The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered business operations. Many enterprises are getting ready to reopen, however. These five tips will help companies capitalize on efficiency while operating safely and successfully in the post-coronavirus economy.
1. Review Your Processes
You’ll undoubtedly need to do things differently when restarting your business. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a checklist of suggested practices for companies to implement. Besides reviewing these, look at processes that were in place before the pandemic hit. Could you eliminate or tweak some of them to better cope with COVID-19 business losses?
Since you must put new procedures in place, now is a great time to make sure that other, previously used methods are still relevant. Ask employees which workflows they find most time-consuming. Workers often have excellent insights on how to improve efficiency.
2. Launch a Chatbot
Chatbots could also help recovering businesses, particularly when companies use them to address the information people most want to know. Individuals might wonder if they can shop at your enterprise in person or if you only offer deliveries. They might also have questions about new operating hours or service reductions.
A chatbot takes some of the burden off of the customer service team. The software can also usually transfer a customer to a human for more assistance. Using a chatbot could boost efficiency by freeing up workers to engage in other tasks.
Your business may also develop purpose-built software. Lidl, the grocery store brand, did that in the Irish market. It created a customized WhatsApp chatbot that lets people check for the least-busy shopping times and bases the results on real-time data.
3. Reach Out to Leads
You can’t depend entirely on existing customers to support a business in the post-coronavirus economy. Contacting your prospects by phone is an effective way to grow your client list. Statistics show that cold calling offers a conversion rate of 6.4%, so it’s certainly still relevant.
Increase your likelihood of cold calling success by setting realistic goals for your team. Remember that a call may still prove fruitful without ending in a sale. Your employees can use their phone conversations to build relationships and learn more about what potential customers want. These interactions give perfect opportunities to address customer concerns immediately and pay attention to hesitations about the company or its products.
Collect data about calls to maximize the time spent, too. For example, employees may keep track of when people answer and learn that they most often pick up between 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM. In that case, you could use the data to schedule calls and make it more likely that your company’s representatives talk to people instead of voicemail recordings.
4. Investigate Analytics
Perhaps you know your company suffered COVID-19 business losses but haven’t calculated the full extent of the damage. Maybe you want to make website improvements but aren’t sure how to get started. An analytics tool could answer those questions and others.
A recent report examined how businesses use analytics since the coronavirus pandemic began. It found that 87% of companies’ employees or customers refer to data sources and analytics apps the same amount or more often than before the virus impacted things.
Improving efficiency was the fastest-growing use case for companies depending on analytics. You could take a similar approach by letting analytics tools show you what gaps exist and highlight the way forward through these strange times.
5. Consider Wearables
Researchers say the coronavirus will remain a threat even as businesses reopen. One of the primary goals is to keep the virus as isolated as possible by identifying infected persons and those that worked near them.
Tech companies are launching wearables and accompanying apps to help. Laura Becker, an analyst at IDC, said she was “still looking at, like, a $4.3 billion potential market for this [contact tracing technology].” She made that prediction even considering that some workers may opt out of using it, and that larger companies may be more likely to use these tools than smaller enterprises.
These wearables could dramatically cut the time spent connecting with people who need to self-isolate due to possible exposure. Some options also make noises or vibrate to remind people to stay far enough apart, keeping them productive but safe.
Recovering Businesses Must Adapt
The vast ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic mean companies cannot operate as they always have. Regaining success in the marketplace requires following reputable guidance, plus seeing how technologies and new processes could strengthen operations.
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