How Did Small Businesses Survive the Pandemic
The pandemic left a lot of employees and businesses in situations they had never dreamed of. Some small businesses thrived during the pandemic while others did not. With so many businesses closed down due to local laws and restrictions, it’s hard to imagine any small business surviving. However, no matter how bleak things appeared on the news, many small businesses did make it through the pandemic. Here’s how.
Being Flexible and Creating New Opportunities
Many businesses thrived without having to make very many changes. For example, moving companies remained open during part of the pandemic, followed local ordinances, and were able to grow their business. Businesses involved with moving, including real estate, thrived because many people decided to move out of the big, crowded cities and into the suburbs during the pandemic. Remote Monitoring: Businesses also used remote video monitoring to maintain security, enforce safety, and oversee operations without needing a physical presence.
Other companies weren’t so lucky. For example, fifty-eight percent of non-profits had to significantly scale back their services while thirty-one percent had to let go of their staff. Companies had to adapt to their changing situation or go out of business. Keeping a small business running during the pandemic required new approaches and adjustments. These adjustments consisted of the following:
- Using contactless deliveries: The restaurant industry especially benefited from being able to provide delivery to its customers when customers could not legally be allowed inside stores. Not only that, but curb-side pick-up became a popular choice for both restaurants and their customers.
- Learning new skills: Both employers and employers learned how to do things differently or learn new things altogether. Some of these things included digital tools used for remote communications, learning, and training.
- Adopting new streams of revenue: During the pandemic, many businesses shifted their focus to making products that could help others and had a greater demand, such as hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies.
- Instituting safety measures: When workers were allowed to return, new safety measures like plexiglass barriers were installed to keep everyone safe and distant.
- Adding new technology: New technology allowed businesses who operate in offices to switch to a completely remote workforce overnight.
New Pandemic Business Practices
According to SmartMove, during the pandemic, 20% of the small business workforce was unemployed, which meant more people were at home since there was nothing else to do. Many businesses changed the way their business functioned because they had no choice during the pandemic since more consumers were home.
Online Practices
Many small businesses had to create different processes to handle customer requests, especially if their business was online. For example, many people used their spare time and stimulus checks to shop online during the pandemic. This led to a need for more customer service representatives to take on requests, fill orders, and clean products.
In terms of customer service, many companies discovered new technologies that would help them better serve their customers. Instead of having customers call, they asked them to use a live online chat so they could cater to multiple customers at a time and help speed up the process.
Safety Practices
Many of those in the service industry that conduct house visits, such as Internet Service Providers, had to come up with a way to limit their worker’s exposure when going into people’s homes. Instead of following the same practice, which put workers at risk of contracting COVID-19, many found ways to teach their customers how to fix their problems through DIY tutorials online, or over the phone.
Sales Processes
To limit the time salespeople spent in person, many businesses decided to shift from a combination of face-to-face meetings to a telesales process. This sales process had to meet the needs of the customer and include things like presentations via Zoom, digital applications, and approvals. Telesales saves time and increases productivity because salespeople don’t have to schedule their meetings as far apart.
Virtual Opportunities
One thing many small businesses were able to take advantage of was the fact they could perform their services online. Even doctors began more virtual appointments than ever before and only asked patients to come into their office for urgent matters or tests. Some healthcare providers also integrated a HIPAA compliant chat SDK into their platforms to provide their patients with the best virtual healthcare experience.
Service-based businesses like dog trainers, workforce training companies, and digital marketing agencies began conducting all of their business online. Software companies such as ServiceTitan or Salesforce were also able to keep their business running virtually with many companies realizing remote work could be a permanent possibility. Even colleges and universities took advantage of these virtual opportunities because it meant not shutting down completely but shifting the way things are done. After all, not everything has to be done in person to be done correctly.
Remote Workforces
Perhaps one of the most significant benefits for employees that came out of pivoting business structures is the remote workforce. Before the pandemic, many companies did not have a remote workforce, but since the pandemic began, many Americans are enjoying remote work because it gives them a better work-life balance. This gave people better flexibility to work at their own pace and at their own time.
This has also been proven to benefit one’s mental health because they are surrounded by loved ones in a safe and comfortable environment.
Not only that, but if employers shift to completely remote work, then they can save their business money by reducing overhead costs. Also, employees can save prices on gas as they are not having to commute every day. Another benefit for companies with remote workforces is it allowed them to find the best candidates for the job since they were no longer limited by location or surrounding areas. They could hire remote developers and other specialists from all over the world and tap into a global talent pool. Remote workforces are one of the hottest topics today as more companies ask their employees to return to the office. We are now seeing many companies adopt a hybrid schedule which combines in person work and remote, giving employees the benefits of both schedules.
Adapting Saved Small Businesses
Many innovations that small businesses discovered during the pandemic are sure to last. Small businesses that remained flexible during the pandemic were able to find ways to survive it. Some may not have found solutions immediately, but they were able to stay afloat until they found something that worked for them.
There is not one reason why these small businesses survived and thrived during a time when many closed their doors, but being able to adapt to the changing needs of customers, partners, and the world was what kept them going. This pandemic has shown us that small businesses can come out on top if they are willing to adapt to change and come up with innovative resolutions.
