Of course, you read part one and part two already right? I mean your not crazy are you?
Here we are in pandemic hell, right where we left us. The infections are still trending, and if I was investing I might consider the chart looking pretty good to throw some cash at it (As of May 2020) We have already stemmed the bleeding of our cash flow, and prepared our business for the long haul, but eventually we will see the sunshine again and be allowed to open our businesses, and start making money to actually pay our bills again.
Things have changed for awhile, get use to it.
That’s right, sorry to be the barer of bad news, but that’s what we have to deal with right now. You are going to have to change things for your business and now is the time to plan accordingly.
There are a few questions you need to ask yourself right now for your business. I would expect a slow down for the foreseeable future, so maybe don’t buy that second vacation home right now.
How can you make things safer?
What can you do to help make everybody safe from COVID-19? I have always been an advocate of safety when it comes to business. As I feel business owners and managers are personally responsible for the safety of their employees, customers and the public, nomatter how many foolish decisions they make. So now it is up to you, What can you do to stop the transmission of COV-19?
Do you need to change your business hours, or how you manage your shifts?
For instance, you could change your work hours or try to do less customers at once to limit exposure from the staff, and the customers? Many of the local essential stores have done such a thing. A big line up outside the beer store says a lot.
If you are going to be dealing with reduced capacity in your business, your customers need to know and you need to them to book farther ahead according. I suspect most of them wont mind, although im sure there are always a few that will. Lets be honest.
In the automotive businesses I have been associated with, it made sense to stuff as many cars as could fit in the bay. But with COVID-19 I can see that this might not be advisable.
Can you separate your staff from the public? Do you need to close your waiting room to put up plastic barriers?
It is up to you to set up the procedures and policies that make people safe, and make sure your staff follow them.
What other steps can you do to your business to keep people safe?
How are you going to keep your customers safe?
Now that we are done worrying about ourselves and our staff. We move to the next hurtle. How do we keep our customers safe? (And keep them from infecting and killing us.) Remember…
A person is smart, people are stupid. Unfortunately most customers are people.
Rich E. Cunningham. May 2020
You are dealing with people. People are the ones who made a local illness a global pandemic. People are the ones who didn’t “Get around” to closing flights or properly quarantining themselves. Locally infected people took public transit to get home from their flights. Thanks for not spring for a cab. So don’t expect to much from PEOPLE.
You are going to have to increase your cleaning routine. Depending on what business you have been running, you might have been a little slack on this. But you can longer do that. I am not a medical professional, but I would expect a cleaning of high touch areas between every customer for their safety, and a full cleaning two or three times a day depending on traffic.
If you use something of the customers for their service, such as driving their car into the repair bay, touch their computer to fix it or things like that. Then I would recommend cleaning and sanitizing the product before AND after service. Make sure your employees do this, it is very important. Let the customers know you are doing this, this is also very important. You want your customer to feel safe.
Think outside the box, Or in it!
Some local businesses I know have built an “Air lock” style system, where the customer is restricted from being inside the business, but they can be passed goods, and make tap payments over the debit machines. Not a bad idea.
How can you get your goods and services to your customer in times like these? There must be some option out there.. Think!! Look up some new suppliers and see if there’s anything you can provide that will help people.
What additional products and services can you offer your customers in times like these? Maybe instead of gum and chocolate, they should have Lysol wipes and plastic gloves by the cash instead?
Nonmatter what some more stupid of the business gurus discuss, about being focused and doing “one thing well” in business.
Life doesn’t work like that, business doesn’t work like that. Not all of us are running bullshit web businesses and making videos in southern California.
You might have focused your business on making the best damn pair of artistian leather pants you can make, but nobody cares about your overpriced leather pants right now. It turns out artesian leather pants weren’t that important in the grand scheme of things.
So change your business, and maybe you will have a business when this is all said and done.
Your friend in business,
Rich E. Cunningham