As the world isolates and small business confidence plunges to its lowest level in years, connection is becoming increasingly important. It’s important for neighbours, trying to rally community support and spirit. For small businesses, possibly the worst affected by this crisis, as they struggle to adapt to the pressures of constantly changing regulation and demands. Now more than ever, for these small businesses, connection is crucial.
Despite the wave of Government support offered, SMEs are now very much at the mercy of sympathetic landlords, employees and customers. For all of them, maintaining regular communication is vital. The landlords would, of course, have considered tenants’ business results and history. They would also, though, have considered the relationship they have with their tenant based on their interaction over the last months, years, even decades. Connection counts.
SME employees need to know what their future holds. They need clarity over whether the Government’s “jobkeeper” wage subsidy will be a safeguard to keep them employed. If their role is secure, they need to be kept motivated and busy while working from home. Again here, the key is communication.
Customers are, of course, particularly important and this is where technology holds the key. Staying afloat will depend on the loyalty of customers and the ability of SMEs to adapt to what their customers want. In both cases, regular communication through social media, dedicated business apps and online advertising is a huge advantage. Customers need to know if cafes are still open for take-away coffee, if restaurants are now delivering, if yoga studios are offering classes through Zoom. SMEs need to know if they are pivoting in the right direction for their customers – if discounts are what they’re after or the community feel generated from going to a local business – and what they can be doing to ensure they maintain a strong, two-way connection.
SMEs have an advantage over their bigger counterparts in their ability to be nimble and adapt to this rapidly changing situation and to their needs of their customers. Cheap and easy to use technology exists that enables SMEs to create platforms to communicate with their customers. SMEs need to take advantage of this and to utilise it to make sure they stay, in their customers’ eyes, as part of their daily life and community.
Regular communication also leads to understanding and tolerance both of which are increasingly important during this unprecedented crisis. Whether it’s a late rent payment or delays on a delivery, if communication is open and regular, small businesses can be given the room to properly communicate with their customers at a time when this is needed most. People will be more understanding, even appreciative of the effort because of the circumstances that COVID-19 has caused. A personal approach is one of the greatest advantages of SMEs and communicating above and beyond customer service will be appreciated. Consider too that many people have more time on their hands at the moment and a good online review goes a long way.
In this time of uncertainty, people are looking for normality, for elements of their usual life. Having lost the physical connection to many of the SMEs they regularly connect with, an email update, Facebook advertising message or text can make a huge difference to people. Now is the time for SMEs to strengthen their connection. Those that do will create a strong and loyal community that will see them through this period of crisis and emerge strong than ever in happier times.
Max Bluvband, Founder and CEO, AppsVillage
