Uncertainty is gripping the world while we are still suffering the consequences of the current pandemic. While the global economy has been hit hard, companies are continually looking for ways to recover.
The situation between the different business segments is also very different.
Some companies are still struggling to survive, while others will have to start again from scratch.
So, what can you do to be different and thriving amid COVID-19?
It is a dilemma that every entrepreneur currently faces. But the next four steps can help you keep your head above water in this chaotic economy.
Make sure your employees are well informed about the impact on their work.
It’s a skill to optimize transparency between your employees. That’s because a simple e-mail or a team meeting won’t help you steer your employees in the right direction. And because time has changed dramatically in a few months, your employees need answers to many frequently discussed questions.
“How long do we work from home?”
“Are there any changes in the existing work process? If there are, will that affect our current position?”
“Will I still have a job if current circumstances extend?”
“When will we be able to work in the office again?”
Although this is only the tip of the iceberg, there may be more questions that require immediate attention. That’s why you must be present, even if there’s distance.
To increase transparency, you can:
– Start with regular virtual team meetings. It will allow you to clarify the situation better.
– Create online training courses that help employees smooth the transition from home culture to work.
– Share ongoing optimism and hope with your employees to shape your leadership story.
These transparency measures will help you motivate your employees and rise amid the Coronavirus as a business leader.
Become the supporting experts
to provide your customers with beautiful experiences. Create your support suite, build omnichannel support for customers and make sure they get answers in time.
There are companies like ProProfs, Tawk.to, Olark that help companies create their custom support bundle even if users choose their free subscriptions. As a user, you can integrate their best live chat software, help desk ticketing tool and knowledge base to create a support suite that manages to capture customer queries and provide immediate answers.
The use of such tools enables your company to reduce customer anxiety, especially when they know that the pandemic and its impact will remain in the market. Also, you allow the support team to handle multiple questions and create a good experience for customers even now.
These steps will help you manage leadership in a crisis and effectively exceed the impact of COVID-19.
Developing & marketing vision
The next step to help you reduce the impact of the Coronavirus on your business is to connect with your customers’ values. Are you aware that 71% of those polled for the 2020 Consumer Culture Report think it’s essential to buy from companies that adhere to their values?
This report shows how important it is for a brand to connect with consumer values while at the same time developing a vision to address the uncertain market crisis.
But first, try to understand what drives your customers’ needs and expectations by asking for in-depth user feedback.
A recent study reveals the dramatic change in average monthly spending by U.S. consumers since the COVID-19 outbreak.
While some of these purchases are driven by the unavailability of products, others are a result of how people are trying to deal with existing conditions, such as:
– Increased consumption of health supplements
– More emphasis on lifestyle choices such as nutrition and physical fitness
– Fluctuation in media consumption such as online video and music streaming platforms for entertainment purposes during lockdowns
Taking these results into account, you need to work on a vision that helps people connect with your company on a deeper level and also promotes brand loyalty., help desk ticketing tool, and knowledge base to create a support suite that manages to capture questions from customers and provide instant answers.
The use of such tools enables your brand to calm customer’s anxiety, especially when they know that the pandemic and its impact is here to stay in the market. Other than that, you enable the support team to handle multiple questions and create a delightful experience for customers even now.
Taking these results into account, you need to work towards building a vision that helps people connect with your brand at a deeper level and also drive brand loyalty.
Start our 90-day system
In order to be successful, it is helpful if you can develop the habit of thinking strategically. Having a strategy helps you complete tasks with less effort. Think back to a time where perhaps you loved to complete puzzles. Your parents bought a super hard one and you dumped all the pieces out onto the table top and began fumbling around, trying to fit it together.
Strategic thinkers instinctively know the best way to do a puzzle, is to find all the outer parts first. The outer parts are easy to identify, because one side is totally straight. By building the outer wall first, it is much easier to complete the puzzle by working in towards the center.
When you plan your goals out for 90 days, as opposed to one year, five years or ten years, it is much easier to be totally clear on where you want to go and how to get there.
Remember being in job interviews and being asked, “where do you see yourself in five years or ten years?” If you are like most people, you were only able to give a vague answer because the timeline was too far out. You might have answered that you hoped to be a supervisor. What if the question had been, “where do you see yourself in 90 days?” You probably would have said that you could see yourself passing probation, being well on your way to having a grasp of what your daily tasks were and how to complete them… and so much more.
When you follow a 90-day system, it is not hard to envision what you can accomplish in a day, in one week or in one month. Your excitement level