The normal flow of life has changed during the pandemic period. From health to education, from food to production, nothing is the same as before. What’s more, the data available so far could not have naturally predicted the special conditions of the pandemic. The forecasts were wrong, the change in demand and the forecasts did not hold. In such a period, a new generation of jobs emerged.

First, the demand, that is, the customer relationship, shifted to online shopping, and the customer quickly adapted to the trend. For this reason, new generation shopping services such as rapid delivery startup Getir are front and center.

While managing customer demand from big data to location-based services, these companies used their artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to the fullest and managed to keep their predictions right.

Businesses recovered

Many traditional businesses have been disrupted during the pandemic. Video meeting technologies used during remote working have eliminated the need to be physically present in the office. However, it was generally the creation of new generation jobs that ensured the continuity of life.

Those working on real estate projects have had a hard time. However, those who took immediate action and managed to digitally transform offices into common areas and for appointment use, got their job done. Again, seeing the demand for houses with a garden, the projects that made the summer houses habitable for 12 months accelerated the real estate projects.

While things may seem to have gone well for the health care industry, people have actually had fewer problems with the flu or cold as they took precautions. Startups using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies for disease diagnosis have had a number of successes. Point-to-point problem-solving nano-drugs have also become a favorite of the health care industry.

It has not been easy for the tourism sector to heal the wounds it suffered during the pandemic period. Tourism workers are experiencing increasing mobility at the beginning of the summer months, although it is not the same as before. Online reservations have acquired new habits, such as direct customer contact.

Corporate culture in company

Now, time will tell which of the new habits are here to stay.

Some forms of online shopping are likely to become permanent. Offices will be rescheduled for hybrid operation. It is time to determine units that will continue working from home and those that need to be present in the office. The corporate culture will be the determining factor in this decision.

You make decisions about people you have known for a long time. The effect of the corporate culture on the new members of the team is important. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the effect of the hybrid working order on the employees. Online meeting applications such as Zoom, Meet, Teams and Webex have become a part of life.

To-do list

Even if the inoculation drive spreads across the entire population, some behaviors adopted during the pandemic will not change. Some of the habits will become permanent for what we call bazaar shopping.

In other words, people may continue to buy certain products via their smartphones. New generation businesses such as the grocery store, market or Getir will continue to receive their usual share.

The habit of going to the market and shopping will also take its share. Those who take the right steps toward ensuring product quality, customer satisfaction and price will have the chance to maintain a long-term relationship.

Restaurants love takeout

Restaurants and cafes have been seriously impacted during the pandemic. Apart from those who closed down and could not find the financial strength to reopen, there were also those who adapted quickly.

Even 100-year-old institutions such as Kanaat Lokantası, which did not accept payments other than cash in the past, have changed their ways and are now accepting contactless payments. They opened their doors to online shopping such as Getir and Yemeksepeti. Some restaurants continued their relationships with their regulars online.

The solutions used for packaging became a good alternative for those who want to eat at home. Those businesses had the opportunity to catch up with the customer, who could not reach them before, online.

Blue-collar to metal-collar

The use of autoresponders in call centers has increased irreversibly, especially in the production sector.

Metal-collar software robots began responding to calls and messages as increasing online customer demands made it impossible to respond to otherwise. Responses to routine questions ensured that customers were answered promptly. The use of robots developed using AI technology in production also caused an inevitable cultural transformation.

While new opportunities to expand globally emerged for well-educated, white-collar workers, many blue-collar workers lost their jobs or their incomes declined.

Increased interest in contactless security systems

Interest in contactless security and density measuring technologies is increasing for places with heavy human traffic such as airports, shopping malls, business centers and production facilities.

Contactless access control systems process biometric data such as iris, face and fingerprint, which are defined in the system, and ensure safe entry and exit without touching anything. Deep learning algorithms running in the background maximize accuracy.

On the other hand, mobile phones and mobile devices that impact all areas of our lives are also used effectively in contactless access control systems. In mobile access control systems, smartphones and mobile devices replace keypads or smart cards.

Thanks to the application, mobile phones and mobile devices are used as keys in offices and parking lots. In the system, which is very simple to install, users create their own mobile identities with an application they download on their mobile phone or mobile device and start using it. Security companies also tried to adapt to the new era.

Online exercise program for kids

Education has been one of the areas experiencing the fastest transformation. Distance education and distance health services attracted great attention.

MentalUP, the gamified education platform in which one of Turkey's leading information and communication technologies companies​, Türk Telekom, is a partner, broke new ground in the world by offering more than 100 educational intelligence games and more than 200 exercises in a single application. The games in MentalUP, prepared with academics and expert designers, reduce the risk of screen addiction thanks to 20 minutes of daily exercise.

With the newly added "Fitness" feature, MentalUP mobilizes 10 million children aged four to 13 in more than 100 countries who are its members, with an exercise program suitable for their age and physical needs.

MentalUP Fitness offers children 210 physical exercises in the categories of balance, strength, flexibility, cardio and endurance. A daily study plan is prepared from the exercises determined by the sports academy trainers, who are experts in child development, in accordance with the age and physical needs of each child.

In addition to the daily seven-minute exercise program, children can also create their own "Personalized Training Program."

Need for data literacy increases

From social media content to smartwatches to home health monitors, data has become a fundamental part of our lives. This has become particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data literacy course is based on today's fight against misinformation.

The global pandemic has highlighted the critical and urgent need for data literacy skills. In the face of the flow of information, some right, some wrong, mostly biased and sometimes misleading, many people were caught off-guard while trying to make sense of all the data they encountered.