Although the coronavirus lockdown is by no means over, there’s some easing off. People are beginning to talk about what it’s going to be like afterwards, and that makes it vital to have plans in place for your business.
There are going to be major challenges ahead in adapting to whatever the new world will look like. But there’ll also be opportunities, and it’s important to be ready for them.
The Challenges
The post-coronavirus world isn’t going to go back to “business as usual”. In the short term, this will be from necessity. There won’t be a day when it’ll suddenly be announced that it’s all over. Even when you’re fully back to working, there’s still the need to keep your employees and customers safe (not to mention yourself) and the sooner you start planning how to reorganise, the better.
That isn’t all, though. The pandemic has thrown into relief issues that have been building up in recent years, and it’s likely that this will alter the focus of the business world. Should we carry over the kindness and consideration we’ve discovered into the new world? Should we use this as a wake-up call to realign business aims to a greener agenda?
Above all, though, the lockdown has shown us that many businesses can function perfectly well without anyone actually “going into work”. It’s shown that we can have meetings with clients, team-members and networking contacts without leaving home.
The trend towards remote working has been growing, but now we know it works, and it offers many advantages, including reduced costs and a lower carbon footprint. While it won’t suit all businesses, the “new normal” is likely to be a more hybrid model, and businesses that don’t embrace it could get left behind.
The Opportunities
If you’re lucky (or if you’ve approached the lockdown intelligently) you may have kept many of your existing clients, but it’s likely you’ll need new ones. Fortunately, there are likely to be opportunities.
It’s a harsh reality that many companies won’t survive the lockdown. Most of us don’t like to think of other businesses failing, but the reality is that this will leave their former customers looking for a new supplier of goods or services. And that could be you.
This makes it imperative that you start planning now for how you’re going to engage and win these customers. Do you have the systems in place to find and contact them, or do you need help? If so, why not get in touch with the Resource Centre and find out how we can help?
Although the coronavirus lockdown is by no means over, there’s some easing off. People are beginning to talk about what it’s going to be like afterwards, and that makes it vital to have plans in place for your business.