10 ways to run your business operations remotely

March 2020

by Mari Krusten

communication manager at e-estonia briefing centreshare

The Covid-19 outbreak has created a situation where working from home is not just a thing for freelancers and digital nomads. More and more businesses regardless of size must find ways to continue their operations while workers practice social distancing and remain in self-quarantine. So how do businesses go about working remotely, managing their resources, collective tasks, or even ordering food?

Here’s a list of 10 services that lend a helping hand and provide a supportive ecosystem for running your business operations remotely and fully online.

Pipedrive
Focused on sales and customer management? Pipedrive is a platform for managing and maintaining new and existing clients – you guessed it, remotely. It’s a CRM that lets your sales team focus fully on leads and deals, while all the information is managed conveniently within one platform.

Scoro
Need to keep track of your financials, billing, resources and track your team’s tasks? Scoro offers an extensive platform for tracking progress and tasks, but also financial management, resource planning and project management. Great for keeping your business and teams on track while working from the comfort of your home offices.

Weekdone
When not only single teams, but whole businesses and organisations suddenly find themselves in remote offices, it’s easy to lose yourself in your tracksuit nevermind losing track of date, time and tasks. Weekdone helps hold the focus on team goals, by providing a platform to keep an eye on progress. It’s also more transparent this way with teams regardless of size fully included.

Xolo
This is the full package when it comes to remote business management. Xolo will register your business, take care of opening a bank account, manage invoicing and accounting. Plus, it’s a trusted partner to the Estonian e-residency programme as well. This way you can not only run your business remotely, but also never come into contact with mountains of bureaucracy.

Veriff
When people are fully invested in social distancing, working from home and moving their activities to online environments, the question of security is bound to pop up sooner or later. Veriff is essentially a service provider for trust – providing smart identity verification, making sure that you are indeed you and your customers are real people, not intelligent refrigerators.

Pactum
It’s one thing to optimise business processes to be effective location independently, but it’s a whole next level to have an AI run them for you altogether. Pactum provides an automatic negotiation platform for companies where contract details, terms and conditions will be ironed out by an AI on your behalf.

AlphaBlues
While we’re on the subject of harnessing the power of AI to do our work for us, why not let it take care of customer support as well? AlphaBlues provides businesses with conversational AI for virtual assistants and live chats. (They’ve also recently built a coronabot, currently available only in Estonian, that answers frequently asked questions about the virus.)

Starship
Feeling peckish, but don’t want to interact with people because there’s a pandemic going about? If you happen to live in one of the designated areas either in the US, UK or Mustamäe, Tallinn you can have your food delivered by a friendly neighbourhood autonomous delivery robot. No human contact required.

The final two items on the list are kind of related: e-residency and the e-Estonia ecosystem. By becoming an e-resident, you get access to the Estonian #digitalsociety, where 99% of government services are available online. Register your business online by using your electronic identity and digital signature, manage it remotely and forget you’ve ever heard the word bureaucracy.

Resouce: e-estonia

Estonia and 7 other Nordic countries to share their digital education solutions for free

March 2020

Estonia and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden have pooled their solutions together and are humbled to share all of their digital education tools to support other countries’ education systems during the Covid-19 crisis. The complete list of internationally-accessible solutions that have joined this initiative will be updated over time as new offers are made.

Estonia announced on Monday that the country will to support the international community with its digital education tools. Now, thanks to very positive feedback from other countries, a cross-regional initiative has begun to offer education solutions from the entire region for free to support the cause.

Schools in an increasing number of countries are being forced to close their doors, but this does not necessarily mean that learning needs to stop. Based on Estonia’s experience, education can successfully switch entirely online.

“As of today, 102 countries have closed schools and educational institutions impacting over 849 million children and youth (UNESCO monitoring). Tens of millions of additional learners will experience education disruption in the coming months. Now more than ever is the time to open up resources and share experiences to support the continuity of learning for all – and it is heartwarming to see many organizations, individuals, and countries are already doing just this. By spreading the learning solidarity as far and wide as we can, we will come out of the crisis as stronger learners empowered by digital technologies,” said Tiina Neuvonen, Thematic Lead in Education at the United Nations Technology Innovation Labs.

Märt Aro, co-founding member of the European EdTech Alliance, states that thanks to the Nordic’s general adoption of digital technologies in education, there are tools that can also be applied to support other countries’ distance learning. They are typically co-created between schools, universities, and companies. “A number of tools are prepared for international usage and the numerous companies developing them have also kindly agreed to support other countries in need. The aim of this initiative is to support distance learning and work in the education sector during this time of crisis. Many of the solutions also enable an increase in the social aspect of distance learning and do their best to motivate learners,” explained Aro.

“Technology is often seen as a tool for learning and teaching, but Estonian EdTEch companies have also contributed to high-quality and contemporary content creation,” said Birgit Lao, CEO of Innove. “Considering the vast diversity of different learning methodologies, the use of technology will help learners find the most suitable way to personalise their experience.” Innove also provides webinars on how to organise distance learning.

