As we come to the end of a complex year full of uncertainties as a result of the health emergency caused by Covid-19, we would like to begin this article by thanking our thousands of users around the world. Because of your comments and concerns, as well as your constant and crucial feedback, you helped us to refocus our work in times full of restrictions and changes, allowing us to gain even more understanding about you and your requirements.
With our conviction to always complement and support our customers, today we can say that we are a strong team and brand, prepared to implement new processes that must be different and better. We are headed in that direction, without neglecting the people who trust us for help with their everyday needs such as studying, working or fulfilling a dream.
Expansion
Despite a totally adverse scenario amid the global economic downturn, Lazarillo knew how to reinvent the business model and consolidate work that had been planned for a long time. This translates, for example, into an expansion that has led us to establish new links and alliances with important international firms, focusing our attention on each user and their needs.
It is worth highlighting our successes, including agreements with banks in Latin America, together with various retail and e-commerce companies, adding new areas for health entities and a global expansion towards everything that promotes the inclusion of blind and visually impaired people when using Lazarillo.
At the same time, new challenges required us to adapt the application, understanding that people could no longer leave their homes and move with the same freedom due to required confinement, and realizing they would need better information. We created an innovative news section, in which we not only deliver accessible content about the Coronavirus and health measures but also offer a method for banks, businesses, public and private entities to provide a relevant and more useful service with information on prices and safety protocols.
The above service allowed us to connect our users in Colombia with Inci (National Institute of the Blind) and at the same time, we signed an alliance in Costa Rica with the National Council of People with Disabilities (Conapdis), urging both entities to use this new direct communication channel to transmit news to a greater number of people.
Digital accessibility
Another milestone that Lazarillo App reached in 2020 was the discovery of new digital tools, which we used to consolidate numerous projects. For example, we enabled an assisted purchasing service with Sodimac Chile that many people today can safely use to purchase and pay for their products, thanks to the training work we carried out with the sales team and which we hope to continue developing with other companies.
We implemented geolocation and interior navigation systems in BAC Credomatic branches for Central America, generated important links with partners in Spain and the United States, and trained new users on functions that have been added in the app. All this occurred thanks to the efforts of a team that knew how to conduct themselves with great professionalism and that at the end of this year can proudly say that they once again delivered.
However, nothing we have done would make sense without the trust that numerous companies, partners, and brands have placed in us, as well as public and private institutions who work for people with disabilities. But above all, we offer thanks to thousands of people who trust the work of a team whose main objective is to continue breaking down barriers to inclusion.
Our communication channels such as the Lazarillo website and social networks are available for your opinions and suggestions, but also to connect us with new organizations in the world who want to open their doors and reach more audiences, improving autonomy and quality of life for people with disabilities.
For this reason, if you are part of a public or private institution, or if you belong to a company interested in opening more inclusive doorways to reach more people, complete the form at the end of this post and we will be in touch.
In closing, we just want to wish you a very good 2021 and invite you to join this great challenge, creating new areas for participation and better opportunities through the commitment of each contributor, whose goals are none other than to build a truly inclusive world.
