Can a pandemic represent an opportunity to experiment new paths and new methodologies?
The answer is definitely YES; a YES based on the Webinar cycles we organized during the months of lockdown.

The lockdown was a tough time. For those who were able to organize themselves with WFH or Smart Working, the closure was not total.  In reality who suffered the most were the companies that, just like us, are directly involved in the production processes. In many cases, those producing companies had to stop working.  PASO, of course, did stop the production but remained open virtually, dedicating the lockdown weeks for training and information: we organized and hosted a cycle of Webinars under different formats and with different levels to respond to a large variety of needs.  Our webinars were adequately sized for different audiences for both domestic and international markets. We hosted webinars to train our partners to design our solutions and secure a better service pre-and post-sales. We carried webinars to introduce our company, our marketing strategy and our products and solutions portfolio. Other webinars were built to go deeply into our technologies with our partners. Besides, instead of opting for seminars on line dedicated large audiences, we proposed one-to-one meetings – strictly at a distance – which allowed us to keep strongly in contact with our European and international partners and distributors. While in lockdown we had the possibility to continue improving PASO brand awareness world widely and Paso markets knowledge.
Our Export Manager Hasna Nahdi summarizes this experience as follows: “Paso has many products within its range which require specific know-how.  That’s why we have always believed a lot in both theoretical seminars and practical workshops dedicated to a single product because this is a very important aspect to secure the best possible services after-sales.  During the lockdown, we proposed one-to-one webinars, very targeted, with specific content to meet the needs of the distributor; we hosted webinars with partners from various countries and continents so as Turkey, Colombia, Egypt, Thailand, Kenya, Morocco, Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan but also with European countries including Spain, Netherland  Portugal, Cyprus and Greece”.

Working in this way,  at distance, and not in presence?  What was it like?
HN – Surely, compared to live meetings, it is more difficult to feel and understand if the concepts exposed are well perceived by the audience; however,  there’s the advantage of being able to plan properly and easily the time, the day and the topics to be discussed.  Furthermore taking care of export markets worldwide, I am having the opportunity to interact with many customers in remote countries or destinations of difficult accesses normally: in this case, the lockdown “excuse” allowed me to “visit” them online more often than I would have been able to do in person. In short, COVID can also be an opportunity! As often happens, a lack of some kind leads to come up with new solutions to solve the problem. Meetings in presence can’t absolutely be replaced, but in the situation in which the whole world found itself, we could still reach everyone in this way.

How far the webinars dedicated to International Customers were different from those reserved to Domestic or Italian market?
HN – In Italy usually Webinars are addressed to large audiences and are dedicated to regulations, standards and new eventual decrees dedicated to safety rules into installations while those proposed during the lockdown to foreign distributors, were 1to1 and had for purpose to introduce “Paso world” or to go deeply into technical training on Paso products and solutions.

How were built those individual Webinars?
HN – We organized our webinars into different levels, dividing them mainly into two categories: Products and Themes. This allowed our partners to select the topics to deal with, according to their specific needs. We already plan successive cycles: our idea is to transfer our internal competencies to our local partners and allow them to represent PASO 100%, in perfect autonomy, within their respective markets.  The exchange is always bilateral: Paso is transferring its skills and competences with regards to its systems solutions and our partner is transferring to us progressively his own market knowledge. Let me emphasize with some pride that PASO has confirmed its participation to the most important international exhibitions planned during 2020 and postponed to 2021 due to this actual health emergency so as InfoComm Sea- to Securika Moscow.  It is right to be careful and try to keep safe these days, but we must also react and keep up working!