Covid-19 Coping Tips for SMEs

Keeping your business running and afloat is very challenging. Doing it while in the middle of a pandemic is not only laborious; it can also stretch you thin. Many businesses around Australia are affected by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. During the early days of lock down, sales petered out as many citizens were advised to stay indoors. Now that many states are open Australia-wide, businesses still have to cope with health measures such as frequent hand washing and sanitizing of premises.

If you’re an SME who find these times grueling, we have some tips to help you and your business cope better.

Analyze Your Current Financial Standing

During these pandemic times, cash flow is critical. For many businesses, existing income and trade is already disrupted by Covid-19 so your ability to pay outstanding debts, keep employees or meet existing leasing or loan repayments will be determined by your financial position.

If you still haven’t, contact your accountant to discuss various options so that you can make informed decisions about your business. This is a good way to come up with a plan on how you can minimize the impact of the pandemic on your business.

Contact Bank & Insurer

Many banks offered loan deferments to SMEs during the Covid-19 crisis and many still do. Contact your bank or financial lender to avail and discuss arrangements for relief for mortgages or loans. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) also authorized insurance companies and brokers to offer payment deferrals and refunds to businesses impacted by Covid-19. Suncorp, Allianz, QBE Insurance as well as any other insurers or insurance brokers who choose to take part, as long as they notify the ACCC.

Communicate with Stakeholders

The Covid-19 pandemic’s impact is worldwide. However, it is still important to communicate to stakeholders about what is happening with your business. For example, your employees will need to know how your decisions will impact them. Your debtors will also be contacting or has contacted you regarding payments or overdue accounts. Negotiating with them will let you see which payments you will be able to defer.

Customers should also be updated as to your new business hours, product/service availability or changes in delivery time and shipping. Your social media accounts are good platforms for reaching out. You can also communicate through your website or through email newsletters.

Seek Advice On Deferring Tax Payments

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) can grant you a deferral of certain tax obligations if your business is impacted by COVID-19. However, tax deferments can impact your eligibility for other government stimulus packages.

Talk To Your Landlord

Your landlord should also be briefed regarding your current financial status. You can talk to them to talk about deferring rent for the meantime or to reduce amount paid for a couple of months or to ask them not to increase rent while the pandemic is ranging. Communicating clearly can help you come to a negotiation. Landlords tend to be flexible especially to long-term tenants and those that pay their rent religiously. Most of them would also rather negotiate payment rather than have their space sit empty for months.

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Easy Ways To Look And Sound Better During Video Calls

Months after the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, many Australians are being asked to stay at home again. Just recently Melbourne has recorded 400 new cases despite lockdown measures to more than 5 million residents. Victoria, the state surrounding Melbourne has also recorded over 400 new cases, a daily increase higher than any part of the country.

Melbourne has been experiencing a spike in Covid-19 cases since mid-June, a different scenario from the rest of the country which has successfully contained the virus. This is why the city is undergoing a new 6-week lockdown in a bid to slow down the spread of infection. With many businesses and offices closed again, people are once again turning to the internet to continue working.

But it’s not just Melbourne. Many cities and countries are experiencing spikes due to reopening and easing of lockdown measures. With cases piling around the world, we may be making video calls for a lot longer which is why finding ways to look and sound better during Zoom and Skype calls is important.

Here are some tips.

Lighting

Let there be light! Natural if you can manage. Even if you’re just using your laptop camera, make sure that you have some lighting so that your face can be seen clearly by the other participants. You don’t need a thousand-dollar studio set up, you just need a couple of lights and make sure that they are positioned correctly.

Sitting with your back to the window or light source will leave you under exposed so you won’t look good. Sitting in front of a light isn’t also pleasant. Try to find a balance where you can sit in an angle for a Rembrandt-like effect. A directional lamp or an LED panel can make a big difference to your video quality.

Get A Better Webcam

Even the best lighting and lighting techniques can fail if your webcam sucks. Most webcams especially those embedded in laptops don’t have high quality cameras that can stream 720p. Low resolution cameras make videos look old and have poor autofocus.

Upgrading your camera to an external webcam is easy. Brands like Logitech Brio 4K support high-definition video calls and HDR. Another alternative is to buy or use your DSLR. Using a capture card, you can send the video signal from your DSLR to your computer and turn it into the most expensive webcam you own. Capture cards can cost around $100, so this setup isn’t cheap.

You can also use your smartphone. Most smartphone cameras have autofocus and can perform real-time white balance and color correction adjustments. Apps like EpocCam can turn your smartphone camera into a webcam easily and can work via WiFi or through direct USB connection.

