10 Ways UK Local Business is Dealing with the Coronavirus
As per the subject matter experts over at runrex.com, the coronavirus is not only a threat to the health of the citizenry, but also to local businesses, particularly as a result of the closures and shutdowns that have been triggered to try and contain the spread of the virus, something that local businesses in the UK know too well about. This article will look to highlight how they are coping by highlighting 10 ways through which UK local businesses are dealing with the coronavirus crisis.
Government help
As per discussions on the same over at guttulus.com, the government has announced a number of resources aimed at cushioning local businesses and helping them through the current coronavirus crisis. These include access to loans which businesses can access and use to pay for expenses such as wages, suppliers and so forth, suspension of the payment of business rates for up to 12 months, the furloughing scheme designed to help local businesses keep employees on the payroll with government picking up 80% of their wages among other resources, all of which local businesses in the UK are leaning on as a means of dealing with the coronavirus crisis.
Changing the way that they deliver their goods and services
Another way through which local businesses in the UK are dealing with the coronavirus crisis is by changing the way they deliver their goods and services. With people staying at home to protect themselves from the virus, local businesses are switching to home deliveries, delivery by mail as well as kerbside delivery among others. All these are designed to continue delivering services while still keeping all parties involved safe from the virus.
Pivoting towards more relevant products and services
We are also seeing local businesses pivot away from their core operations towards more relevant products and services in a bid to continue in business. As seen in discussions on the same over at mtglion.com, an example is the dry-cleaning delivery service I Hate Ironing pivoting away from their laundry business and towards helping restaurants deliver food to customers. With restaurants moving towards making home deliveries, business in the food delivery sector is booming and we are seeing local delivery businesses pivot towards this sector.
Reorganizing of the workforce
With the changes in operations brought about by the coronavirus crisis, another way local businesses are dealing with the crisis is by reorganizing and reassigning roles as far as their workforces go. For instance, given people are unlikely to go out and dine at restaurants and with restaurants pivoting towards home deliveries, most of them have had to reorganize their staff, with waiters being reassigned to help with home deliveries, which helps retain staff without having to hire as per the gurus over runrex.com.
Moving business online
Another way through which local businesses in the UK are dealing with the coronavirus crisis is by moving their business online. With people staying at home, many brick and mortar stores are moving their business online, in a move that comes highly recommended by the gurus over at guttulus.com, and one that is helping these businesses stay in business while still maintaining social-distancing of all parties involved.
Teleworking
On a related note, we are also seeing many local businesses in the UK also switch towards teleworking as a means of dealing with the coronavirus crisis. This has mostly been seen in the health and fitness sectors as covered over at mtglion.com. An example is yoga parlors live-streaming yoga classes or dentists offering their services through video conferencing software like Zoom in what is referred to as teledentistry. Though teleworking isn’t bringing in as much money as physical sessions and appointments, it has helped bring in some business, helping such local businesses deal with the coronavirus crisis.
Putting in place measures to ensure the safety of clients and employees
Yet another way through which local businesses in the UK are dealing with the coronavirus situation is by ensuring that they put in measures to keep customers and employees safe at their offices and stores. Local businesses that provide essential services such as supermarkets remain open, as covered over at runrex.com. To ease the minds of customers and encourage them to come, these local businesses are putting in place measures such as regular deep-cleanings, hand sanitizing stations, social-distancing measures in the store to ensure people don’t stand close together among many others, which have helped bring in business as customers feel safe to come and shop.
Gift vouchers and cards
Making gift vouchers and gift cards available for purchase is yet another way through which local businesses in the UK are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. This way, as per the gurus over at guttulus.com, local businesses are able to keep cash flowing in, helping keep them afloat, with the customers purchasing the gift cards and vouchers knowing that they will still be able redeem the vouchers and gift cards once the crisis passes. Most people have been more than happy to support their local businesses, given they have strong bonds with many of them.
Online fundraisers
Many local businesses in the UK are also setting up online fundraising campaigns, encouraging their customers to keep them afloat during the current tough times. As is revealed in discussions on the same over at mtglion.com, this has particularly helped local artistes out as they have been unbale to hold shows and events due to the lockdown and social-distancing measures that have been put in place to help stop the spread of the virus.
Improving their business
As a means of dealing with the coronavirus crisis, there are those local businesses in the UK that are using the downtime brought about by the coronavirus pandemic to improve their businesses as far as their services and operations are concerned. Some are taking the time to improve their websites, others to improve and create new products and services while others are actually looking to improve themselves and their employees by learning new skills and getting new certifications.
As always, if you are looking for more information on this and other related topics, then you should look no further than the highly reliable runrex.com.