As we all know, 2020 has gotten off to a much rougher start than most of us anticipated. Many business owners are now faced with the uniquely impossible task of keeping their companies afloat while supporting their employees, who suddenly are working remotely for the first time. Your instincts may be telling you to freeze – freeze hiring, spending, and change. However, now is a good time to take a step back and choose projects based on impact.

Every business has a slow season. Treat the next quarter as an unexpected slow season and make smart choices to help your business grow in the fall and winter. Now that your office is empty, it’s a perfect time to make updates that will positively affect your employees and business when you are back in the office.

Focus on Customer Service

While we’re big fans of automating processes to save time, a personal touch can go a long way. Have support and sales teams write more personalized messages to customers, starting with the ones you have the most long-term relationship with. Reiterate how you’re helping your customers at this time and ask what they think you could be doing to help. This is a great time to gather uninhibited feedback, which can help you in the long run.

Plan Ahead

It can seem daunting to make big plans during a time of uncertainty. However, some of the best business ideas come from slow times, when you have time to rest and re-focus. Plan brainstorming sessions for your teams which center around common feedback and customer issues, and use this to guide your future development. Restructuring an onboarding journey, adding training modules, or simply rewording marketing can make a big impact.

System Upgrades

While everyone is out of the office and business is slow, it’s the perfect time to implement changes that would otherwise be disruptive. Consider making changes to improve your systems now, like switching vendors or technology companies. If you haven’t already, this is the time to make the switch to VoIP.

Not only will this improve your overall flexibility and customer handling, it will enable your team to work remotely in the interim.  With the ability to plug phones in at home or use a mobile softphone app, your team will be able to work efficiently even when out of the office. 

Office Updates

Is there a “squeaky wheel” in your office that’s been on the back burner for a long time? Maybe there’s a slow printer that jams or the conference room with wobbly chairs everyone avoids. Now is a good time to do some low-priority but high-impact replacements that will make your staff’s day-to-day experience better when they’re back.

Take the time to find locally-owned companies providing these services so you can make a positive impact with your dollars in the community as well.

Let Your Team Decide

If your business is generally fast-paced, now is the time to let your staff focus on the nice-to-have projects they’ve always wanted to do. That could include creating an operations handbook for new hires, updating the marketing brand guidelines, or tackling some of your tech debt.

This is also a smart time to let staff dedicate some of their time to continuing education and training, which will only result in everyone being more prepared and motivated to hit the ground running when the time comes.

However you’re spending your team’s time away from the office, we want to equip you with the tools you need to succeed. Keep your team connected with our suite of communication solutions, including mobile softphone apps, business texting, call analytics, and more. Build your custom quote to find out how simple it can be to enjoy better calls for your business.

We’re committed to helping businesses stay online. Reach out to us and we’ll be happy to help work with your current situation.