It was shocking, to say the least, what executive Tallis Gomes said about remote work some time ago: "(...) it's impossible to build anything in this model. Don't be a hostage to lazy people who want to lounge around at home." Unfortunately, thoughts like these reflect a significant prejudice that the market still carries. For those who perform their activities this way, it is common to hear jokes implying that we do nothing or that we are professional procrastinators. Anyone who thinks that is mistaken, and I will prove to you why.

A first point to consider is how well remote work benefits people.Study conducted by the University of São Paulo and FIA Business SchoolIt points out that 94% of professionals who perform their activities this way say that their quality of life has improved. This happens because some obstacles come from outside, such as long commuting hours from home to the company, a very harsh reality especially in companies located in large cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Balance and quality of life do not mean "idleness" but rather motivation.

Furthermore, working directly from home also allows for more time with family, promoting greater autonomy to balance professional and personal lives. For this reason, working without physical fatigue and having more time to dedicate to personal projects, employees end up more motivated and willing to give their best at the company. And as concluded oneresearch carried out by the consultancy Right Management, after consulting 30 thousand people from 15 countries, motivated people produce 50% more.

And this is also corroborated by companies, since astudy carried out by EY,showed that 74% of employers also noticed greater efficiency in recent years. Furthermore, Brazil is one of the leaders in the global turnover rate.with data from the General Registry of Employed and Unemployed Persons (CAGED)indicating that the national rate reaches 56%. With the adoption of remote work, this number is likely to plummet.since a survey by Robert Halfshows that 80% of Brazilians specifically desire a better balance between personal and professional life to feel happier in their careers.

DData from the Latin America Digital Transformation ReportThey point out that companies adopting remote work see a 41% increase in productivity compared to those that barely allow activities at home. This happens because, at home, people tend to work more, which benefits the companies. This is what a study by the National Department of Economic Research in the United States shows, which confirmed that employees who perform their duties from home end up working, on average, 48 minutes more.

Another point worth bringing to the discussion is the issue of diversity and the increase in employment opportunities for people living far from major urban centers. When in-person work was still the norm, a company in São Paulo, for example, only employed staff who lived in the same city due to logistical reasons. With remote work, people from distant regions have equal opportunities to work in large companies without having to face an unplanned move to a different city.

With this, the exchange of ideas between people from different regions of Brazil increases, enabling access to diverse cultures that, in addition, contribute to making the corporate environment more inclusive. According to aMcKinsey surveyShows that diverse teams ethnically, regionally, and culturally have 33% more chance of achieving better results, precisely because they increase the company's creativity and problem-solving capacity. Mainly in technology, diverse teams bring more innovation and disruption.

Regarding organizational culture, which many claim is impossible to build in remote work, I also disagree. Impulse is the greatest example of this. We were born 14 years ago and have always been 100% remote. We have a very strong culture based on freedom with responsibility. Yes, it is possible to build culture remotely as long as remote is the culture.

Opposing remote work is a step backward. Leaders, like Tallis Gomes, apply the model they believe to be the best for their businesses, but this does not mean that remote work doesn't work. It is more than proven that it works. I have almost 2 years of pandemic. We often tend to blame the "what" and not the "how". The drop in productivity while the company was operating remotely also does not mean that the model is bad. Meta itself shows us this.

Mark Zuckerberg, in September 2023,announced that Meta employees would have to say goodbye to home officeto return to the office. What did he/she claim? Productivity problems, claiming that 2024 would be the "Year of Efficiency". Now, in January of this year, the executive goes public again, this time to announce that the tech giant will probablythe biggest wave of mass layoffs in its historyAlmost 4,000 employees will be laid off. Practically 5% of your global workforce. And what is the justification given? "Want performance." In other words, the problem was not the remote.

The problem is usually in management. It is necessary to understand that different models require different management formats. The biggest mistake is trying to apply the same management approach used in in-person team management to the remote model. Routines, processes, workflows, communication, and even tooling must be different. The impulse did not go from zero to more than R$50 million in revenue despite remote work, but rather because of strong management and culture provided precisely by remote work.

Even after so many years since the implementation of the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) in Brazil, many companies continue to violate the regulation. The LGPD, which came into effect in September 2020, was created with the aim of protecting the personal data of Brazilian citizens, establishing clear rules on how companies should collect, store, and process this information. However, despite the elapsed time, many companies have made little progress in implementing the standard.

Recently, the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has intensified oversight of companies that do not have a Data Protection Officer (DPO). The lack of a DPO is one of the main violations identified, as this professional is essential to ensure that the company complies with the LGPD. The DPO acts as an intermediary between the company, data subjects, and the ANPD, being responsible for monitoring compliance with data protection policies and guiding the organization on best practices.

And these data may be just the "tip of the iceberg". In reality, no one knows the number of companies that have not yet adopted the standard. There is no single official survey that consolidates the exact numbers of all companies not compliant with LGPD. Independent research indicates that, in general, the percentage may vary between 60% and 70% of Brazilian companies, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises. In the case of the large ones, the number is even higher, reaching up to 80%.  

