Following the New York Times’ coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve compiled a list of business lessons to help startups and small businesses operate in a post-pandemic world.
We started our list with a concept that runs through the entire exercise: the importance of being agile and flexible.
Few companies survived or thrived in 2020-2022 By maintaining the status quo. Winners have adapted their products and services or pivoted to new products to meet changing consumer needs.
- Be agile and flexible. The world of business is more volatile than ever, and businesses must be able to adapt quickly to change. Think of the distilleries that started producing hand sanitizer early in the pandemic, or the fashion houses that started sewing masks. E.-Commerce is an even broader example. Of course, no one could have predicted the pandemic, nor could they have predicted the kind of outcome that followed, like the explosion of e-commerce. However, those businesses culturally and operationally prepared to pivot Contributions to e-commerce have been rewarded.
- find peace in some version of Remote work: As we reported in The Start newsletter, the debate over working from home and returning to the office isn’t going to end anytime soon. Productivity research is giving backers more impetus, but many employees are accustomed to working from home and don’t seem willing to stop working from home altogether. Even if a company wants to keep its employees on-site, it may need to offer remote work options to attract and retain top talent. Depending on the industry, some form of he WFH or hybrid WFH should be expected. stay real Many years to come.
- Focus on customer experience. More than ever, consumers are choosing not only the products and services they purchase, but also the whole experience Accompanying the purchase. Whether in retail, food and beverage, or even healthcare, customers expect more. It starts at the moment of customer interaction, continues until the moment of purchase, and beyond. Focus on customer experience It helps us build data about the market, address customer pain points, and improve our products and services.
- Embrace digital. The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of the business world, but the post-corona era will be just as tough. This could mean moving to cloud-based infrastructure. Or maybe you’re adopting a new digital marketing strategy. In the world of food and drink, For example, that means creating and improving how consumers can order online for seamless pickup and delivery. Whether customer demand or operational efficiency is driving your digital initiatives, now is not the time to back down.
- your Presence on social media. Even small businesses can benefit from the presence of social media, which provides a way to connect with customers and promote products and services. without spending a lot of time, Social media is a welcoming and inexpensive way for customers to find your business. A good place for your customers to ask questions and make comments. Unless you have a team to compete against it, and how many small businesses have such a team? Don’t try to be good at every social media platform or predict social media trends. Establish or improve your presence on the platform that’s right for you and be welcoming, responsive, and engaging.
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Finally, although this lesson is so comprehensive that it will not be numbered, make collecting and interpreting data and analysis as part of your daily routine as much as possible. The data that helps you capture customer behavior, track progress, and identify trends makes you more informed and confident in your business decisions.
of The New York Times report we mentioned came in morning The newsletter noted that the United States has reached a COVID-19 milestone.
“The total number of Americans dying every day from any cause is no longer an anomaly in historical terms.” In other words, the Covid-19 pandemic surge in what experts call “excess mortality,” deaths above normal expectations, is over.
This welcome news may not come as a surprise.it has Felt For some time after the pandemic is over, even if the lingering death toll and infection statistics from the new coronavirus remind us of its still unsettling persistence.
But we welcome this milestone as we prepare ourselves for whatever new challenges lie ahead.
version of This article originally appeared in StartupNation’s new weekly newsletter, The Start. click here subscribe!
Photo by Alena Shekhovtcova