The co-founder of the Good Deed Education Fund and ride-hailing unicorn Bolt.eu Martin Villig noted Estonia’s general readiness that comes from a well-developed digital society:

“Estonia is globally known for its digital society and e-services, and thanks to the solutions, Estonia is somewhat better prepared for this crisis. I am humbled to see companies coming to support schools and universities this quickly and also organising free webinars to support educators in achieving the best possible results.”

We are also inviting all other countries to open up any resources they can to help minimise the impact of crises and to share expertise that could support other countries.

The initiative is supported by Startup Estonia and co-organized with the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, United Nations Technology Innovation Lab, Estonian Union of Educational Technologists, Good Deed Education Fund, Innove, HITSA, and Education Nation.

More information:

Birgit Lao
Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Innove
+372 735 0594
birgit.lao@innove.ee

Märt Aro
Co-Founder, DreamApply.com
Chairman of the Board, Nordic EdTech Forum – N8
Co-Founder, European EdTech Alliance
+372 53415761
mart.aro@dreamapply.com

Laura Limperk-Kütaru
Acting Head of Department
European Union and International Cooperation Department
Estonian Ministry of Education and Research
+372 7354078
laura.limperk-kutaru@hm.ee

Resouce: e-estonia

Xolo: exemplifying remote work and legal innovation

March 2020

by Tina Allen Kolessar

Xolo, formerly known as LeapIN, provides a supporting platform to millions of freelancers, contractors and digital nomads around the world to manage their business hassle-free, location-independent and fully online. We spoke to  Xolo CEO Allan Martinson on how the company empowers independent work while collaborating with the Estonian e-residency programme as a trusted partner.

In a time when the way we work has already changed considerably and there is growing need to work location-independently and fully remotely, a digital support network is necessary for more and more people around the world. Xolo not only exemplifies digitalisation, but also legal innovation, relying on the well-functioning Estonian e-governance ecosystem.

How do you see the company changing after taking over as CEO, and how do you see yourself creating that change?

First of all, Xolo had a great team and lots of momentum already when I joined in October 2018 — otherwise, I would not have done this :-). Since then, we have had some remarkable achievements that built on top of the earlier success. We raised €6M in new capital, launched our innovative “virtual company” product, grew headcount two times, brought in several key executives, and rebranded from LeapIN to Xolo. While doing this, however, we did not change the underlying company culture of caring about each other and our customers.

What do you view as the 3 most valuable accomplishments of Xolo?

First, becoming the absolute leader in serving the Estonian e-residency ecosystem — we help about 35% of all e-resident companies.
Second, building a community of more than 30,000 solopreneurs and freelancers and getting rave reviews from them for our customer service, platform and professionalism. And third, innovating not only through developing new technologies but also through legal innovation — there are not so many companies doing that actually.

What is Xolo’s competitive advantage?

We are the only company that provides solopreneurs, freelancers and digital nomads globally with everything they need: a legal entity, a banking service, a self-service web software for managing the business, and full accounting and government reporting service on the background. If you are a modern, international solopreneur, you would not need anything else.

There is no other company that provides such a fully integrated service.

How do you work with e-residency? And where would you run your business if Estonia didn’t offer digital services?

E-residency for us is more than just a partner. It is absolutely essential for the majority of our business, and, in turn, we are a crucial part of the e-residency ecosystem. Many people think e-residency is only about digital identity provided by the Estonian government. Actually, it is much more. It is a fully digital e-government platform; it is the policy that allows the private companies easy-to-use customer interfaces to the government services; it is a simple tax system and transparent business environment.

Of course, we have been looking for another such country like the humankind is looking for “the Second Earth”. Interesting things are happening in the UK, Singapore, Dubai, and in some other places. But not a single other country has the same set of conditions as we have in Estonia.

What do you think will be the next technology to disrupt the way we work and do business?

Interestingly, I do not think it’s the new technology that we are missing. Slow-moving institutions date back decades or even centuries, while the modern workplace has evolved thanks to technology.

The most important thing right now is to disrupt the governments, and legal and tax systems.

What we need is governments to start thinking about themselves as platforms that are providing services. We need the outdated tax codes to be simplified, company formations to become faster, etc. For example, it may take many weeks or even months to get a business up and going in many Western European countries; the tax code can easily be tens of thousands of pages long, and so on.

What books are on your nightstand?

I am an avid e-book reader, so there is just one device with hundreds of books downloaded. Usually, I have one sci-fi, one historical and one business book in progress at any time.

Resource: e-estonia

Covid-19 is likely to change the future of learning. In Estonia, this is old news

March 2020

by Peeter Vihma

sociologist, filmmaker & author

The world is in a turmoil. On Monday, I was given notice that face-to-face courses at Cornell University would be suspended sometime after the spring break. On Friday, the campus was already locked down and I was ordered to stay at home. All learning would continue online. Although I cannot even predict what will be happening with our lives when this article is published, all signs predict that online education will get a serious boost after our lives return to normality. This will definitely offer new opportunities, efficiency, and safety from virus, but digitalisation has areas of caution that will need additional attention.

