Coronavirus has forced the majority of companies to shift activity online. Employees are working from home, meetings are happening with the help video of conference apps, and customers are purchasing virtually all non-essential items via the web.

This has caused many small business owners and managers to become worried about lower productivity levels. If employees aren’t in the office, the reasoning goes, they’re more prone to distractions, unable to collaborate, and less likely to meet targets.

But lockdown needn’t negatively affect productivity. In fact, small businesses can leverage remote teams to drive efficiency gains. And these changes can stay in place long after the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

In this post, we’re going to look at six practical ways you can ensure your team stays happy, organized, and productive.

Upgrade Your Project Management Tools

Many businesses rely on outdated or poorly-chosen project management apps. What a lot of business owners don’t understand is that certain types of software are simply not suitable for smaller companies. And even for apps that are designed for SMBs, there can be significant differences between providers.

SMBs that use software designed for enterprises, with complex interfaces and feature-sets, are creating a lot of unnecessary issues for themselves. That’s why it’s important to select software that is designed uniquely for your business. When you have access to exactly the right mix of automation tools, analytics, workflow features, and so on, you’ll instantly see a boost to productivity.

Offer Dedicated Client Portals

Client portals are a relatively new innovation. They’re hands-down one of the easiest ways for small companies to improve their overall customer experience while easing their own workload.

A client portal is essentially a dedicated member area where clients can manage an array of tasks related to your business. These include submitting payments, scheduling appointments, uploading documents, contacting customer support, and more. Customers can complete these tasks whenever it suits them, without any need to speak directly to one of your employees.

Taking care of client-related tasks, especially booking appointments and taking payments, is time-intensive. Shifting these processes online will likely free up a significant amount of time for your team.

Streamline Document Workflows

If your office isn’t yet paperless, now is the time to think about getting rid of traditional document workflows, especially when it comes to contracts and proposals.

Signing contracts and paying for invoices is a laborious process, both for businesses and clients. It usually involves numerous instances of printing, hand-signing, scanning, organizing bank transfers, and so on.

Contract management apps, which are relatively inexpensive, can shave hours off document-related tasks. They enable you to add electronic signature fields to contracts and proposals (allowing clients to sign in seconds), embed payment options, collaborate remotely, and leverage templates for faster document creation.

Build a Complete Video Conferencing Tech Stack

How many video conferencing tools are installed on yours and your team’s computers?

Most businesses will use one or two apps like Skype and Zoom. But this is a mistake. Different clients will have different preferences, and you should cater to these as much as possible.

Everybody has experienced issues when trying to “meet” clients online, many of whom were likely trying to use unknown software for the first time. But when you offer a range of video conferencing solutions, people are much more likely to be familiar with at least one of your apps, which can significantly reduce the time it takes to get meetings up and running.

Maintain Communication Channels With Customers

A large number of companies are worried about losing customers as coronavirus measures continue to impact sales. And they’re unsure about how to restart trade once lockdown measures ease.

This anxiety is understandable. That’s why it’s essential to stay in touch with customers via online channels, leveraging email lists and social media channels. This will positively impact sales while also building longer-term engagement.

It’s a good idea to start testing and implementing a regular content strategy across your existing channels with a view to maintaining relationships. If you’ve been letting your email list and social media pages idle, now is the time to fire them up.

Consider Covering Home-Office Costs

Adding further costs to your existing overheads might seem insane given the present circumstances. Why would cover employee costs when it’s imperative to save money and limit waste?

Well, just hold up a second. Offering to pay for things like laptops, wifi, ergonomic office equipment, and so on, can have benefits from a productivity standpoint. By shaping the way that your employees work, you can eliminate issues like unhealthy environments, poor internet connections, and distractions, all while boosting your team’s satisfaction.

Pinpoint the biggest productivity issues that have arisen as a result of remote working practices, and then consider if you can provide a solution for your employees.

Conclusion

The coronavirus pandemic has already shaken the business landscape in a myriad of ways. And the pace of change is likely to continue unabated even when things do finally return to normal.

Companies that are able to adapt are in a much better position to weather the storm. By implementing well-thought-out strategies, small businesses can bolster productivity, engage clients, and mitigate damage to sales. And in the vast majority of cases, these strategies don’t carry any extra costs. They just need a little open-mindedness and a willingness to try new approaches.