Why the lack of a DPO makes a difference

In 2024, Brazil likely surpassed 700 million cybercriminal attacks. It is estimated that nearly 1,400 scams occur per minute, and of course, companies are the main targets of criminals. Crimes like ransomware – in which data often becomes "hostage" and, to prevent it from being published online, companies have to pay a huge sum of money – have become commonplace. But how long will the system – the victims and the insurers – endure such a volume of attacks?

There is no way to answer this question appropriately, especially when the victims themselves fail to take the necessary actions to protect the information. The lack of a professional focused on data protection or, in some situations, when the supposed person responsible for the area accumulates so many functions that they cannot perform this activity satisfactorily, worsens this situation even more.  

Of course, appointing a person in charge alone does not solve all compliance challenges, but it shows that the company is committed to establishing a set of practices consistent with the LGPD. However, this lack of prioritization not only reflects in the possibility of sanctions but also in real security incident risks, which will cause considerable damage. The fines imposed by the ANPD are only part of the problem, as intangible losses, such as market trust, can be even more painful. In this context, more intense oversight is seen as a necessary action to strengthen compliance mechanisms and encourage organizations to prioritize the privacy of data subjects.  

Hire a DPO or outsource?

Hiring a full-time DPO can be a complicated task, as there is not always the demand or interest in allocating internal resources for this need.

In this sense, outsourcing has been pointed out as a solution for companies that want to comply with the legislation effectively but do not have a large structure or resources to maintain a multidisciplinary team focused on data protection. When resorting to a specialized service provider, the company gains access to professionals with more experience in handling LGPD requirements across different market sectors. Furthermore, with an external responsible party, the company begins to see data protection as an integral part of its strategy, rather than a one-time issue that only receives attention when a notification arrives or when a leak occurs.  

This contributes to the creation of robust processes without the need for a substantial investment in recruitment, training, and talent retention. The outsourcing of the data officer goes beyond simply appointing an external person. The provider typically offers ongoing consulting, performing risk mapping and analysis activities, assisting in the development of internal policies, conducting training for teams, and monitoring the evolution of legislation and ANPD regulations.  

Additionally, there is the advantage of having a team with practical experience, which reduces the learning curve and helps prevent incidents that could result in fines or damage to reputation.  

How far does the outsourced DPO's responsibility go?

It is important to emphasize that outsourcing does not exempt the organization from its legal responsibilities. The idea is that the company maintains its commitment to ensuring the security of the data it collects and processes, as Brazilian legislation makes it clear that responsibility for incidents does not fall solely on the data controller, but on the institution as a whole.

What outsourcing does is provide specialized support that understands the necessary steps to keep the organization in line with the LGPD. The practice of delegating this type of task to an external partner is already adopted in other countries, where data protection has become a critical point of risk management and corporate governance. The European Union, for example, with the General Data Protection Regulation, requires many companies to appoint a data protection officer. There, several companies opted for outsourcing the service by hiring specialized consulting firms, bringing theexpertise for "inside the house," without needing to create an entire department for it.  

The person in charge, according to legislation, must have autonomy to report failures and propose improvements, and international guidelines suggest that the professional should be free from internal pressures that limit their oversight capacity. Consulting firms that offer this service develop contracts and work methodologies that ensure this type of independence, maintaining transparent communication with managers and establishing clear governance criteria.  

This mechanism protects both the company and the professional themselves, who need the freedom to report vulnerabilities even if it goes against established practices within a certain sector or department.  

The intensification of ANPD's oversight is a sign that the tolerance landscape is giving way to a firmer stance, and those who choose not to address this issue now may face heavier consequences in the not-too-distant future.  

For companies seeking a safer path, outsourcing is a choice capable of balancing cost, efficiency, and reliability. With this type of partnership, it is possible to address gaps in the internal environment and establish a compliance routine that will protect the company from sanctions as well as risks associated with lack of transparency and security regarding the personal data under its responsibility.

Previously more reactive during consumer relations, now customers tend to set the rules alongside companies.A study by McKinsey & Company showedfor example, 71% of users expect personalized interactions from companies, with 76% feeling frustrated when this does not happen. In addition to that,rise from Accenturepoints out that 91% of consumers are more likely to buy from those who make relevant offers and recommendations that match their tastes.

For this reason, companies from various sectors have been investing in continuously improving the consumer journey on their platforms. Generally, this path is divided into the stages: awareness, consideration, decision, and purchase. By thoroughly understanding each topic, in addition to offering customized solutions that fit the daily lives of their target audience, these companies are able to better understand the channel and the most appropriate moment to do so, thereby fostering customer loyalty. To give you an idea,Boston Consulting Group studyshows that leading companies in Customer Experience (CX) grow 190% more than the average.

