Kevin Grossman – MBA, Certified Business Advisor
The coronavirus impacts have been severe – finances, consumer confidence, and employee safety concerns are hit hard. What will post-covid19 look like for surviving companies? How critical is this question to surviving? Below are some key thoughts.
Communication is the key. At the end of the day, business is all about people – our relationships and communication. Without that, there’s no commerce. No sales. No business flow. Customers and employees are the lifeblood of any business. Thinking about what the world looks like to these two groups post covid is critical – to plan for, to adapt and implement.
Attitude is everything. Think of when you first started your business. You were hungry. You were motivated and motivating. It is up to the business owner to bring back that positive attitude in the midst of negativity and uncertainty. Create an environment of calm and pragmatically optimism in the midst of chaos. Re-imagine the the opportunity of a re-start. Out of adversity is the opportunity (and urgency) to rebuild.
Embrace the challenge!
Safety – hygiene especially – is a major concern. Can your customers do business without being scared? What is the new normal for “wet” signatures where e-signatures aren’t sufficient? Wiped shopping cart handles? Safely stocked products and produce? ATM keypads, elevator buttons, door handles? How will your employees feel safe, that they will not contaminate or be contaminated, or bring it home to their loved ones? Policies and procedures will have to be in place for customers and your team to feel (and be) safe, to feel comfortable.
Getting this right is critical to your recovery, your rebound.
We don’t know what the new normal will be. It will be some time before that is clear. In the meantime, you have a choice to adapt or not.
Be proactive. What does proactive look like? Of course, your business will have its own version of this. Think about your customer’s expectations and how you can meet their needs in this new time.
And, communicate, communicate, communicate.
Here are some examples of adaptations by businesses in our area:
- Restaurants are doing take-out that never thought about it before. Those that aren’t yet may be on their way totally out of business for good. Menus have been changed to provide items that travel well as take out. Attractive “plating” as a concept isn’t gone – but the presentation now requires thoughtful packaging. Is a brown paper bag okay for your style, or would you expect well designed, branded bags? Styrofoam or eco friendly biodegradable containers? A client of mine says it is adapt or die – that straight forward.
- Some professional service firms are providing new computers with appropriate security and tech support, as well as paying for gig data service at employees homes. It’s about tools and resources, to continue working reasonably efficiently. When they are allowed to come back to the office, what will that look like? Does production oversight look more like delivered output and team collaboration than office seat time going forward?
- Field service businesses are providing masks, gloves, sanitizing wipes, etc. to protect employees and reassure customers and clients. The work and workers are safe, both to and from them. Janitorial companies now all offer “deep cleaning” services – even if their customers may not know what they need or what that means. Smart services are proactively educating customers on cleanliness, products, procedures – a helpful value added communication approach.
- Retailers are looking at customer limits in their stores, sanitizing store and product surfaces, curbside delivery, and other customer and employee safety procedures. They are working quickly on developing or improving their online presence. And working to understand how to maintain and develop their customer base and loyalty in new (mostly digital) ways.
You can adapt too. Awareness. Training. Communicating. Adjusting to the new, evolving reality – for your continued success into this brave new world!