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COVID-19: What Can You Do for Your Business Now?

Black Swan of 2020 or Coronavirus made us realise that digitalising our business operation is not a luxury but the way forward. When attending meetings or events is not an option, especially during critical times like this, where we have to resort to working from home, scheduling virtual meetings, ordering food delivery online or even refrain ourselves from handling cash, business operators are forced to change how they used to operate their business.

Change is inevitable and it is the only constant. Some were in their comfort zones and did not see this outbreak coming. Traditional business operators often think their business has been around for decades and do not see the urgency to prepare themselves for the future.

After all, they have been doing fine and changing the way things were done is a huge risk and the practice has become a culture at work deep-rooted among the management. However, the new decade of 2020 proved that in order to sustain the business, we have to fight the battle against the crisis and its aftermath and adopt technology at work.

Here are some ideas of what you can do as a business operator at this time as well as to improve your operations:

1. Work Remotely but Connected

As cases of people infected increase exponentially every day, check out latest updates about COVID-19 here, business owners are advised to allow employees to work from home to reduce the risk of exposure and spread of viruses within the office premises. If one needs to sign a document, he can sign it using electronic signatures. If one needs to keep track of work progresses, the team can go for cloud-based management tool for instant updates and collaborations. While this remote work arrangement may be temporary, the convenience of being able to track and deliver tasks anywhere prepares your business for the future.

2. Conduct Meetings, Interview, Trainings Virtually

We can’t tell you how interesting and engaging virtual meetings can be until you have explored it. From screen-sharing, virtual whiteboard, to conducting polls, meetings can be fun and interactive too. Whether it’s pre-screening interview or video interview, it can be carried out anywhere with stable internet connection. By having pre-screening interview online, tedious works on compiling and evaluating the results can be processed within seconds. Trainings which are done repeatedly every month or year for existing and on-boarding staffs, can be carried out in a virtual classroom, at a pace which they are comfortable with.

3. Outsource Non-Core Activities

To brace a tough time like this, one of the key strategies for businesses is to convert fixed costs to variable costs by outsourcing non-core activities. Any activities which will not bring competitive advantage to your products or services can be outsourced to agencies who can manage it better than your internal team. This includes accounting, software development, system support, manufacturing, logistics and more.

4. Offer Delivery Service

If you are in the F&B industry, the foot traffics to your restaurant or cafe’s is limited to the nearby neighbourhood. Offering delivery service for your F&B business helps you to reach a wider coverage area of customers. Furthermore, if you partner with food delivery service providers, you get to boost brand exposure on third party platforms and leverage on their continuous marketing promotions for your business. Just ensure that your restaurant has safety protocols and best practices in place to prevent the spread of the virus and precautionary steps to reduce staffs’ risk of exposure.

5. Offer Cashless Payment Option

Health experts are suggesting to wash your hands after handling cash as it could possibly spreading the coronavirus. Better safe than sorry, don’t you think? Cashless payment such as e-wallet payment limits the exchange of germs during transactions and provide convenience for your customers during the payment process, making it easier and safer for them and for your employees in the retail shops.

6. Market Your Product or Service Digitally

While less people spending their time outdoor, people are switching their leisure time online, at the comfort of their homes. This means more people are actively searching for goods and services through phones or desktops and you have to market your products in the right place at the right time. This includes in social media, e-commerce marketplace, search engines and relevant sites. Step up your digital marketing efforts and help your customers to find products or services at the moment they are searching for it.

It’s time for us business owners to rethink how we would shape the way we work and manage our operations by taking one step at a time to welcome changes. Aretas Solutions offers IT consulting and software development service which transform your business with cutting edge technology in the most cost effective way.

Internet has revolutionised how we interact with the rest of the world in the past, you may decide how your business stay relevant in the years to come.

Be safe, be progressive.