6 STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS TODAY
We know times are tough. It’s a time of great uncertainty and its hard to know what is right for your business., It’s harder still to know what’s best for your business, your staff and for you, the owner. We know that most people are making it up as they go along, sticking with what works, and getting rid of that which doesn’t. We’ve done a round-up with some useful tips and ideas to support you!
Being there for your customers
In Serving meals and delivering food to your customers, you are providing a vital service to your local area. Call out that you are offering a service to the community.
Adopt ‘Assurance – Assistance – Action’ framework
Emotions and anxieties are running high right now, so it’s a good idea to remember this when you communicate with customers. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to be positive and reassuring. The below are key considerations to remember when you’re communicating.
Assurance – Assure your customers you are taking every precaution in alignment with the guidance from the HSE and keeping all your staff and customers safe
Assistance – Highlight that while you are open for delivery you can assist your customers
Action – Communicate to your customers, tell them about your menu /specials / deliveries
To help you out with this one, check out our pre-made social media posts. These were developed to help you remain front of mind for customers, with various ideas on how to give updates, stay positive and communicate your offers.
Provide an alternative customer service experience online vs offline
It’s not surprising that people are very concerned about hygiene right now. Reassuring your customers that you’re doing everything you can to make the process of ordering food and getting it delivered is as safe as possible. Why not promote and encourage people to request a completely contactless delivery service when they order? This will assure your customers that you are following the correct guidelines, but also thinking outside the box to ensure their safety is the priority.
Revise your menu and Offers
At this time, you don’t need to offer your full menu, with staffing issues being a constraint offering your key core favorites can be enough and your customers will understand. Keep profitability a key focus when choosing your new smaller menu. We’ve given it some thought, and come up with some ideas, inspiration and advice to help future-proof your menu. You can read more about How to Optimise your Menu here.
Focus on being the best of you #bekind
Remember you have been in business for a long time and that you have a core loyal customer base. With the possibility of have a reduction in competition now is the time to integrate yourself into your community even further. Engaging with local initiatives online or taking part in campaigns such as #SupportLocal will do a lot to endear people to you and your business at this time. People want to see that their local business people are pulling together through these uncertain times.
Get Signed Up for Online Ordering
There’s never been a better time to think about going online, and we even a package set up for our Food Alliance customers! Check it out here.
