In reopening your business, it’s important to ensure the safety of everyone involved, both employees and customers, and keep your visitors happy and and coming back.
The best words I’ve heard spoken on the subject of re-opening was from Zachery, the Manager of Bourbon Coffee in Cambridge. Bourbon Coffee is a play on words, probably to appeal to students at the Leslie University next door. It is named after a type of coffee called Bourbon pronounced (boar) (bun) which is grown in Rwanda and other locations around the world.
He said, “It is important to show compassion and understanding for each and every customer and keep them happy. They have been through so much with coronavirus; being isolated in their homes for months, many losing their jobs and not knowing where the rent money is going to come from.
Be sure to follow the instructions issued from the CDC as well as your state and local governents. Have coronavirus directions clearly posted in your store and make sure visitors wear face masks and follow traffic flow patterns. Customers tend to take the suggestion better when they are printed on a sign, rather than having an employ tell them what to do.
Our modern society has become a “touch society”. Everything from cashiers and bag people handling merchandise to the ubiquitous “bath room” key require touching and are a way to spread COVID19. Train your employees on how they can make contact safer for themselves and for customers, such as wiping down surfaces such as tables and counters, with antibacterial spay, touching merchandise, dishes and silverware as little as possible.
Creative Business Solutions Will Skyrocket Your Profits
Ask yourself, “What is the best venue for me right now? Reopening a physical location? Opening online? Both? Doing business online is in our future. Why not use this as an an opportunity to take a giant leap forward and prepare for that future.
Be aware of creative solutions and new ways of doing business, Perhaps as a restaurant you found that your customers like the option of curbside pickup or home delivery. They might even like meals served in their homes for special occasions.
If you’re a beautician, perhaps your customers like Zoom or Skype consultations on cutting their own hair. Personal trainers and gyms may find a market for in-home exercising and classes. Pamela Reif’s work-outs on You Tube have six to nine million followers. At 24 years old, I’m sure she is well on her way to becoming a millionaire.
Consultants may find that they can offer their online services worldwide, nearly as easily as in-person. An English Landscaping Consultant went online with his customers instead of visiting them in their homes. His customers would use their cellphone cameras to show him their gardens, and he would advise them through Zoom on improvements.
Be sensitive to your customers wants and needs. Most likely your customers have missed your products/services and are glad to return. If you’ve made major changes to the way you do business, stand in their shoes and consider what they’ll want. Ask yourself and your visitors if they will be happy with the new procedures. Will they be pleased with a bossy clerk at the door watching their every move and repeatedly telling them to follow the rules and stand in line 6 feet apart? Will they be satisfied waiting outside the door for up to 30 minutes to gain entry one-by-one, or to stand outside and tell you what they want and have you make the selections for them? Will they still want to shop when a portion of the store’s products are taped off, so they can’t enter the area or buy them?
Be aware of what your competition is doing. Are they making a move to gain market share? In Boston for example, many of the large chain restaurants and coffee houses such as Bon Pain and Pret A Manager have closed their doors, while a few newer companies to the area, are opening branches and gaining customer loyalty.
In the banking and transportation industry, the reverse is true: the long established companies are promoting their business and reclaiming market share. Often the best time to increase, expand or advertise into a new area is during a cutback or recession.
You might also consider if you are going overboard with protecting against Coronavirus, solely out of fear. If your competitor’s restaurant legally allows indoor seating with social distancing, while you don’t, will you loose customers with only curbside service?
Manage and train your employees. They may be required to work remotely, work with less supervision, or to even manage a branch office on their own. Follow their work flow and make sure they are doing their jobs efficiently and effectively. You don’t want your staff doing what those in a few well known department stores were engaged in one Sunday morning when I went in to buy a new computer and phone. Nearly all of them were on their cell phones and would only answer my questions when they had finished the particular communications they were engaged in. The lady at the door dispensing anti-bacterial liquid pointed to the ceiling when I asked her where the electronics department was, not taking her eyes off of her device.
Many employees right now seem lost and don’t know what to do. They are not use to working independently and have not been trained to think and act on their own. Please watch this video from Simon Sinek, a top management consultant to companies and corporations on “Managing with Empathy”. He’s got the solution!
Let’s be positive and pursue the opportunities that are generated from COVID19: becoming aware of and promoting health within our companies and for our customers, taking giants step into the future through Ecommerce and an online presence, and being open to new and creative ways of doing business.
The keys to reopening success then are to focus on everyone’s health, managing and training employees to work with less supervision, and paying attention to the needs and wants of your customers, so that they will be satisfied with your service and continue to return.