Buy A Dedicated Mic

Since your upgrading your work-at-home setup you should also get a dedicated microphone in order to improve audio. A headphone with a mic or a separate microphone can do wonders in terms of audio fidelity and help get rid of background noise.

However, even the greatest microphone in the world can’t get rid of the sound of screaming kids in the background. This is where noise cancelling software comes in. Apps like Noise Blocker and NoiseGator can help you get rid of background noise, making it easier for viewers to understand you.

Better Is Better Than Perfect

Improving your home office set up does not mean to say that it has to be perfect. All you need to do is to make the quality better from the original one. You can make the improvements gradual or you can do it slowly. It all depends on the need and your budget.

We all have the urge to look better on camera, so make it a habit to dress up (at least on top) and to wear makeup or groom yourself to make sure that you’re always ready to answer a video call.

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Delivery Tips For Online Sellers

Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases are rising again in the Australia. Melbourne is currently under lockdown after reporting and upward trend mainly due to businesses being reopened despite the continued threat of the disease.

As an effort to stem the rise of infections, many Australian business owners are turning to deliveries to limit face-to-face interactions with customers. However, most store owners depend on Australia Post (AusPost) as the main courier for their goods. While this is a good option for country-wide deliveries, it can be a bit troublesome for local deliveries.

 Local deliveries give you more control over how and when packages are delivered. This provides a better shopping experience for your customers. Also, offering same-day deliveries can make you stand out against competitors.

If you’re thinking about delivering locally to customers, here are some useful tips to consider.

Look for The Best Delivery Option

Finding a low-cost delivery option is always the best way to proceed with local delivery. In Australia, there are many 3^rd party delivery services you can hire to reach customers county-wide and locally.

For local food delivery, you can reach out to services like Menulog, Deliveroo and Postmates. This kind of delivery service partners with local restaurants so that you can deliver to 90% of addresses in the whole of Australia. Their local services is very popular and are downloadable for Android and iPhone users.

Uber is also popular in Australia. You can partner with them to deliver groceries, parcels and other goods to customers. They are available in major Australian cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

CouriersPlease and Same Day Express are another popular 3^rd party delivery services in the country. They usually deliver parcels locally, nationally and internationally.

Before booking any of these services, take a look at how much they charge per delivery. Who shoulders the delivery cost? How will customers react to an additional $8-10 as delivery fee?

Timing is also important. For food, it should get there in less than 1 hour, parcels within the day. Make sure that you understand timing because it has a big impact on customer experience.

Deliver Orders Yourself

This is another option you can consider for local deliveries. If you have a vehicle then perhaps you can skip the 3^rd party service and do it yourself. This will not only allow you to control the pricing better but the timing too.

You can set up a cut off for orders so that you can deliver them the same day and then head off to deliver parcels after cut off. For food, you can deliver to nearby areas via bike. You also have the option of renting or buying a scooter for deliveries. This mode makes it easier to reach customers faster and farther away. DIY delivery gives you better control and also ensures that customers get their food and packages on time.

Curb Side Collection or Pickup

This is another good option that limits your customer’s exposure to other people. You can offer your products to be picked up either by the curb side or inside your store. This is a good choice for many kinds of businesses like food, groceries, hardware, pharmacies, meat shops and dry-goods.

Customers can order by phone, online or through your store’s app. Once you receive their order you prepare the order and they will pick it up. This is a good idea because customers don’t have to spend a lot of time inside your store or restaurant and you can schedule deliveries so that they are on their way out almost immediately.

Compare and Experiment

Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business a long time, every order is exciting. It might take some time before you find a delivery mode that works for you so make sure you asses your strategy from time to time. Don’t be afraid to explore and experiment different delivery modes because it will give you a chance to evolve and meet new customers.

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Connecting With Customers In The Time Of Covid-19

The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic has forced millions of people indoors and the closure of many businesses around the world. As humans are adjusting to the impact the disease has on the population and business, many are forced to look for ways to adapt to the “new normal” since the disease continues to infect people worldwide.

As a business owner, you might have been obligated to find new ways to stay in touch with customers during the pandemic. If you’re struggling to retain customers or maybe you want to find out how to make things work, we have some tips for you.

Sympathize with Customers  

Everybody is affected by this pandemic. It’s not just the senior citizens who are vulnerable to the disease or the health workers that put their lives at risk in order to take care of sick patients. It is everybody, from the factory worker to the CEO of a company. Even kids are affected by the pandemic since many are obligated to stay indoors or to stop physically go to school.

