The pandemic has been a part of our life for ten months now. A vaccine provides a light at the end of the tunnel, but numbers continue to rise, and we are far from being done with this thing.
The world has changed drastically. So has customer behaviour. People are turning to the web for goods and services. This digital way of serving and interacting with our customers has created an expectation that we didn’t have before. The internet doesn’t run on regular business hours, and so, customers now expect support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Being able to offer that kind of support is one of the tools you can use to lead your business through the crisis. Here are some other tools for guiding your company through the Coronavirus pandemic:
If you don’t have one yet, put together a business continuity plan
Having a well-thought-out plan for the best and worst-case scenarios is essential for surviving a crisis. It aids with decision making when things change suddenly. A plan helps everyone on your team know what they are supposed to do if and when things change. Most importantly, your business continuity plan will protect the health and safety of your staff and customers.
The team at CommAlert has built this Pandemic Response Plan template for organizations, and you can download it free of charge.
If your plan changes based on new information regarding the pandemic, make sure you’re getting it from an accurate source. Hearing a change to restrictions or the pandemic on the local news can give you the heads up, but make sure you get the details from your provincial government’s COVID-19 website.
Provide customers with timely and accurate updates as it pertains to the pandemic
Public health guidelines and restrictions can change in an instant. That means your processes must change with them in many cases. Ensuring your customers are aware of any new changes to your service, goods, or processes is essential.
If you’re required to make appointments for foot-traffic, it should be clear on your website, automated greeting, and physical location. Better yet, send a mass email to your client base and an announcement on your social media channels to alert everyone of any changes. Make things as simple and convenient for customers to continue to support your business.
Offer round-the-clock support and streamline business processes by outsourcing
Some business leaders don’t know this, but a call centre can be outsourced to manage various business processes. We can offer the 24/7 customer service customers require because of the pandemic. Our team can find solutions for handling calls, scheduling appointments, managing staff rosters, administrative tasks, mass notifications, and other virtual assistant services.
We are a locally owned and operated business with team members living right in your community. We genuinely want to see your business succeed during these uncertain times. It takes a quick call to set things up, and we can start finding ways to save money and time on some of those processes.
Have questions? Give us a call.
