As the effect of Covid-19 is weakening, governments all around the world are easing lock down and opening business. But, there is a concern among the businesses about the strategies they need to make to adjust the changes in this post-pandemic world. CALLCARE, a leading call center specialist and an expert in customer experience management have released an article on consumer confidence.
About CALLCARE:
CALLCARE, formed in 1998, provides emergency telephone answering service to its customers. The organization – from its humble beginning – has been growing and now it has evolved into the business that we see today. The company works in partnership with a wide range of clients from both public and private organisations and provides services to meet the unique needs of each of its clients. By offering deeper insight and experience in the industry, the company has developed a deep understanding of the business issues by providing a premium customer experience. The company identifies effective solution to maximize efficiency, improve customer service and strengthening businesses by working together with its clients.
How to build customer confidence and prepare your business in this post-pandemic era:
Covid-19 has changed the world due to its spread between people through close or direct contact with the infected person via nose and mouth secretion. The asymptomatic nature of the virus had forced the governments all around the world to impose lockdown in cities which was a severe headache for businesses around the globe. Fortunately, as the lockdown is now easing, businesses are reopening; however, they are also facing a challenge in adjusting their strategies and adopting new procedures as they transit into the post-pandemic world. So, it has now become necessary for the business owners to analyse the change in their respective industry and how these changes will affect their businesses as they move forward.
A visible change that took place due to this pandemic is the loss of consumer confidence and their spending power. This pandemic has severely affected the people’s income which means that they may now spend their money on essential items only and without knowing the full impact of this pandemic and how long will it stay, this trend is likely to continue. So, it has now become necessary for the companies to re-evaluate their business processes and adjust them accordingly with this changing environment. To help businesses move forward in theses uncertain time, CALLCARE has created an e-book that looks at the short and long term strategies that a business can apply to boost consumer confidence and build its resilience.
A visible change that has been noticed in this pandemic era is the rise of online businesses as the imposition of strict lockdown had forced people to stay indoors and business to close. Many businesses that didn’t used to sell products online took Covid-19 as an opportunity to adapt and grow, with restaurants and bars providing takeaway services and with many events turning to online streaming sessions, with many of these trends still continuing despite the reopening of many businesses.
Due to these reasons shifting to online businesses and digital solutions, repositioning the brand and future proofing the business is becoming inevitable and these are some strategies that have been touched upon by CALLCARE in its e-book. CALLCARE also speaks with industry experts to gain a better insight and top tips so that businesses can get help in navigating their business in this post pandemic-era.
How can a business be prepared for life after lock-down?
Covid-19 has changed the way we used to do business and although lock-down has been eased by the government, businesses are still required to follow some SOPs due to the concern of consumer about his health. CALLCARE has suggested three things that a business can follow in this era.
- Maintaining social distance arrangement:
As the effect of Covid-19 wanes down, governments are gradually easing lockdown in their respective countries and reopening businesses. But consumers are still concerned about this virus and they want to feel safe when they go outside. So, taking the concern of consumer into the account, businesses must make arrangements for social distancing and put safety measures in place, such as increasing space between customers by putting a floor tape or painting a mark on floor for guidance.
Employees are also concerned due to this new pandemic so businesses need to allay their fears by making work from home arrangements if possible, and for the staff that needs to stay physically, should be instructed to avoid using shared workstations. Face-to-face meetings should be discouraged and instead meetings should be conducted through video conferencing or phone. The number of visitors should be kept at minimum by being more accommodating in opening hours and switching to appointment only arrangement.
- Prioritising hygiene:
This virus thrives on those places where the arrangements of hygiene are bad, so, this places a huge responsibility on the businesses to make good arrangements of hygiene at their workstations for customers as well as consumers. Businesses should encourage their employees and customers to wear masks and wash their hands with sanitiser for their convenience, with sanitisers placed at the entrance and at each working station.
According to health experts, coronavirus can live for hours and even days on door knobs and countertops. The survival time depends on the surface material like on door knobs, jewellery and silverware, with it potentially living for up to 5 days and on furniture and decking. Surfaces like doorknobs and wooden furniture are touched frequently each day increasing the chance of contracting corona virus so, Premises of the office and the business should be regularly fumigated and sanitized especially on these areas. Staff should be provided with their own cleaning supplies so that workstation remains disinfected.
- Staff and consumers should be informed:
Communication is key in every walk of life and a good communicator can achieve many things. A good communication with the consumer and staff is key in this transition period. Customers and staff need to be satisfied as they have been mentally affected by this pandemic. Through good communication, a business can most definitely still retain its staff and customers. Employees should be informed of who they can talk to if they have any concern and customers must remain connected with the relevant person in the business.
Businesses can open multiple channels of digital communications like email, social media, website updates for customers, complaints/comments section on the website and FAQs. Apps are also a popular means to connect with customers due to the increase in the usage of smart phone. Many businesses are supplying customers their favourite product via apps, making it even easier for customers to purchase from them if they are still feeling anxious about leaving the house for non-essential trips.
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