In times of complete uncertainty, the businesses that will thrive in the future are those that put robust plans in place to adapt to the changing needs of employees and customers – and now is the time to do so, says Joanna Swash
Over recent months, employers have found themselves in completely unknown territory, faced extraordinary challenges and had to respond quickly to navigate through the outbreak. The majority will have also been forced to make difficult, potentially unpopular, decisions for the good of the business.
Business owners that adopt these three key traits can lay the foundations now for a quick recovery and successful future.
Remain Agile
Research released last month revealed that 55% of UK workers had little or no experience of working from home prior to Covid-19, so shifting to a remote working environment was a huge learning curve for many businesses.
By April, Moneypenny research found that a third of companies had transitioned to a completely remote team, with a further 16% saying that around 90% of their workforce was now working from home and 19% saying about 75-90% of their team was now home-based. And, despite any initial reservations, technical glitches or logistical hurdles, it’s predicted that the option to work from home will remain a firm feature of many businesses moving forward.
The challenge now is for businesses to formalise their ‘quick fix’ solutions so that agility is engrained in their operations. For example, a skeleton office-based team taking messages or giving our mobile numbers may have sufficed during the first few weeks of lockdown, but it’s not an appropriate long-term solution in an agile age.
Organisations need sophisticated telephony systems, call answering support and other tools, such as phone system mobile apps, outsourced switchboards and live chat. These solutions give companies the means to embrace changing styles of working, while maintaining their professional image and ensuring they remain accessible to customers and clients. This is business critical, not just because another lockdown could be on the horizon, but because the past few months have made many businesses consider whether they need their city centre offices at all. An agile workforce with the right tools, makes it possible to reduce or potentially remove the traditional office overhead altogether.
Companies that have demonstrated flexibility have experienced a much more seamless transition to remote working and this attitude will be crucial for those that wish to thrive post-pandemic. Whether it’s empowering employees work comfortably and productively around childcare commitments or partners’ schedules,or helping customers in difficult financial circumstances by offering discounted products or services; these acts will be remembered and valued for years to come.
Prioritising the needs of employees and clients over business commercials will be vital in maintaining their goodwill over the coming months, or winning back valuable custom.
Keep culture at the core
Strong workplace culture has the power to transform a business and carry it through the toughest of times. By putting solidarity and high morale at the top of the corporate agenda, employers can ensure that culture plays its part in a successful recovery from the outbreak.
Employees can be a company’s biggest brand advocates and should be kept engaged with corporate vision and goals – particularly during times of uncertainty. Without the usual daily face-to-face camaraderie, it’s important to develop a workplace culture that can still function when employees work remotely and this comes down to two things – communication and collaboration. Supporting effective interaction, regularly checking in with staff and encouraging teamwork will ensure that employees feel part of a wider movement and reinforce company values.
Lockdown has been a catalyst for businesses to try new tools ways to maintain the culture they’ve worked so hard to instill. At Moneypenny, we use Workplace by Facebook, which offers an informal yet interactive forum for colleagues to keep in touch with each other and up to date with company news.
Unfortunately, many businesses that failed to prioritise internal communications before the pandemic are now struggling with a demotivated workforce and widespread lack of accountability. By learning from their mistakes and putting in the necessary measures, they can boost employee wellbeing which quickly translates into improved client/customer service.
Trust the experts
Since the implementation of lockdown, companies have operated from the homes of their employees. As such, employers have had to explore new ways of working and communicating internally and externally. Some have found that the solutions they’ve traditionally relied on no longer serve a purpose, while others have discovered that the equipment they have available at home doesn’t meet the standard of that in their workplace. As a result, 38% of businesses have had to invest in extra software or technology.
Without the luxury of time and security of guaranteed cashflow to build and implement bespoke solutions, savvy business owners have turned to the experts to support them with business continuity. For some, it’s been a case of capitalising on existing relationships but for others, new products have been investigated and partnerships formed.
Our own research, carried out pre-Covid-19, revealed that 70% of businesses planned to increase their use of outsourcing in 2020, with 35% planning to do so significantly.
A global pandemic has only served to accelerate these decisions and organisations are seeking the support of professionals to help them streamline processes, save costs and enable employees to focus on core business objectives without the distraction of tasks outside of this area.
Investment in technologies – such as telephone answering and live chat – to help keep businesses afloat during the crisis will become especially valuable post-pandemic. They will help to support new ways of working and improve client/customer experience – putting businesses in a stronger position than they were prior to Covid-19 and presenting a unique opportunity to accelerate growth.
Finally here are some pieces of advice on how business can thrive in a post Covid-19 economy:
1Creativity thrives on chaos – It’s very easy to maintain the status quo when running a business, but a crisis like COVID 19 can lead to change, as we’ve been forced to be creative, innovate, adapt and do things differently, while business leaders will have learnt a lot about their business and their customers which will prove to be useful knowledge for future business development. While inevitably some businesses will fail, entrepreneurs will start new businesses and existing companies will identify new services to develop.
2Use your data to make informed decisions – It’s more important than ever to analyse your business data pre and post COVID. For example, at Moneypenny we’ve discovered that despite a boom in the use of social media to contact businesses, the telephone still remains the most important communication method for customers to connect with businesses, as 43% of businesses say phone calls were even more important during lockdown.
3Respond to customers promptly – People are inherently impatient and as lockdown restrictions are eased, clients will go back to expecting quick responses to their enquiries and calls. As enquiry levels increase and the world adapts to the new normal it will be vital for businesses to have the resource in place to cope and to get ahead of the competition
4Business cuts, a necessary evil – No-one likes to make cuts in business, but these may be necessary to ensure business survival. Those who enjoy gardening will know that pruning can stimulate new growth.
5People value human interaction – At Moneypenny we noticed phone call duration increased for our clients during lockdown. This is largely due to callers craving human interaction, however as restrictions ease while businesses might see call durations and volumes return to normal, the desire for meaningful human interaction will remain. People will remember the business that made an effort to call them to inform on the status of their services under lockdown and are likely to repay them with brand loyalty
6Invest in tech – we’ve seen a big increase in businesses using tech during lockdown, with use of tools like Zoom, Google meets and Microsoft teams booming and this is only going to continue, especially in the communications space. The companies that embrace new tech, such as live chat bots and AI will reap the benefits. Far from removing the human equation from business, our experience has been that tech has stimulated human dialogue, for example, use of Workplace by Facebook by our staff has led to a proliferation of online quizzes, celebrations and info sharing
7Don’t be afraid to outsource – many businesses might be tempted to make savings by trying to do everything themselves, but it really does pay to outsource certain functions like communications as this can be handled by experts more easily and cost effectively than you think, leaving your staff free to focus on the things they are good at.Fast
Joanna Swash is CEO of Moneypenny. Moneypenny manages customer communications via telephone answering, switchboards, social media and live chat for lots of different clients from sole traders to multinationals such as Joe Wicks, The Body Coach, BMW to three of the top five Magic Circle law firms.
