“This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
In these uncertain times, it can be scary to move forward with anything. The worst part is the not knowing. I get it. But really, this is the best time to get in front of people because, now more than ever, they have the time to really listen. This is the time when people have more time available and are more likely to click on your links, follow you or notice your message. This is the time, more than ever, to connect and promote your business solutions in response to social distancing.
The first thing people should hear from you is that you are taking this health emergency seriously and state the measures you are taking on your website and social media.
The second thing to do is take action to help and provide your services virtually. There are a lot of virtual solutions to maintain your business and even grow it! We have had several clients, over the last week, implement new technology to maintain and even grow their business!
Discover New Revenue Streams
With many brick-and-mortar stores following guidelines to close temporarily, more and more people will be shopping online. Having customers buy directly off your website is a great solution.
Implementing virtual technologies has allowed food service companies to stay available to their current clients and opened them up to an untapped market of new clients. Food Network TV star and Chef Tom Pizzica has started a meal delivery service for with contactless delivery and electronic payments. He has already delivered meals to high-risk people in quarantine and an untapped market of hospital staff and first responders that can’t “shelter in place”. Upper Crust Pizza & Italian Restaurant in Shamong, NJ settled on a food delivery and curbside pickup solution which we helped install on their website.
Virtual Gift Cards
Virtual, voucherless gift cards require no physical handling and may be easier to implement than you think. Some restaurants discovered that such a solution was already available through their current POS software. Salons like Follicles Hair Salon in Philadelphia, PA will start using an existing gift card solution from Square, which was already their current payment gateway!
Virtual Meetings & Private Sessions
Virtual meetings are now not just for work teams. Music lessons or private therapy sessions have grown over the last few years but now it makes more sense than ever. Sunny Days, Inc. has been doing virtual interventions for years now. We produced their virtual intervention therapy video below in 2013!
Doctors going Virtual
Currently, medical professionals will need a virtual face-to-face solution for their patients, including a way to accept payment in full in advance of their sessions. Medical practices like South Jersey Periodontics & Dental Implants, LLC is implementing virtual appointments which will allow patients to submit their medical forms, x-rays, and photos via their website. In-person appointments can be made for x-rays, with the follow-up consults happening over Skype. This results in a private and safer visit while eliminating the need for the waiting room and efficiently reducing the initial visit time by more than 50%!
Google has rolled out free access to their advanced Hangouts Meet videoconferencing capabilities to all G Suite customers globally until July 1, 2020. We have also set up a few clients on Skype, GoToMeeting, and WebEx for virtual meetings and integrated them into their websites. Square Appointments has proven to be a very flexible solution for professional therapists needing to book and accept payments in advance. It’s a perfect solution for small businesses because it’s free for individuals and very affordable for organizations with multiple associates. Best of all, we can install it and have our clients use it within a day.
Web Streaming & Live Webcasts
Affordable live streaming or webcasting services are the perfect virtual solution for company town halls or annual meetings that are normally held in large meeting spaces. We are able to embed the streams right on the client’s websites using YouTube which also makes it immediately available after the stream has ended. Live streams also allow for questions and comments in real-time from viewers anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
We will get through this, and it looks like many businesses will be better for it. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his first inaugural address, “This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself .”
Contact us today if you’d like to discuss any of the virtual solutions discussed in this article for your organization.