Introduction
There is absolutely no doubt that the majority of the previous two years have taught business some really powerful lessons in a global disaster, such as the Covid-19 pandemic that started in the latter part of 2019.
There was no forewarning for the disaster that hit, and businesses worldwide were faced with immediate closure to prevent the highly contagious virus from sweeping the whole planet even more than it already did.
For those businesses that had to forcibly close their doors and halt their daily activities in fear of breaking the law and facing significant monetary fines, there was a real fear that this disaster could be the demise of their business trading. For some, this was the unfortunate truth.
As time moved on throughout the different stages of the disaster, the enforced closures, the reopenings, and subsequent closures repeated the cycle throughout the virus taking hold.
Many small businesses and colossal conglomerate businesses alike discovered that they were not prepared with alternative ways of trading when the pandemic halted the face-to-face consumer world.
However, on the polar opposite side of the fence, some businesses made digital and alternative transitions for their businesses very swiftly to ensure their revenues in the face of a global disaster were, at the very least, upheld.
Some businesses were even started in the face of the enforced closures and thrived throughout the pandemic situation.
So, the question is, how did the businesses that thrived or transitioned their operational models throughout the pandemic meet the new normal that may stick around for longer than the virus did?
They pivoted and implemented rapid business change, sought assistance from business transformation consultants, and moved their business needs to other available avenues.
Is The Business Equipped To Rapidly Change In The Face Of Disaster?
Recognition
Recognising whether your business can be buoyant in the face of a disaster that may restrict business operational requirements is a vital element in planning for the eventualities you may not have any control over, such as a pandemic or a digital crash, for example.
Changing or at least implementing a plan B to your business may seem like the complete opposite of what you have learned to achieve the company in the first instance. Still, disasters have unpredictability, and disasters have no rules. When it comes to revenue and continuing to receive revenue and keep a high level of customer attention and retention, you need to be able to meet demand and offer goods and services in multiple ways.
Questions To Ask
A great list of checkpoints to see if your business is geared up for an unprecedented disruption is as follows:
- Can I offer reassurance to new and existing customers in uncertain circumstances?
This is basically saying that your business can still fulfill the demand of any new and existing customers who rely on your goods or services.
- Can I uphold or amend my supply chain?
When disaster strikes, does your business have the ability to maintain the current supply chain to keep your business operational, and do you have alternative base sources you can rely on if your primary sources fail?
- Can I alter my non-essential products into something essential?
When times are hit hard, people often focus on essential items and services as a priority. So can you adapt your non-essential goods and services into something essential to keep the business moving
- How many different ways can I sell my goods and services?
Adapting the routes in which you can sell your goods and services to include all avenues, such as online, face to face, on social media, and via telephone or email, can make sure that your catch net is strong enough to pivot to other ways when one of the avenues faces disaster.
Creating A Plan Of Action
Once there has been recognition, and all the questions have been asked around how your business can pivot and transform in the face of potential disaster, an action plan will be required. This plan can be as comprehensive or as simple as you need it to be for your business.
Of course, each different business sector will require other elements of the plan to be taken into consideration. Still, the most important element to remember is that it needs to be well prepared enough to implement with very little notice.
Elements of the plan may include:
- Do I have a website ready to direct customers in case of a face-to-face closure?
- How do I let my customers know where to find us when the doors are locked?
- Do I have a list of customers or a way to find them?
- How can I alert my customers of immediate changes beyond my control?
- Do I have alternative premises to work from?
- Can I deliver my goods and services in an amended way?
All of these considerations of a transformational business plan, and more besides, can make sure that when a disaster strikes and you must change the way you operate your business, that you can quickly pivot to a business plan that can operate just as functionally when one or more of the main business routes are removed through disaster or enforced restrictions.
Conclusion
Businesses are fragile entities in a continually changing world; competition is higher than it has ever been in most industries around the world.
Without the implementation of change, businesses and companies risk potentially having their operational weak points exposed when faced with a global disaster.
Unless businesses adapt and implement rapid business transformation strategies, there is a real risk of failure and business collapse if another disaster hits your industry and forces you to manoeuvre your business in another direction for success, and you are unable to do so.
Rapid Business Transformation implements change on your terms, not in response to dictated restrictions forced by a time of crisis.
