With a truly unprecedented global event happening right now being the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses everywhere are feeling the mounting pressure, calling upon creativity and resourcefulness to adapt and protect themselves. Though this situation is out of our hands, there are steps that businesses can take to protect themselves and provide some guidance and direction to the other side.

1 . Create a post-lockdown roadmap
Many countries are starting to gradually ease lockdown measures. Governments are allowing certain businesses to re-open or are planning for their re-opening in the near future. Now is the time to create a post-lockdown roadmap, to help your business return to work, while prioritising the health of your employees and the public. It might be that you are succeeding as a remote operation, and would prefer to continue working this way for the time being. For businesses of all types, there will be changes that need to be made to adhere to social-distancing measures. Such changes are likely to affect productivity in the short-term; however, with the right planning, you can ensure that your company adapts.

2. Order supplies in advance
COVID-19 has impacted just about every industry; many businesses are experiencing delays in receiving the supplies that they need. In response to such delays, contact your suppliers, and make orders well in advance. For instance, businesses who keep oil onsite for their fleet are advised to pre-order now. It’s advisable to do so in anticipation of further restrictions or delays. Those who this applies to can order gas oil from suppliers such as these.

3. Protect your brand
Branding and reputation critical at this time. Use this time to reach out to your customers by email, provide reassurance, and explain how you have adapted during COVID-19. Where possible, offer refunds or extended terms for services that customers will be unable to use. Ensure to protect your employees during COVID-19, whether it’s putting furlough schemes in place or remaining closed to protect their health.

4. Apply for government assistance
Governments across the world have responded to COVID-19 by offering financial assistance through grants and loans. Ensure that you apply for all the financial assistance you qualify for. If you employee freelancers, point these staff in the right direction so they can access grants for the self-employed. Use this time to revise your budget, any savings you can make are also advisable. Accounting apps such as Freshbooks are useful to track expenses.

5. Adapt and grow
Use these current challenges to adapt and grow your services. Offer adapted forms of your services that customers can access online. Instead of cutting your marketing, produce COVID-19 advice content to drive traffic to your website. Focus on all the projects you can still do during this pandemic, and put all your time and creativity into these. There are plenty of software tools you can use to support and nurture your team remotely. Try project management tools like Trello and time management software such as Toggl.

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