Bracing yourself and your business for market shifts post-pandemic: 5 tips to approach the reopening successfully
When it comes to change, we’ve all seen a lot of it this year. We have figured out how to make personal connections solely through our screens; many have become at-home teachers due to our nation’s children embracing a new virtual school schedule; some have worked in-person all along and may be weathered from the constantly evolving protocols; and we’ve all learned to tap our inner tech expert.
As we’ve noted in the past, some organizations took this change and necessary digital transformation as an opportunity to pivot, innovate and transform their models magnificently, while other companies froze, feeling overwhelmed or confused in the new territory. Well, get ready, because guess what? It’s time to brace yourself for a new wave of change all over again.
Consumers (remember that your business “customers” and “clients” are also consumers) are coming out of COVID-19 caves with big, and varying, expectations. People are ready to unwind outside of their home, ready to see people at a networking event and share a coffee or a meal in person, ready to host a special event in person, and ready to push the envelope in new ways. They’re coming to these moments with visions of grandeur. We all need to put our best foot forward, be that at a networking moment, a customer engagement, or a large-scale partnership.
Our EnticEdge prediction is that consumers have very little patience left in their tanks for lags in service or creativity–-they’re ready to hear how your solutions and services can work quickly and precisely. Let’s face it, consumers have spent the last year hearing “no'' and are eagerly awaiting the excitement that comes with a new wave of “yes.”
Some important thoughts to think about with your teams (our clients span industries so we tried to touch on a few fitting examples here):
Don’t overpromise. If you’re a hotel in the travel and leisure industry, and parts of your building are not open to guests (such as a swimming pool or the spa on weekdays or the business center), don’t mask it and have an angry client at arrival who you’ll lose as a customer long-term. Instead, make your reservationist and front desk staff aware that it’s important to note those details when listing amenities in conversations (well before a check-in moment). Think about anything else you could offer as a personal touch to help them feel at home and connected. Could you offer for free the high-speed WIFI that’s often an upgrade? A couple of free appetizers in partnership with promoting a local restaurant?
Prioritize. Double down on what you can get right and be upfront about what’s secondary. Prioritize work flows with your team so that you do one or two outputs really well instead of being spread thin and doing four things only fair. Otherwise, you will be outshined by your competition.
Communicate! If you’re in manufacturing, and procurement for certain materials is still a challenge, over-communicate with your customers. Most people understand we are still in the throws of a worldwide pandemic, so offer a twice-weekly email to add them to an update that might normally be an internal information update to create that communication channel. It should be written in your brand voice and give your customer a straightforward update on exactly where you are in the process and why.
Get staffing right. Whether you’re a new SAAS company or a restaurant, getting staffing right is important, now more than ever. If half of your restaurant is what you can handle with top notch service (and it’s tough to find strong staff in some regions right now), then only half your restaurant stays open until you can handle more tables with more trained staff. For the SAAS company, doubling down on personalized service for the clients you have, could lead to better outcomes to share with new clients you go after next quarter. People want an experience to come back to; if you give them one they don’t want to come back to, you’ve lost a customer and their connections (i.e., future customers). Finding that staffing balance to serve existing clients well before tipping the balance of your resources to garner new clients, is a classic must.
Consider perspective. People might be crabby after a year of constant adjustment. No joke. Create some added guidelines for your customer experience team members for sensitive communications and approach. As businesses, we’re about to hurdle a lack of trust. Some of us have been in a cocoon for some time. Coming out of that and facing pressures in a now new-again way, can be tough. Also remember that instant culture is at play. The immediate-ness, which some consumers expect right now is at a high. Having controlled their environment at home with precision, being out and about is an insecure space for some. They want what they want in a nanosecond. Flip it by meeting them where they are at — try “we’ve all been so cooped up, I can understand how immediately important this is. Just give me [x] more minutes/days because I really want to make sure this is right, or, make sure I have the most up-to-date information.”
Give thanks & be human. Say thank you. Acknowledge each other. Some have forgotten to speak behind masks. Thank your customers. Reintroduce the concept to them to also remind. Meet them at a human level - ask how they are adjusting at home or back to the office - get some personal tidbit and connect on it somehow. It matters.
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