Challenges, Changes and the Return to Work
With all of the recent events so far it’s very likely you’re left with a lot of questions and some considerable uncertainty on just what’s going to happen. COVID-19 has changed the face of all areas of our lives and for now isn’t going anywhere fast. With more governments around the globe having taken a wide range of actions to combat the virus, we try to take a look at how you can try to find the business “silver lining” to stay afloat and make solid plans to bounce back in the coming weeks and months as lockdowns begin to ease.
Lockdowns, easing and options for business
As of writing this blog, the lockdown is currently being eased across the UK at varying levels. Due to the status as key workers, many plumbing businesses and engineers have continued working throughout the lockdown but at reduced levels with many extra precautions in place. As restrictions begin to ease it is expected that demand for many businesses and areas of businesses that have been quiet or unable to be fufilled during the lockdown will begin to increase once again.
Most of us will be aware of the various initiatives the government is running to try and support businesses and the self-employed. These can be extremely helpful provided you meet the government criteria and if you haven’t already looked into these then it’s worth seeing what help you might be able to get for yourself or your business. I would certainly recommend looking into government websites which outline the bounce back loans available along with the support being provided by the self employment scheme. All the relevant information along with the eligibility can be found at the links provided.
Future plans and the changes of 2020
COVID-19 has left businesses across the spectrum facing new unprecedented issues, and for hands on work like plumbing & heating it’s no different. As with any problem, it’s always important to have a clear plan to move your business forward. Whether you’ve been operating during the lockdown carrying out key work and repairs, you’re slowly returning to work now or you’re planning your return to “normal” work in the next few weeks, we’ve put together some quick and easy tips to consider.
1. Keep up to date with the latest Government & Public Health England advice
With the advice continually changing it’s always important to stay up to date with the latest advice. General government advice on COVID-19 can be found here while specific advice for working safely is also available on the government website along with the HSE website. Ensuring you know the current advice and regulations will help keep your customers, staff and yourself safe.
2. Prepare, prepare, prepare
Preparation is key, and businesses that are prepared are inevitably going to succeed where others don’t. With extra difficulties now being faced by all businesses, and especially those that are customer facing, being prepared is essential. Prepare yourself, prepare your staff, prepare your customers. If everyone involved understands the new procedures involved, how things might be different and what’s required then everyone involved can be left feeling happier and safer. This should also enable to work to go ahead smoothly and leading to fewer problems overall.
3. Think Digital
Inevitably COVID-19 creates a new challenge of avoiding contact as much as possible in face to face roles, especially when it comes to jobs that involve home visits or direct contact with other people. Researching and understanding digital solutions and putting these in place can help bring things back in order or maybe even to a better position than they were before! Ensuring you have the digital tools in place to communicate with staff, customers and suppliers can make for a smooth transition into the post COVID workplace.
4. Communicate
As with most things in business, and even life, communication is vital. Having clear and simple ways for customers to understand any changes to timeframes, visits or just general ways to ask questions helps keep everyone’s expectations in check and keeps customers happy!
This is especially vital within heating and plumbing to keep both engineers and customers safe and allowing for work to be completed efficiently and effectively. At Wolfsbury we always aim to make communication a key part of our business consulting and help to improve customer communication for clients that we work with, leading to a higher level of repeat custom and most importantly high customer satisfaction.
5. Seek advice when needed
Everyone is facing new problems right now and the best thing to do when you’re not sure is seek advice. There are vast amounts of useful online resources, blogs and services that are able to help and the previous links in this blog to the HSE website, government website can also be very helpful to keep up and get things right for bringing your business back to full working order.
We hope you’ve found this blog helpful and wish everyone reading the best for their business and most importantly the good health of the owners, staff and customers throughout this difficult time. We’d also love to hear your progress and any of your own tips you might have found to share in the comments our on our social media pages! Many of the services we offer can help to improve the image, marketing and business processes used by our clients, if you think your business needs a boost in any of these areas or think we might be able to help you get back to work then get in touch today!