However, some misunderstandings are still made during this process. This can lead to losses and the loss of important clients who do not feel respected or represented by a particular brand. This is proven by the researchManager's Yearbook: CX Trends 2024, which shows that 58% of consumers abandon a brand after a negative experience.

Therefore, in order to educate Brazilian companies to have a perfect and noise-free consumer journey, below are the main mistakes to be avoided during this stage:

• Fragmented approach

Many companies often deal with various suppliers and contracts in managing the customer journey. Taking players who offer financial services as an example, there are valuable processes such as KYC (Know Your Customer), credit analysis, and even income estimates and predictive assessments.

However, in some cases, this large set of information becomes very fragmented and makes the work inefficient, as relevant data may be stored in different systems, which leads to rework and hinders the development of more accurate insights. Furthermore, the use of multiple platforms results in a very high cost for the business.

Here, the most important tip is to try to centralize everything, preferably by hiring a unified solution that integrates all these capabilities into a single platform. Thus, the player saves time and resources, gaining easier access to relevant information, which optimizes their strategy.

• Lack of updated customer information

To maintain a close relationship with the customer, it is important to stay always updated on relevant aspects of their life, such as the most used channels for shopping, most accessed products, favorite payment methods, most effective contact methods, etc.

However, most Brazilian companies still do not invest in obtaining this information, which results in attitudes that drive away their users, such as making contact at bad times, offering products that have nothing to do with their tastes, contacting the customer through a channel they are not familiar with, lack of a history of interactions, etc.

Connect Shopper SurveyIt points out that only four out of ten retailers actually know their customer. The same study also indicates that around R$ 12 billion are lost due to incorrect offers, with less than 25% of these companies having any basis to invest in targeted strategies.

To heal this pain, there are currently Artificial Intelligence solutions on the market that, combined with data analysis, provide relevant information for the players. Now, it is possible to go a little beyond the traditional, mapping multichannel interactions, online behavior, tax records, profession, and even relationships with competitors.

• Not adopting an omnichannel strategy

A survey by Opinion Boxshows that 90% of consumers expect companies to have a multi-channel sales strategy, with 77% of them already having purchased goods through different channels. Furthermore,a survey by Deloitteshows that customers who move between the same player's different points of contact tend to spend 82% more than those who limit themselves to just one.

In this way, not investing in an omnichannel strategy can be detrimental to the business, causing potential customers to turn away from the brand because they feel undervalued by it. By integrating communication across multiple channels, companies increase user satisfaction and, additionally, offer a more personalized shopping experience, avoiding misunderstandings and promoting greater loyalty.

Just for context, aMcKinsey & Company surveyshows that companies that invest in omnichannel have a 10% increase in market share.

At first glance, it may seem obvious that having well-structured marketing helps companies in general to achieve more significant results. After all, this is the company's department responsible for bringing the company closer to its consumer audience, whoever they may be. Sure, the premise is valid in the case of e-commerce.

It is essential that the teams responsible for online store marketing understand consumers' expectations during each period of the year to prepare targeted actions for the occasion. If online stores do not make a prior move to plan and prepare the e-commerce structure to avoid missing out on valuable sales opportunities, the chances of achieving outstanding results only decrease.

It may seem absurd, but there are still cases of stores that lose sales and the chance to attract customers simply due to a lack of structure and lack of investment in automation tools, which are essential in today's market, where competition and the fight for a customer are extremely high!

Having a platform that automates the online store's marketing can help e-commerce increase sales volume by up to 50%. In other words, this is an investment that effectively delivers results and makes a difference when it comes to boosting sales regardless of the time of year.

By adding new technologies to the operation of the online store, in addition to saving time, the store owner also achieves greater effectiveness and assertiveness in communication, without failing to give his own identity and personality to the messages sent to customers at the most diverse moments of purchase – or of giving up on the acquisition of the desired products.

Of course, these marketing automation tools need to be used strategically. A situation where technology application is effective involves recovering that customer who fills their virtual cart but, for some reason, does not complete the purchase. For these situations, a good strategy is to adopt an abandoned cart recovery tool, which allows you to contact the customer via a previously registered email, sending a reminder of the items already set aside and even encouraging the completion of the purchase with a discount coupon, free shipping, or another special offer.

In the case of the customer who did not even add items to their shopping cart, the recommendation is to use tools that automatically identify and monitor the browsing flow of online store consumers. These solutions identify the item of interest and initiate a marketing automation journey, through which products are suggested to that customer via email, SMS, WhatsApp, and other channels.

Other interesting results can be achieved with the use of tools that generate triggers for purchases and technologies that enable the repurchase of recurring use products. The first presents customized content to the consumer, based on their previous interests. The second, in turn, estimates the average time for the consumption of each product, based on the time interval between purchases of the same item by a series of customers, in addition to algorithms.

Evaluate these options and, if possible, implement them into the digital retail routine. This can bring significant gains and make a total difference in the performance your e-commerce will achieve during this year. Think about it!