We all know by now that no industry has escaped COVID-19 unscathed over the past year. Whether they have had to develop new practices or close altogether, countless small businesses have been forced to transform, with many struggling to merely survive, despite the government’s various loans and schemes.
As we enter the period for recovery, it is important that small businesses are strategic about the ways they build themselves back up. With restrictions still in place and the future characteristically uncertain, businesses should ensure that they continue to adapt to a post-COVID landscape.
We propose that one of the most effective ways for small businesses to support their growth is to invest in digital solutions! Thanks to accessible technologies like online feedback forms and other digital methods, it is now more possible for small businesses to make all the changes they need.
Transforming Your Business
Implementing new technologies can help you rethink your current practices, paving the way to more effective operations. As we continue to establish a new normal, being able and willing to transform your business with digital solutions is a must.
Embracing digitalisation in a post-COVID world is not only about making your business safer and protecting it against any future lockdowns or restrictions, but it can also help you become more efficient and attain a competitive edge by remaining as current as possible.
Using Technology to Minimise Contact
Even as restrictions lift, we can likely expect social distancing to remain a big part of all our lives, as we must continue doing what we can to minimise the spread of the virus.
Businesses must therefore do what they can to ensure that their staff and customers are kept safe, and contact is kept to an absolute minimum.
Digital investments and methods like those outlined below are invaluable when it comes to ensuring your business can continue to operate effectively and safely.
Contactless Payments and Data Collection
Ensuring your customers can make contactless payments and access QR codes or forms from their own phones is an absolute essential these days.
Contactless methods give your customers a safer and more seamless experience. For most people now, being able to make payments or access things through a smartphone is an assumed convenience. Continuing without the technology that helps achieve this can put you at a disadvantage.
Online Booking
Online booking is another useful feature for reducing contact between all parties, especially as larger-scale events start becoming more possible.
Online booking can help give you a better picture of how many people will be on your premises, and will help you collect essential details in advance.
It can also free you up from taking bookings through the phone or in person.
Click and Collect Services
For businesses that have had to stay closed during the pandemic, online click and collect or delivery services have been incredibly valuable. This is especially relevant for restaurants and cafes that have been able to reinvent themselves this way.
Having an app that connects to your businesses’ services and makes your customers’ journey even easier is something to consider.
Continuing to offer digital services like these gives customers more options, allowing them the flexibility to enjoy what a cafe or similar establishment has to offer while still feeling like the COVID-19 risk is minimised.
Online Storage Methods
Storing data online through cloud storage methods is also becoming more popular. By moving filing systems online, you can reduce physical waste and minimise clutter, leaving you to focus on the important things like running and improving your business!
Storing data online can also make accessing information from a smartphone or home computer more convenient, meaning that working remotely can be smoother and hassle-free.
Connecting With Your Customers Via Technology
Embracing the digital world can also be beneficial when it comes to communicating with your customers and building up your brand. By establishing a digital presence, you can reach more people and consolidate your messaging across all social media platforms.
Connecting with your customers via social media also means they have a direct line of contact with you, making you seem more open and trustworthy, which can prompt customers to revisit your brand or recommend it.
Ultimately, improving your digital image can help you get seen by the right people, getting you back on track after a difficult year.
Digital Solutions For Sustained Success
Investing in digital solutions is not only about mitigating the effects of COVID-19 and adapting to its challenges, it is also about building new, efficient practices that’ll give you long-term success!
RapidReg was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic as we saw businesses’ increasing need for digital solutions. Why not boost your business today with our range of services that allow you to easily set up registration forms, online booking systems, data capture and more?
