The first quarter of the year 2020 was very unusual – it was the period the world stood still; one we can never forget no thanks to COVID-19 – described as a pandemic threatening the survival of humanity. The impact of the virus is unprecedented in world history. But governments and partners are working assiduously together to stop its transmission and keep children and their families safe through isolation and social distancing.
And to ensure containment, development partners and governments directed that all social and economic activities should be locked down in all the affected nation-states including Nigeria.
It is pointless to say that we are living in a very challenging time, socially, professionally and economically. The current restrictions mean that the business environment is very toughaltering business models for almost all the industry and professions. While some industries (tourism, aviation, and financial services) are on a life support presently, it is a boom period for others (telecoms, healthcare and medical supply, retail and food processing).
So, how best should businesses respond to survive the onslaught? The best approach is to adapt and make the best use of the situation. The other option is to do nothing and perish. But you don’t want to experience that, do you? This is the time to task your brains to do some lateral thinking to generate new ideas which are the stuff of change and progress in every field from science to art, from politics to personal happiness.
There are three kinds of people as are companies: those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who wonder what happened. This challenging time opens a window of opportunity for people who are ready to make things happen to remain in business.
This is one of the best times for businesses to step up to the plate and help their customers in navigating this crisis period. This is the time to deepen your business’s positioning in the minds of stakeholders to be relevant during and post COVID-19 crisis. Below are simple ways of ensuring business continuity in this special period:
All you need is a computer or smartphone plus access to the internet to become a remote worker. The internet givesyou access to cloud-based applications which allows you to do everything in or outside the office. Virtual employees can work anytime of the day as they wish to stay in touch with their stakeholders all over the world thanks to the internet.
Working remotely help you to complete your duties on your own schedules which can result in higher engagement rates and increased productivity levels as well, if well managed, according to Harvard Business Review.
But you must learn a new approach to adapt to working remotely. Here’s how, (courtesy of CMC Connect Limited):
A food vendor and transporter can partner to deliver provisions to homes. Technology consulting firms can partner with a professional body to deliver webinars to their members.
This is the best time to increase your investment in public relations. Almost all the industry and profession have something to say to the virus to navigate the COVID-19 era. Credential experts in medicine, law, finance, HR, technology, media, supply chain management etc. can leverage radio and TV news talk programs to position their brands, and reach more people than they have in years, according to Nielsen. This is one of the times when knowledge or professionalism counts to provide relevant information to customers to manage the crisis.
Brands should constantly update their online profiles – websites and social media handles as the authentic sources of information. Hotlines should be activated as well. Efforts in social listening, media scanning and keyword monitoring should be doubled to quickly respond to any untoward rumour.
In such cases, there are alternative cash-flow management strategies that businesses can use to ease the strain on their working capital such as requesting for a deposit; cutting or delaying expenses; financing purchase orders; and sellinginvoices.
Your organisation must step up to the plate and to adapting tothe current realities. As you already know, this is the era that businesses must demonstrate their nimbleness by quickly and effectively responding to the demands of change while continually delivering high performance.
By Segun McMedal
Segun Mcmedal, leading business communications and public affairs advisor, lives in Lagos.