# Life during the lockdown: How SMEs are using technology to serve their customers | Tech News (HT Tech) > SMEs, in particular, are having a difficult time in coping up with the lockdown. While for some it has disrupted the flow of work, for others, it has emerged as a mere bump on the road. # Life during the lockdown: How SMEs are using technology to serve their customers ## SMEs, in particular, are having a difficult time in coping up with the lockdown. While for some it has disrupted the flow of work, for others, it has emerged as a mere bump on the road. Aug 20 2022, 20:20 IST ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png) ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png) ![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png) ![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png) ![Amid the coronavirus lockdown, SMEs are leveraging networking platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram for staying connected with their customers amid the lockdown.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2020/04/07/Pictures/noida-lockdown-covid-19-day-13_507a76fc-78f8-11ea-9ef9-f1be7341055a.jpg) Amid the coronavirus lockdown, SMEs are leveraging networking platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram for staying connected with their customers amid the lockdown. (HT) ![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png) ### By SHWETA GANJOO The Covid-19 outbreak has brought the world to a standstill. From big enterprises to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the everyday operation of most companies has been affected severely due to the virus outbreak. This, in turn, has led to a massive change in the way companies, no matter how big or small they are, function. While, on one hand, employees are working remotely to ensure that their companies remain up and running, on the other hand, companies are embracing new technologies (and utilising existing ones in a better ways) to cope up with the present circumstances. SMEs, in particular, are having a difficult time coping up with change. While for some the lockdown has disrupted the flow of work, for others, it has emerged as a mere bump on the road. We spoke with a couple of enterprises on the matter and they all had a mixed response as to how the lockdown had affected their working and how they are coping up with what can be called the 'new reality'. Also read click here. "The current global crisis is having an unprecedented impact on people all around the world, and we are humbled that people and businesses across India are finding WhatsApp to be a lifeline to stay in touch with those that matter most --their friends, family members and customers,"Abhijit Bose, Head of India, WhatsApp said in a statement to HT Tech. How has Covid-19 affected their functioning? Let's Learn Together is an Assam-based startup that provides affordable coaching to students for competitive exams in regional languages. They have a dedicated studio where their team of faculty members record their lectures on various subjects in video and audio formats. This is then distributed to their student base, which now comprises more than 600 students. "Due to the lockdown, the software and hardware we have been using are not available to all our teachers and the file size poses a challenge as well, as they aren't easily transferable," founders Upal Jyoti Baruah and Daydeep Chetia told HT Tech. FanatiXx Publication founder Hemant Bansal. (WhatsApp) ![image caption](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-245-140.png) FanatiXx Publication founder Hemant Bansal. (WhatsApp) Similarly, FanatiXx Publication, which is an ISO-certified publication house, which provides publishing services including book formatting, manuscript editing, cover designing, web development, inventory management, and marketing services to writers, is facing issues with printing and distribution of books. "The ability to print and distribute is a key function for any publisher which unfortunately is completely closed at this time. Publishers around the country are facing this problem, thus affecting our normal functioning," founder Hemant Bansal told us. On the other hand, School of Accelerated Learning (SOAL), which uses artificial intelligence to provide product-oriented learning to students, is sailing smoothly through the lockdown. Founders Raj Desai, Pratik Agarwal and Varsha Bhambhani told us that while their offline operations had been affected by the viral outbreak, their overall functioning has largely remained unaffected by the lockdown. "The COVID-19 lockdown has affected our offline operations, but we have seamlessly transitioned into a completely online program for our learners through our virtual learning platform, Delta. Delta is a smart environment for our learners to engage, consume, and build. This proprietary platform allows us to track learner-progress, evaluate their work, and give them feedback as well," team SOAL told HT Tech. How are they coping up with lockdown? Amid the coronavirus lockdown, SMEs are leveraging networking platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram to stay connected to their customers. They are also utilising other technologies like Android apps and Kindle to get their work done. FanatiXx Publication, for instance, is using WhatsApp and live seminars among other things to engage with their writers. "We use WhatsApp groups, status, broadcasts and direct messages to make people aware about the various programs in order to engage with them," Bansal said adding that his company was also planning on "introducing BooksClub.in, and myauthorshub.com to engage more readers and writers. Providing free e-books with the help of Kindle, online sessions, and conducting live seminars and workshops over WhatsApp are some of the