Today in this Covid 19 situation, you must be getting much of the news from different sources on several topics. But I want to highlight some of the important points which need some attention when the lockdown will get open. During the pandemic, the situation around was so terrible that there was a challenge to fix the basic things also. Away from office routine work, there will certainly be many changes in your personal and professional life. Things are not going to be easy and also getting stable in routine work will require some time.
In this lockdown, most of them were working from home and some were able to adapt and didn’t face any issues. But this was again for some businesses and specific employee categories. The business which didn’t fall in this category struggled to work and some with no technology failed in this lockdown situation.
Don’t regret on past or keep on thinking about what went wrong. After lockdown, you need to work on where you lacked.
One of the most important questions which are going to be always in front of you after lockdown is open is "ARE YOU READY?" There will be many difficulties and new challenges where you will be facing this question.
Let us understand this in detail and see Are you Ready for:
New Safety Guidelines
Covid 19 is contagious and so do not forget the safety guidelines & social distancing. People coming to the office or going out of the office/factory need to follow safety guidelines. Courier boys, executives, or any related person coming to the office need to follow safety norms. Desk, phone & mobile, computer, keyboard & mouse, door handles, chairs, etc. to be sanitized every day. Meeting and sitting arrangements will be part of safety guidelines. Please read the safety guidelines issued by the Indian government for more information.
Safety Transportation Services
Transportation will be playing a major role in reaching to office and client place. Public transport is essential to get back employees/workers back on the job. Transport services have to take care and follow safety norms. Self-transportation will be recommended to maintain social distancing.
New Working Style & Culture in Office
Working style and culture in the company will change as things may not work the way it was earlier. Need to adapt new working style and culture based on line of business, type of Industry, etc. This Covid-19 is all about maintaining social distancing and also following safety norms to prevent the spread. Employees with their colleagues should take the responsibility to maintain the office culture positively. Even the eating habits of people have changed. Having lunch together should be avoided also hygienic and home cook food to preferred than to outside food. Cleanliness at eating table to maintained also some rules and regulation to be followed.
Restarting Business Operations
The main challenge will be restarting the business operations which were stopped during the lockdown. Recollecting and revising all the previous discussions and pending work will be impacting the business operations and this will take a huge amount of time. So, need to have proper planning and execution to bring business operations on track.
Speeding Up Things with Fewer Employees
During the lockdown, many employees have gone to their native places. Coming back to work immediately will be difficult as the restrictions have been led by respective area authorities. This is going to make a big impact on business. There may be situations where some employees may face issues coming to the office due to various reasons. So, keeping this in mind you need to plan your work to speed up the work.
Three Months Sales Recovering and Opportunities
The market was down even before the Covid-19 came to India. Sales were low also opportunities were not getting closed easily. Three months sales i.e. from March, April & May 2020 will be at an all-time low. After lockdown, previous & current sales and outstanding recovery will be very difficult. Pending opportunities need to be followed and also there will be challenges for generating new sales & opportunities. The target for sales needs to be planned considering many parameters.
Lockdown Backlog
Other than restarting the business operations the main challenge will be clearing the huge backlog that was during the pandemic lockdown. Backlog will be there before lockdown and during the lockdown. This will be a situation where you will be working on backlog and also on current work as well. You need to streamline and delegate the work systematically.
GST, TDS, PT, etc. Payment and Return Filings
Not only backlog you need to work on GST, TDS, PT, etc. payments and returns. Payment and return filing date may get changed but you should be ready as this is also backlog and has to be done one day.
Closing of Books for Previous Financial Year
Lockdown was done on 21st March 2020, so the closing of books may be still pending this is also a backlog that has to be done with current work. After the opening of lockdown, the accounts team will also focus on closing books with their regular activities.
Fewer Business Meetings with Customers or Suppliers
Many of the customers or suppliers will avoid meeting at their office. This will lead to a delay in understanding the requirements as compared to the past. So, need to have a video, verbal, or email source to work in this situation. Proper customer relation management (CRM) software to be used to record customers' history with a company to improve business relationships with customers, specifically focusing on customer retention and ultimately driving sales growth.
Sell & Service in Less Time
As discussed earlier, selling will be tough compare to a normal situation. We need to develop a system to make sales in less time and provide great customer service in quick time. Avoiding long and unwanted conversations or discussions will be key to selling fast. Service delivery needs to speed up due to fewer resources at both ends.
Selling Genuine Products and Services
Many customers will have less time to negotiate and also the buying capacity will be low. In this case, selling genuine services and products will create a trust to give repeat orders and increase the selling capacity of the sales team. Avoiding or minimizing complaints and grievances from customers will help to focus on selling.
New Way of Employee Hiring
For the coming months, new employees hiring will be difficult as a large number of candidates will be coming to the office for interviews. There will be questions about the safety of candidates and hiring companies during interviews. Need to plan alternative ways to conduct the interviews to avoid crowds in reception. Also joining of new employees will have to follow safety norms as per the guidelines. Employees working in the office should work responsibly to avoid things to get worse.
New Growing Technology
In this pandemic, technology has played a vital role during the lockdown. It may be webinars, working from home, working on the internet, using different software, etc., technology was the key to getting connected with each other. Now the future of business will be depending on using robust technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Automated Machines, Virtual Monitoring, etc. There is a huge range of technology but you need to adapt as per the requirements of the line of business and type of industry. Many of the businesses may struggle to get the new technology due to various reasons. But eventually best and right technology is the key to competing in a new market.
Building Right System
I always believe that two things are essential for any business, one of them is Team and the other is System. The system is very essential for business so that the team of the right people is working smoothly. If the system and team are not in place then none of them will perform. The system may be software, process or profiles, etc. Many businesses are using multiple software and so need multiple employees or multiple levels of checking to get proper data and reports.
Building Right Team
A team of the right employees will help the business to grow at an exponential level. The team is committed to taking responsibility, generating sales, and increasing productivity. With the right system, the efficiency of the team can be measured and also can be increased. A combination of both the right team and the right system will help in going long way.
New Spending Habits
We don’t know how long this pandemic situation will last. Right now, only essential things are allowed to sell by the government. But after lockdown is over businesses should only buy the items which are very much essential to run the business. List of essential items to prepare and also prepare a budget to control the same.
Fear of Coming Back of Corona Pandemic
This is dreadful when we start thinking of corona coming back after it is cured. Now, maintaining safety and hygiene will be part of habit and routine. But one should not make the situation worse with the negative imagination that is fear.
There will be some points which I may have missed above. You can list it down and start working towards the growth of your organization.
Conclusion:
Be positive and fight back with full energy and strength. Everything is temporary and these days will also go away. Be motivated and keep on learning new things and educating people around us.
Finally, if you are in the business of essential services or products you will not face sales issues but still, things will not be easy. But businesses of non-essential will struggle and need to start working on new marketing strategies or developing a new line of business. For example, today Roll Royce is making honey instead of cars.