PLANNING

POST COVID-19 TIPS

8 things you can do now to set yourself up for success in the wake of COVID-19. By Taylor Cutler, Director of Marketing, Podium.

With the onset of a global pandemic, every industry is facing its own set of unique challenges, including the self storage industry. Even now, as economies begin to reopen, uncertainty remains high in terms of what the right next step is, how to reopen properly, and what business for the self storage industry will look like in the future.

While this period is a difficult one full of questions, we’ve been encouraged to see how businesses everywhere are finding new and innovative ways to serve their customers. We’ve done our best to compile some tips and tricks from customers and experts alike to help you navigate the difficulties of our current situation and keep your doors open – even when you can’t open your doors.

USE TEXT TO STAY CLOSE TO CLIENTS

As levels of interaction, comfort and direct contact continue to fluctuate, maintaining strong relationships with your customers can be difficult. Use text to strengthen ties with your clients by sending personalised, brief texts with updates, and even short messages of hope. Make sure to keep them well informed of any policy changes, updates on inventory or changes to business hours.

ESTABLISH A CENTRAL LINE OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR TEAM

With some staff still at home, some back in the office, and some navigating new flexibility, feeling close to your staff members can be somewhat of a challenge. Keep communication frequent, personal, and transparent with a central line of communication. With Podium’s Teamchat, you can make sure everyone is on the same page. Even without Teamchat, it’s essential to make sure everyone knows how procedures are changing and how it will affect them. One Podium retailer with locations across the country mass-texted all their employees to establish a central conversation and to process any questions.

MOVE DOCUMENTATION ONLINE

Many customers have moved most, or all, of their paperwork to digital documentation through the power of software systems like DocuSign and eSignature. Not only does this offer ultimate convenience and flexibility to your customers, but it improves the accuracy of your record-keeping, saves staff time tracking and handling paper, and helps your customers to feel safe with social distancing.

UPDATE YOUR BUSINESS LISTING AND INFORMATION

Make sure your new hours are reflected on your Google My Business page and your website. Google has compiled an easy help doc to guide you through those updates, as well as how to create a post and how to communicate other crucial information through your GMB page.

TREAT YOUR WEBSITE LIKE YOUR PRIMARY STOREFRONT

You may have already cut many services or adapted how you do business. Your website is the perfect place to reflect these changes by surfacing commonly asked questions and providing clear ways of contact. Some companies put a textable phone number in large type as the first thing you see. Implement a chat or text tool like Webchat to help your customers know you’re listening and to offer increased transparency and convenience. A storage company we have worked with has seen great success in adding a web chat feature to their site, capturing over 3,000 leads in just 12 months.

OPEN ALL LINES OF COMMUNICATION

It’s even more true today – people want and need a convenient way to contact your business. Your business needs a textable phone number for each storage facility. And you should ensure that customers can contact you through every channel, including Facebook messenger, apple business chat, SMS text, and more. By embracing messaging as a business, you’ll provide your customers with a quick and safe way to find what they need without having to leave home. You’ll also spend less time on the phone and be able to process more requests simultaneously.

OFFER NEW CONTACTLESS WAYS TO PAY

Customers are rightfully wary about passing cash or card right now. Help them to feel comfortable by offering contactless ways to pay. With the right platform, you can make it as easy as texting a link that customers can click to pay when they purchase, eliminating safety concerns and the hassle of saying a card number over the phone.

A storage company we have worked with has seen great success in adding a web chat feature to their site, capturing over 3,000 leads in just 12 months.

REASSURE YOUR CUSTOMERS

Let your customers know what you’re doing to keep them safe. People will be more comfortable doing business with you when they know you take their safety seriously. Please send a message to let your customers know when they can come by, how often you sanitise surfaces or other ways you’ve changed your regular business operations to accommodate them.

We’ve been inspired by the ways businesses everywhere have met current challenges and prepared for success in the future. It’s making everyone recognise what’s been right all along – local business is key to a strong, vibrant, and healthy society. Times are tough, and we don’t know all of what lies ahead; but by taking the right actions now, we can strengthen our companies and communities to last.

Want to get started with any of these tips? Podium can help. Podium’s messaging tools for local business have helped many companies not only to survive this time, but thrive by allowing them to build strong relationships with customers through messaging, increase online presence, and enable teams to chat and collect mobile payments. l

Find out how Podium can help your business transform for the future by visiting podium.com.