There is a lot to say about what marketers and communicators can do right now and most of it is about how to show leadership during a time of massive uncertainty and unease. For those used to running a campaign, launching product and influencer engagement, you may be floundering. It’s ok. For a profession that lives for a playbook, there is no playbook for what we should do now. But, here’s what we know for sure: now is not the time to be pushing any product or solution. Leading companies have moved quickly into the space of providing technology, access and grants for those who need it most to keep some semblance of life as usual.
If you’re feeling helpless and want to know how to direct your team, direct them towards community support and access with inspiration from the companies who are already doing it well. We’ll update the list and if you’d like to be included, contact us.
The company is allowing its educational customers to request free home access for students and teachers to its Creative Cloud suite of tools through May 31. Adobe has also made its webconferencing service, Adobe Connect, free for schools, businesses and government agencies on 90-day licenses that can run until July 1. The company has also pulled together a useful collection of content on distance learning here.
Education institutions including colleges and universities along with non-profit organizations can benefit from Avaya Spaces, the company’s video and collaboration solution which is being offered for free.
Contact center clients who are challenged with maintaining high levels of customer engagement can benefit from the complimentary 90-day access licenses Avaya has extended to shift their office-based contact center agents to a remote workforce.
To help companies who are struggling with data management and protection as they pivot their IT infrastructures in support of a sudden, growing remote workforce, Commvault is making its SaaS offering, Metallic Endpoint Backup and Recovery, available at no cost and with unlimited Microsoft Azure backup storage for up to 1,000 endpoint devices, in the U.S. and Canada through September 1, 2020.
Facebook announced $100M in cash grants to small business for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries where they operate.
To help businesses and organizations that need to support remote workers with effective communications and productivity tools, Intermedia is now offering AnyMeeting® video conferencing and webinar service at no cost through December 31, 2020. Intermedia also has a toolkit available for remote working.
Effective immediately, U.S. applicants for a Kiva loan will have access to the following:
· Expanded eligibility: More businesses in the US will be eligible for a Kiva loan.
· Larger loans: The maximum loan on the Kiva platform will increase from $10,000 to $15,000.
· Grace period: New borrowers may access a grace period of up to 6 months for greater financial flexibility.
The company is offering free real-tracking for organizations, including non-profits, NGOs, government agencies, hospitals, pharmacies, and grocers, to help them support coronavirus relief and prevention efforts. The offer includes over the road tracking in North America, truckload tracking in Europe, and ocean tracking for inbound freight to North America.
Wrike is offering free licensing to support the rapid adoption of remote work necessary to steer the economy through the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has made Professional edition available to new customers for 6 months at no charge, so teams can begin collaborating and managing their projects.