'Digital Transformation' Expands Across the Board… SKT Holds 'Online Customized' Briefing This Time

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] SK Telecom is accelerating its 'digital transformation' amid the accelerated untact (contactless) trend following the COVID-19 pandemic. As the first major domestic company to implement remote work for all employees and to live-stream its shareholders' meeting online, it has now also held a press conference online.

On the morning of the 20th, SK Telecom held a press conference announcing the first anniversary achievements of the 'AI Care Service' in collaboration with Yonsei University's Barun ICT Research Center via its YouTube channel. Unlike simply moving an offline event online, the conference was digitally transformed to fit online communication norms, which was a distinctive feature.

Unlike many companies that held online press conferences due to COVID-19 by merely live-streaming presentations in the same way as offline events, the presenter conducted the broadcast in front of a chroma key background like a professional YouTuber. Before the conference started, the AI speaker 'NUGU' even delivered the opening remarks. An SK Telecom official explained, “We focused on providing the presentation materials in a large format on the screen while showing the presenter in a smaller window at the bottom, optimizing the format for viewing on video platforms.”

The broadcasting method was also different. Breaking away from the fixed idea that 'online press conferences must be 100% live-streamed,' SK Telecom adopted a hybrid approach combining pre-produced video playback and live streaming. For important presentation segments where information delivery was critical, all filming and editing were completed in advance to enhance video quality and maximize communication effectiveness. Meanwhile, the Q&A session, where real-time interaction was essential, was conducted with the presenter answering questions received via chat in real time.

SK Telecom's efforts toward 'digital transformation' have been ongoing. At the end of February, as COVID-19 spread, it became the first major domestic company to implement remote work for all employees and established a permanent digital work system. SK Telecom's untact work solutions such as ‘T Phone Group Call,’ cloud PC ‘MyDesk,’ and collaboration tool ‘Teams’ played a significant role in ensuring uninterrupted communication services without work gaps.

On March 24, SK Telecom attracted attention as the first major domestic company to live-stream its shareholders' meeting online in real time. This allowed shareholders who avoided crowded places due to COVID-19 or who could not attend in person due to time and distance constraints to communicate with management via PC or mobile devices. While companies like Amazon, Starbucks, and Qualcomm held online shareholders' meetings overseas due to COVID-19, SK Telecom was the first major domestic company to receive pre-submitted shareholder questions and live-stream the shareholders' meeting online.

Additionally, it was the first in the telecommunications industry to introduce ‘untact recruitment.’ In early April, SK Telecom broadcast an online recruitment briefing called ‘T-Careers Cast’ on the SK Group YouTube channel, conducting real-time Q&A with applicants through live chat. An SK Telecom official said, “The shift to an ‘untact’ era accelerated by COVID-19 is an unstoppable trend,” adding, “We will actively combine advanced ICT technologies, infrastructure, and corporate culture to accelerate ‘digital transformation’ across all areas suitable for the ‘untact’ era.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.