With current world events, this has been a shock to all our systems. For many business owners, your response to COVID19 and the impact it is having our industry might even follow the pattern of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and finally acceptance. We’re experiencing this alongside you.
Whenever you are in this pattern, know that you’re not alone and we are here to help best we are able. If you’ve transitioned into acceptance, you may be asking yourself,
“What’s next?”
“How can I control what I can control?”
“What will it look like to run my business once this is all over?”
Because this too will end.
If your clients are anything like me. I have about three eyelash extensions left, I’m in desperate need of a haircut, and I can’t wait to be giving sweaty high-fives and hugs to my fitness community when it is safe to do so again.
The good news.
We’re starting to see the numbers flip. In early April, we saw a 2:1 ratio on cancellations to rescheduling. By mid-April, the numbers are trending towards rescheduling. There is an untapped demand for your services and the floodgates will open. It’s a matter of when… not if.
Here are examples of what businesses are doing to prepare:
Reschedule appointments: If you have an idea of when you might be opening, start to reach out to your clients to reschedule their appointments. If you’re not quite sure yet: you can start to prepare your client lists for future outreach, draft copy for emails, text messages, and social.
Communication: Create your plan. When your business starts to reopen, how will you communicate with your clients through outbound efforts and how will you manage the phone calls, messages, and emails of clients that reach out to you?
Have a clear plan of communication and think about multiple scenarios that could play out. Think about the following scenarios: open fully, operating at a lower capacity to respect new social distancing regulations or think through even more creative outlets. Create a plan that is flexible and provides multiple options.
Want more details? Here is a blog on How to Communicate with Your Clients Beyond Email
New Policies/Procedures: Your clients want to know how you’re going to keep them safe moving forward. Consider your current policies. What might need to change? Will you need to have more flexibility in your cancellation policy? Have these ready and share them with your clients.
Staffing: Many of our customers had to make the heartbreaking decision to layoff their staff to allow them to collect unemployment benefits. There may be a short or long period of time where you will have limited assistance. This is a good time to start to think about leveraging automation and technology to support you and your remaining staff once you’re open once again.
This scenario allows us to reimagine our business models and create an even more delightful experience moving forward. If you are looking for support on steps to take post-COVID19, schedule a consultation with our Sr. Director of Sales, Eric Weeden.
Eric brings 20+ years of leadership experience to the team, focusing on building sales, marketing, and implementation strategies that drive business growth and retention. Even if our solution isn’t the right fit, there maybe be other tools or ideas we can help provide you to get through this time.
