My suspicion is that we are going to see more and more companies attempting to go low touch. Online will become an even more valued way to do business. And that only makes sense, in a world which must deal with a highly contagious disease.

But while its easy to see how a company might become more low touch it its clients are mainly retail, after all individual customers are already used to placing their orders over the internet.

The low touch issue is much more difficult for companies whose clients are large institutions. The so called “B” to “B” business model. In these types of sales, the process is often protracted, with extensive back and forth negotiations. Traditionally these types of sales are made through in-person visits, aided by large company wide client conferences. In other words, this is the highest of high touch selling, and the Novel Coronavirus is presenting one of the greatest challenges ever to this type of business.