Estonia set itself the goal of digitalising all educational materials already in 2015 . In December we wrote about the current steps taken by the Ministry of Education to further boost online learning and preserve Estonia’s number 1 position in PISA test results. In Estonia, promising and functional digital education start-ups spring like mushrooms after refreshing rain. Tallinn-based Drops, voted Google’s Best App in 2018, and Lingvist, available already since 2014, boost language learning skills by adjusting to the learner. Guaana and Clanbeat help individuals and organizations in innovation, research and personal growth. Dreamapply makes applying to Estonian universities pleasant as a dream…

The examples show that both in secondary or extra-curricular education digitalisation is already in full swing. The next field where the virus will most probably force a wave of digitalisation in, is higher education. Although top universities in the world are already offering online courses, lockdown has forced universities to quickly come up with solutions how to continue keeping students engaged. They are under considerable pressure. On one hand, they have competitors like Coursera, that has given open access to its courses under these extraordinary circumstances and is offering free online courses for any college or university impacted by Covid-19. On the other hand, the pressure by students who pay up to 60 000 USD per year for getting their money’s worth, mounts. Still there are several issues that have not yet been addressed and it will become evident that good online education is easier said than done.

How Estonia compares to the US in access to digital education

First, students at Cornell and at almost all universities in US and elsewhere were forced to leave campuses and go home. USA is notorious for its lack of competition in the internet-provider market and hence, not every home has high-speed internet. Low-income families are the more likely the ones that may lose connection during a MOOC or at exams. Hence inequality is likely to increase if internet and computer access is not addressed.

Second, online lessons are actually quite tricky to compile. It often takes years to develop a clear enough and engaging course that would be able to substitute face-to-face encounter. An online course I built during my 7 year experience as a lecturer at Tallinn University definitely taught me that even great teachers and professors often lack the immediate capacity to do so. Now, teachers are required to set them up hastily. Meanwhile, the University of Tartu in Estonia switched to remote teaching in just one day, mainly thanks to already using digital learning aids in their lectures.

Most significantly, though, online learning is significantly easier in technical subjects than in areas that require creativity. Although AI can already help teaching adapt to different needs (level of knowledge, language etc) and, similarly, creates individual feedback to students, it is still in its infancy in comprehending the subject matter and detecting new ideas. Human tutoring – having a teacher – who motivates, inspires and supports advancing independent thinking is still indispensable. However, it is crucial that in times like these, human tutoring can be faciliated through online and digital means that are equally accessible to everyone.

Learn more about remote learning solutions from Estonia, that are currently available for free.

Resouce: e-estonia.com

What happens to a fully digitalised society during a pandemic lock-down?

March 2020

by Mari Krusten

communication manager at e-estonia briefing centre

The Covid-19 pandemic is sweeping across the world and Estonia is not exempt from the effects of this. The government declared a state of emergency on March 13, with schools and universities closed and switching to remote teaching, access to entertainment services limited and, most recently, borders closed, too. In most cases when the whole country is advised to stay indoors and avoid contact with other people, such a scenario would also severely limit access to vital services (ie refilling medical prescriptions) or completely halt any normal functioning.

Not the case in Estonia, however

On the same day the Government announced the emergency, only a few hours later a hackathon to “hack the crisis” was announced. Naturally, it took place fully online, with teams looking to solve Covid-19 related crises in 48 hours. It’s a great example of being agile, reacting quickly and adapting to the situation. Perhaps surprisingly, another institution to react the same day was the Church by moving to broadcast sermons online.

The essentials

People like to joke that Estonians would rather not interact with other people, which is why the whole country is digitalised. However, when human contact can be dangerous, it comes in incredibly handy to have 99 % of government services available online. So while we enter full lock-down thanks to Covid-19 and have to make do without convenience services like cinemas, spas and theatres, the state is still fully functional. Of course, the first requirement to that is to have proper infrastructure in place and in Estonia 90% of households have a broadband connection.

Digital support network

Having a well-established digital support system helps to quickly and flexibly rearrange working, if possible, and education to be done remotely. For example, schools have switched to remote teaching as of March 16, however, this is thanks to already having digitalised study materials in place – 87 % of schools have already been using some type of e-solutions.

The government can rely on paperless e-cabinet to continue work online, using their electronic identity for that. Similarly, thanks to electronic identity combined with services like the Business Register, e-Tax environment or online banking, doing business need not stop either. Granted, now might not be the best time to establish a company, however, all these services can be used remotely and without actually visiting an office.

Healthcare and social affairs

Digital services in healthcare are crucial in times like these. For, example, thanks to digital health records and e-prescription, you don’t need to visit a doctors office to refill a prescription, limiting unnecessary contact between doctors and patients. More recently, an Estonian company developed a solution within two days in collaboration with the digital patient portal that will allow people temporarily to start their own sick leave digitally – so far it was initiated by the doctor after a call or a meeting with the patient.

Luckily, benefits and allowances are also not dependent on applications on paper. They can be applied for digitally and in some cases – like family benefits – they’re even triggered automatically by certain life events like the birth of a child.

In a time of confusion and emergency a functioning digital society acts as a constant – it helps keep a certain level of normalcy and retain some of our every day routines. We’ll also be going live on Facebook on March 19 to talk about this further, join us for a discussion or just to pass the time while under quarantine.

Resouse: e-estonia.com