In times like this, it is important to show your humanity and sympathize with customers. In email newsletters or any communication you send to them, it is important that selling is interspersed with signs of compassion, sympathy and understanding.

So don’t just sell. Be there for customers. Despite lifting of many restrictions by governments around the world, many of them are choosing to self-isolate to protect their families.

You can ask them how they are managing with their work-from-home arrangements; how they’re handling the stress and what they’re doing in order to cope. Kindness doesn’t cost anything so don’t be afraid to show this to customers. 

Continue Engagement On Social Media

Since many people are still stuck at home, social media is one of the ways they get in touch with the outside world. So don’t neglect this platform in your business. Continue to post relevant content and engage customers on social medial. They might have questions regarding your store hours, whether you deliver or if shipments are still ongoing.

As stated above, some of them might be isolated and feel lonely. In some cases, your friendly “face” is better than having nobody to chat with. Don’t be afraid to get friendly with them. Make sure that you continue to engage customers and answer questions enter discussions with them or just say hello back. Just don’t forget to keep it professional and to only pass reliable information to them.

What Can You Do For Them?

You also need to ask yourself what you can do for them. During this pandemic, many people are active with social causes and perhaps you can join your customers in this kind of campaign. You can also ask them what they need since you engage them regularly.

For instance, perhaps they need more supply of a certain product, maybe the need support in terms of after sales or they need more instructions on how to use your product. You will know the answer to these if you engage with them and ask them what they need from your business.

Feedback is always good. You might not like what customers say, but knowing their thoughts, feelings and having access to their suggestions can help you improve. Remember that even though the whole world is in the midst of this pandemic, life and business still goes on.

Wrap-up

Customers are the life blood of a business. Without customers, there is no need to open shop even if it is online. Customers always remember businesses that treat them well and they will repay you for it (no pun intended!) Therefore, continuing to engage customers and communicating with them is an affordable investment businesses can do in this time of pandemic.

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How To Reopen & Stay Healthy During The Pandemic

Many businesses in Australia are now open for business. For many states, it is now back to normal. However, we all know that the virus is still out there. While Australia has managed to flatten the curve, the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is still present in the country so many minimum public health standards are still in place.

For example, social distancing rules are still in place in all states. Due to rising cases in cities like Melbourne, the Melbourne Rail, Tram and Bus Union are pushing to make mask wearing mandatory to protect their members. Since coronavirus is still present in the country, how do you reopen your business safely without compromising the health of your employees?

Here are some tips.

Safety First

Safety should always be the first priority for businesses. While businesses are now essentially back to normal, work at home policy should still be an option for employees. Remote working is nothing new and is a good way to combat spread of the virus. If you have employees who prefer to work at home during the pandemic, it is better to have this option not only to keep them happy but also to keep them safe.

In this day and age, an overabundance of caution is welcome. For example, businesses should require employees to stay home if they are feeling fatigued, have covid-19 symptoms like cough, cold, diarrhoea and flu, temperature checks should also be conducted before entering the work place. Most of all, employees should practice proper hygiene all the time. Hand washing, proper cough and sneezing etiquette as well as having hand sanitizers all over the office should be the norm.

This kind of basic safety procedures at work can reduce transmission, separate sick employees and increase Covid-19 awareness among them. Above all, always follow safety guidelines issued by government health agencies.

Maintain A Healthy Work Environment

It’s not just businessmen and employees that need to adapt to Covid-19. Your business also needs to adapt in order to stop the spread of disease. For example, businessmen should consider improving the ventilation system of their offices or work place. There should also be a plan for regular disinfection especially for high-touch areas such as door knobs, counters, tables and computer equipment.

Reduce face-to-face meetings as much as possible. Consider barring unnecessary work travel too. Not only will this limit the exposure of your employees, it will also limit the exposure of your whole team and their families.

Since Covid-19 cases are on the rise in some cities and states in the country, businesses should also consider a Plan B and address how it will operate should employee absenteeism due to employees falling sick because of it. This is very important especially for businesses like factories and other businesses that rely heavily on physical labor.

Wrap-Up

The opening of businesses is necessary in order to restart the economy. This is why businesses should find a way to balance employee health safety and profits.  Covid-19 is likely to stick around for a while, what with the rise in cases not just in Australia but also around the world. Finding ways to stop the spread and contain the disease should always be a priority with businesses locally and internationally.

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