functions that we are striving to keep active at this time." SOAL founders Raj Desai, Pratik Agarwal and Varsha Bhambhani. (WhatsApp) ![image caption](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-245-140.png) SOAL founders Raj Desai, Pratik Agarwal and Varsha Bhambhani. (WhatsApp) While FanatiXx Publication has turned to e-books and WhatsApp in these testing times, Let's Learn Together is using some basic Android apps to record audio lessons bringing the studio into the homes of its faculty members. "As a solution, we modified our system and now use screen recorders (on Android phones) and headphones for audio support," the founders said. They are also using WhatsApp's business app for providing two to three sessions of lectures every day and for conducting "internal discussions and communication". Additionally, they are exploring concepts such as Flipped Classrooms to engage with their students. SOAL, on the other hand, has turned to Facebook and its services including WhatsApp and Instagram for connecting with their users. "Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram have been at the core of our communication strategy when it comes to reaching out to our audience...We have been able to conduct live webinars, interactions through WhatsApp video calls and other similar sessions using these platforms," team SOAL told HT Tech. Connecting with its audience via WhatsApp has helped the company grow. It has "witnessed 28% increase in time spent on the website through sessions initiated via WhatsApp". Light at the end of the tunnel The Covid-19 outbreak has disrupted the way businesses work. While it has proved to be a roadblock in some cases, it has also taught these enterprises to be more flexible with their work. Additionally, it has accelerated the adoption of other advanced technologies for some of these SMEs. SOAL, for instance, is already using Delta, a platform that brings together a bunch of different tech tools such as GitHub, Zoom, Slack, search engine functionality, Stackoverflow, virtual IDEs together. Let's Learn Together, on the other hand, is exploring other innovative technologies so that "teachers do not have to worry much about the technical details and can focus on helping students get correct and effective knowledge". Either way, whenever this lockdown ends and things limp back to normalcy, these SMEs, and the rest of us, will come out on the other side with new lessons learned. Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel. 08 Apr, 07:13 IST whatsapp instagram coronavirus ![HT Tech Awards](https://tech.hindustantimes.com/ht-tech-power-list-awards-2026/httech-awards-banner-new.webp) 71,589,383,560,676 NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Tips & Tricks ![Ghibli-style art](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/03/28/414x233/ChatGPT_Ghibli_style_images_1743161814450_1743161814596.jpg) ### How to turn your photos into Ghibli-style art with ChatGPT for free: Step-by-step guide ![How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/14/414x233/invites_1738728829564_1739543695649.png) ### How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide ![Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/13/414x233/unnamed_1739426557335_1739426567634.jpg) ### Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it ![Vodafone Idea OTT plans](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Vodafone Idea users can now stream 17 OTT apps with one subscription: Here's how ![Android data transfer methods](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to transfer data from one Android to another using Google backup, USB-C cable, and more ## Editor’s Pick ![iPhone 16e launched with A18 chip, Apple AI—bringing flagship power on a budget: Check specs, price](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 16e launched in India: All details about the new budget mobile from Apple ![DeepSeek was founded in China with only a fraction of the budget of the top AI companies in the US.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### DeepSeek AI: How it works, who’s behind it, how it’s different from ChatGPT, and its big US market impact explained ![iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on ![Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini ![iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update ## Trending Stories ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside keep up with tech ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ![Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-twitter.png) ![WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-whatsApp.png) ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ## Gaming ![Check out these five gaming monitors under ₹20,000,](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Top 5 gaming monitors under ₹20000 you should consider ![gaming consoles](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Grab gaming consoles at discounted rates during Amazon Great Indian Festival: Up to 72% off ![Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025 to bring Grimmsnarl family, Shiny Hatenna, and global challenges ![Shade Silver](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Shade Silver free on Steam for a limited time: Here’s how to get it ![Call of duty](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skips Switch 2 at launch, release date and price leak ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Trending News ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ## Trending Gadgets Mobiles Laptops Tablets ![HT Tech](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HT_tech-new.gif) - https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/life-during-the-lockdown-how-smes-are-using-technology-to-serve-their-customers-story-yoOi9ixPIS1HGaFhRezwBL.html