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There’s no doubt that 2020 was an incredibly disruptive year for all businesses. Whether your company was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, or if it managed to survive or even thrive in the face of this crisis, it’s almost certain that you had to alter the way you did business. These new habits were necessary to cope with the situation your business suddenly had to face.
However, even as things go back to being close to normal, don’t be too keen to shake off these new habits and return to your old way of doing business. Here are the top habits your business should keep as we move into 2021.
Remote Work Models
Your business may have had to shift from in-office work to a work-from-home model because of lockdowns and social distancing requirements. Many companies did this out of necessity to protect their employees’ health but found many benefits from this model. You may have found that your employees are happier, healthier, and more productive while working from home, so why not continue to operate this way in the future? You may be able to give your staff the option to work all or part of the time remotely, or even make your business fully remote.
Transparency with your Employees
As a business leader, in 2020, you would have learned how important it is to be open and honest with your employees about your business’s financial and operational status. During a crisis like a global pandemic, telling your employees everything that is going on helps build trust. Furthermore, even if your staff don’t like the tough decisions you make, they will understand them and are more likely to agree. Therefore, this is an important habit to carry forward into the future that will serve your business well in a wide variety of different situations.
Being Prepared for Anything
The outbreak of COVID-19 came out of the blue, and businesses had to change their processes almost overnight. This highlighted the importance of being prepared by having an emergency plan in place. Even when this crisis passes, don’t throw out your emergency plan, as you never know when the next crisis will hit. Staying on top of your compliance with government regulations is also critically important, but can be challenging, especially in the context of constantly changing legislation. This is where hiring an expert consultant like PHS compliance can be helpful.
New Communication Methods
If you weren’t already doing so, social distancing forced you to get the hang of communicating virtually in 2020. In-person interaction with employees, as well as clients and suppliers, has been replaced by video chats, calls, and conferences. This also forced you to adopt new technologies and improve your communication skills, which you can carry forward into the future.
More Efficient Meetings
Most businesses needed to hold meetings virtually rather than in person throughout most of 2020. With time limits and other limits put in place by video conferencing technology, your team learnt to communicate more succinctly, keep meetings brief and efficient. Even if you move back towards in-person meetings, take this lesson with you, and save everyone from overly lengthy, inefficient meetings!
Stay Up to Date
We’ve already touched on how various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to adopt the latest technology to continue to operate, communicate, and more. Some companies found this transition easy, while others had to make a giant leap to digitization. If you fell into the latter category, you likely realized the value of digital tools to improve your operations at the same time as saving on costs.
On the other hand, persuading clients to adopt digital platforms was challenging for service-oriented sectors such as education companies. Now that your customers have widely accepted these methods, you can continue the trend to improve your business and satisfy your customers. Continue this habit and stay up to date with the latest technology to keep your business on the cutting edge.
Opt for Direct-to-Consumer Marketing
In recent years, and especially during the 2020 lockdowns, DTC brands enjoyed an edge over other business models. If your business adopted the DTC model, you would be well served by continuing to operate this way into the future. Customers increasingly prefer to purchase from suppliers directly, which represents an excellent opportunity to rebuild your client base.
Emphasize your Brand Value
The pandemic has taught businesses to retain their existing customers by enhancing their brand value. Spending money on advertising to attract new customers is a waste of time during an economic slump when consumers have very little cash to spend. Instead, concentrating on delivering the best products and highest level of service will get you much better results, while saving you money on advertising and marketing. A quality product will always be in demand, especially in times of crisis.
Author Bio
Sophie is a professional blogger and writer who specializes in marketing and all things web development. She is passionate about traveling and exploring new places.