Reopening Your Business Premises After Lockdown: Why Communication Is Key

by Startacus Admin

After nearly three months, the UK’s lockdown is finally easing, with stores slowly reopening and life attempting to return to normal.

As there is still no vaccine for the Coronavirus pandemic that caused the lockdown, many consumers are, understandably, concerned for their safety, and staff are equally worried about returning to work.

If your small business is preparing to reopen, then you’ve probably got a lot to deal with, but one of the most crucial components of your reopening plan needs to be communication.

For anyone who thinks that communication is the least of their worries, here’s a list of reasons why communication is the key to reopening successfully and how you can use it to benefit your business.

Communication Can Help You To Reassure Your Staff

Thanks to the pandemic, the workplace that your employees return to will be very different from the one that they left. There will be many new safety procedures in place, but if you don’t inform your staff, then they might not be willing to return to work.

If your staff don’t return to your workplace, then it will be tough to reopen it on schedule, so you need to support your team and communicate closely with them throughout the reopening process.

It Ensures Customers Feel Supported

It’s not just your staff who need communicating with; your customers also need to know what’s going on and how your business is adapting to the current situation. The easiest way to reach a wide audience and update everyone on what your business is doing to keep staff and customers safe is to share posts on social media.

Creating impactful social media marketing campaigns can be a challenge, so work with a social media agency that has helped out similar businesses to yours. They can help you to devise a strategy that will keep your customers informed throughout the reopening process and beyond. They can manage your social media accounts and save your team time and effort, which they can then put into reopening your business. Shop around and get the right support and package for your business. For example, there’s The Small Biz Expert who specialise in social media for small businesses that need a more affordable solution. 

It Shows That Your Business Is Still Functioning

Many companies have struggled with the economic effects of the lockdown, and as a result, they are remaining shut or even closing down indefinitely.

Your customers won’t know that your business is still functioning and that it plans to reopen unless you tell them. As such, regular communication and updates are essential if you want to ensure that when you do reopen your doors, there are customers waiting outside of them.

Communication Improves Continuity and Compliance

While non-essential shops and other businesses are now allowed to reopen, there are still restrictions and guidelines in place to help keep the UK public safe. Your business needs to comply with these restrictions to ensure the safety of its staff and customers. Complete compliance will also help you to make sure that your company doesn’t get slapped with a fine or closed down.

Keeping your staff updated about these developments and the rules that your business has in place for customers is the only way you can ensure compliance. Use an instant messaging app to quickly update team members and ensure that they know exactly what’s going on in your workplace. 

In such turbulent times, it’s vital that you work hard to reassure your stakeholders that you’re reopening your business safely. Understanding the importance of communication and how to use it to your advantage is key. This article should help you to understand the part that good communication has in your reopening strategy, so that can get your business up and running quickly and effectively.

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Published on: 18th June 2020