More than ever, independent businesses are struggling to continue to make a living amidst the pandemic lockdown as they are forced to find different ways to appeal to, interact with, and serve their clients and the world unimpeded by COVID restrictions.
Businesses are forced to learn how to communicate with clients in new ways as they are forced to stay home and stay safe, and employees are telecommuting and working from home, and jobs are shifting from in-house to online.
Unfortunately, if you thought the lockdown was temporary (remember, it was only going to be for a couple of weeks, then a couple of months, and now we are moving more toward a year), it turns out that the telecommuting business model is here to stay, so, if they are to have any hope of survival, must learn to adapt quickly, before suffering too much loss, leading to business failure, bankruptcy, never to return.
It is time to get creative and to take advantage of electronic forms of operating your businesses remotely and using all the tools which are being embraced by the survivors.
Businesses with less than 100 employees are at the highest risk and most likely not to survive attempted adaptations which would include new safety procedures, expanded revenue channels, alternative customer service methodologies, and delivery systems.
This leads to the growing majority of businesses to failure, yet others are surviving by evolving into the new normal of innovative operating businesses more remotely. How this will look following the pandemic, we have yet to see.
Millions of small businesses are fading to black, never to be seen again, due to being unable to persevere throughout the pandemic restrictions.
Of the survivors that have found ways to increase productivity and are enjoying even greater than pre-pandemic profits, what are they doing?
What are Businesses Doing to Thrive During the Pandemic?
Shifting to Online
Businesses are shifting from selling from showrooms to online marketplaces and live streaming sales. They are connecting to their customers via email and building relationships using every social media method possible.
Home Delivery
Delivering product or service directly to the homes of clients.
Empowering Staff
Empowering employees to expand their skillset and their value the organization by thinking outside the box and suggesting new solutions to problems as they arrive.
Evolving Business Models
Evolving the business model to adapt to new opportunities as they become available during the most challenging of times.
Remodeling
Remodeling retail, hospitality, and restaurant interiors to accommodate clientele and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Embrace Technology
Embracing emerging technologies that increase communication, relationship value, and maximizing revenue streams.
Adaptive Interaction
It also means changing the way line staff interact with clientele, especially if face-to-face communication was an important component of your business model pre-pandemic and keeping staff and customers safe during the process.
Telecommuting, telenetworking, and telesales are the new standard.
While the coronavirus pandemic caught so many businesses off-guard, the majority of those that will be left standing post-pandemic will no doubt be unfazed by any future similar challenge.