The pandemic’s hit everyone’s lives both on professional and personal fronts.

We all know Covid-19’s not going anywhere anytime soon, so the need of the hour is to adapt to the new normal as quickly as you can.

In this short read, we’ll talk about useful and effective ways to pandemic-proof your business and how you can protect it from getting battered.

Pivot, don’t pause is the mantra to remember during these times.

To sail through this troubled environment, you’ll need to turn business challenges into solutions in the following ways:

1. Pivot your business

This, of course, comes foremost.

So, if you’ve witnessed falling demand for your products and services then try and come up with something else that you can manufacture/ sell using the same raw materials or resources.

Thanks to the on-going crisis, high-end clothing manufacturers are now producing masks, bakeries have resorted to conducting online baking classes and even teachers are capitalizing on their skills and knowledge by writing e-books for students who wish to learn online!

2. Turn to e-commerce

More than anything else, today consumers want to shop for what they want from the safety of their homes.

Make sure you put in place systems that allow customers to make purchases online – you could sell products on your own website, or through online platforms like Amazon or Etsy.

A great idea is to facilitate home delivery of products – perhaps the customer could place an order over the phone which you could deliver to their place.

Whatever measures you take in this regard, make sure you communicate the same to customers via multiple channels such as your social media platforms, emails, SMS, etc. so that they know exactly what you have to offer.

3. Encourage remote working for employees

Depending on the type of business you own, it may be possible for you to allow part or majority of your employees to work from home.

These days, a large number of web-conferencing (say Webex and Skype) and collaboration (for example Trello and Asana) tools are available that make it very easy for individuals to work together on the same project from various locations.

Sure, it may require a bit of extra effort in the beginning – for example, you may have to arrange for necessary equipment, have it delivered, etc, but in the end, it’s worth it.

4. Prepare your workplace

Anyone who visits your workplace – be it a customer or an employee, should be encouraged to follow the best possible safety standards as far as sanitization and social distancing are concerned.

So, if you own a brick-and-mortar store, then you could put a limit on the number of customers that could be in the store at any given moment, place sanitizers throughout the store at strategic locations, rearrange the furniture to encourage social distancing, etc.

As far as employees are concerned, have them come into work on a rotation basis.

If working from home, try and have informal chats at regular intervals to make sure they are doing fine.

After all, it’s only when your employees are happy that you can expect your business to do well.

5. Communicate with customers

It’s important to get to know more about your customers during this time – for example, what kind of problems they are facing, the products/ solutions they are looking for, whether their budgets have been affected by the pandemic or not, how they are dealing with the virus, etc.

This information would help you understand how you can best serve your customers and retain your clientele.

A good way to get all these details is to create surveys through tools such as Google Forms or Survey Monkey.

Try and come up with innovative offers that would encourage people to buy from you – for example, you could offer gift cards, discounts, or any other deal that your customers would find appealing.

If you’ve made any sort of change to your business – for example, alteration in business hours, product offerings, etc, don’t forget to communicate that information to your clients through pre-established means of communication.

Finally, remember to stay active on social media.

In pandemic times, most individuals are spending more time than usual online, so use it to your advantage.

On your social media pages, tell your followers what’s going on with your business and how you are adapting to better serve your clients.

If nothing else, then share a piece of positive news or an encouraging quote every day – basically anything to lift the spirits of those who are following you on social media.

6. Accept alternative payment methods

Cash is becoming less and less popular in Covid times due to the concern around germs changing hands.

Now is the time to implement cashless and contactless payment options.

There are various smartphone options you could consider, for example, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Many debit and credit cards now include a contactless option where consumers simply wave or tap their card on the reader to pay.

We’re certainly facing some tough times but that doesn’t mean your business needs to suffer.

All you need to do is follow the suggestions listed above, and pandemic proof your business.

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