Business Advice - Houzz
WHAT PROFESSIONALS ON HOUZZ
HAVE LEARNT FROM RUNNING A BUSINESS IN 2020
This has certainly been a year like no other with the global COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to live and work in unprecedented ways. Houzz.co.uk, the platform for home renovation and design, has spoken with professionals in its community to discover what they’ve learnt from the experience, how it’s changed their approach and how that might impact the way home renovation pros work in the future.
Technology opens up possibilities After being forced to halt face to face meetings, being able to communicate remotely was vital for professionals this year. This was also an opportunity for many professionals to test out new communication methods. Brian O’Tuama of Brian O’Tuama Architects, an architect on Houzz, explains, “I suppose what this year has taught us most is that we can carry out initial consultations with prospective clients, and conduct some design review meetings with existing clients, using technology platforms. We’ve had many such meetings over the lockdown period and, in the case of prospective clients, have found it so much easier to begin to get to know one another when we can see one another.” Technology has also allowed professionals to speed up business processes and delight their clients in the process, as Dorota Hrstic of Moodesignz, an interior designer on Houzz explains. “The response from our clients has been extremely positive since introducing Houzz Pro to our projects. It allows for smooth, remote communications between us and the client, easy and attractive ‘mood board’ creation and the live budget feature has saved us countless hours already.”
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