, but less frequently. “Today, physical sales in our store are more representative in terms of sales volume. But we are aware that the customer is at the center and we must serve them on all fronts, whether in person or online,” she says.
Deborah Paixão, 32, works at her clients' homes. The veterinarian (CRMV-AM 0987) has been working from home for five years. Although she provides in-person care, she says that during the pandemic, some people who normally went to veterinary clinics opted for home care to avoid crowds.
The veterinarian says that convenience was also a determining factor for pet owners to prefer home consultations. In addition, it makes things easier for those who have difficulty taking their pet to the doctor's office.
“We know the pet’s routine and environment. This makes diagnosis much easier. Home care minimizes stress and trauma. Some pets are terrified of going to the doctor’s office,” he explains. “Going to the doctor’s office reduces the risk of cross-infection between healthy animals and those sick with viral diseases,” he says.
Deborah says that home care minimizes stress for animals (Photo: Disclosure)
There are five to six appointments per day. “We attend to all areas and even outside Manaus. We have already been to Iranduba (20 kilometers from Manaus) and km 15 of BR-174”, he says.
Deborah says that more complex care is referred to the 24-hour clinic closest to the client. “Our service is preventive. We do not perform hospitalizations or surgeries. We cannot administer fluids at home, such as putting the patient on an IV. So we work more with prevention, routine consultations, collecting material for the laboratory, and vaccinations,” she explains.
Remote service was also well received by Ghiyza’s clients. “I do my consulting and sometimes the person can’t make it to the meeting at that time. They arrive later, but it’s recorded and they can watch it again at another time when they’re more relaxed. Then they join the WhatsApp group and ask questions.”
The same thing happened to some of Amanda's students, who, given the flexibility, hired the service. “We know that adults who want to learn a new language have work, family, and a series of other activities during the day. So remote classes have also become more popular during this pandemic period. But I believe that they will continue now. They won't be the same as before, mostly in-person classes,” she says.
This was the case of journalist Felipe Wanderley, 32 years old. He explains that he had already taken distance learning courses before, but the pandemic intensified this. “I took a scriptwriting course, a creativity course that I thought was really cool. Maybe I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t stopped and thought. Everything stopped, right? So I stopped and thought ‘What now? What do I do?’” he says.
Felipe believes that the freedom to set one's own schedule can be both good and bad at the same time, depending on whether or not one has discipline. He says that during the period in which he was working from home, it was easier to balance work and study. However, he acknowledges that this is not a general reality.
“It was easier for me. Because there are people who have children and can’t balance things very well. My sister works from home and can’t work. She prefers to go to the office,” he says.
More services
Ghiysa Benchimol has increased the number of people she can serve. “In an image and style consultancy, I could serve a maximum of 20 people in person, in groups. Online, I have an unlimited number. Of course, I limit it because I want to give attention. But that number at least doubles.”
In isolation, Michel Oliveira had 307 students in a live training session (Photo: Disclosure)
During isolation, Michel, a personal trainer, saw a high demand for home workouts. “I had 307 students in one session. Today, there was a drop because people want to get out of the house. Today, there are around 150 people in one session. I work with live classes from Monday to Friday,” he says.
He says that even clients who prefer in-person training would be able to return to the online format if necessary.
“It will not cease to exist. Today, for example, the training center is a hybrid format, in-person and online. So it is something that I will take with me for the rest of my life. Because my biggest goal is to create this financial freedom within the online world. I am able to serve one person, 100 people, 1,000 people, 10,000, 20,000, 30,000,” he says.
For teacher Amanda, continuing with distance learning is synonymous with savings. “I save a lot more on costs, energy, transportation, logistics, materials, so it is an advantageous way for today,” she points out.
Manager Fernanda Belo understands that online sales are a reality that cannot be reversed. “Online sales are a reality that cannot be reversed. All retailers had to grow and make this type of sales available in stores. However, like any form of sales, there are possibilities for fraud and we have to be aware of possible scams,” she warns.
Online shopping has become a habit for some during the pandemic (Photo: Marcello Casal Jr./ABr)
This is the case of nurse Leda Rodrigues, 61, who started shopping more online during the pandemic. “I’m always on the lookout to avoid scams. I always buy from traditional stores, such as Bemol, Queiroz, Amazon-one, Amazon, Magalu, etc. I always check if the website is secure. I prefer to pay by bank slip. I avoid using credit cards,” she says.
During isolation, Leda Rodrigues got used to some of the internet's facilities and intends to keep most of them. “I started to realize the advantages of solving many things that were possible via the internet – financial/banking transactions, various payments, purchases of various products – cleaning, basic food baskets, ready-made food, etc., and even medical consultations via telemedicine,” she says.
The nurse says she still doesn’t go to the 100% store. “I’m still scared. I’m still wearing a mask, I’ve already been vaccinated with both doses. I avoid places with a lot of people.”
Source: https://amazonasatual.com.br/pandemia-muda-habitos-afeta-zona-de-conforto-e-amplia-adesao-a-internet/
