What to do if your business switches to online, delivery during coronavirus crisis

The effect of the coronavirus plague is that some businesses have found themselves unable to keep thriving with walk-in customers coming in to buy goods. Many people have limited their movements and confined themselves to limited geographic spaces as everyone seeks to break spread of the virus. Restrictions on human mobility have been applied in many parts of the world, through in different measure.

Restricted human movement implies that businesses, especially located away from residential areas, will experience significant drops in sales. Many people may resort to buying daily requirements within their close neighbourhood and this will affect major shopping centres which are usually located close to the middle of urban centres. Also many other businesses, including those strategically located along roads leading out of urban centres to residential areas will experience the same challenge.

It is advisable therefore that for those businesses that can and for which it is relevant and necessary, to switch to online marketing and selling, coupled with delivery services to client’s premises. This may apply for businesses trading in fast moving perishables that have been running on huge numbers of walk-in clients to sell off their merchandise, which have been given the green light by the government to keep open. If a business decides go online, the sudden switch will not be as systematically planned as for a business that was already doing this even during ordinary times. The ad-hoc adoption of online advertising, negotiations, selling and then delivery can significantly alter customer experience and the entire selling process.

The challenges that come with online services
To begin with, a business that switches to online marketing and selling, and deliveries will not be used to handling online customer feedback and yet many of the customers will shift from verbal communication during their walk-ins to online reactions, often posted on the company’s business platforms which is viewed by the entire public. The benefit of confidential handling of customer frustrations and complaints thus gets lost, and with it the potential of a getting a bad reputation rises.

Also, the business that quickly adjusts to deliveries to clients’ premises will likely have to outsource the delivery process to outsiders; in Uganda’s case, possibly to boda-bodas. The business therefore, to a large extent, has no or limited control over the delivery process. This opens a door to potential abuse of control over customer experience and can extend to tampering with items in delivery such as theft of some of the items, exchange of items with their inferior substitutes and other undesirable outcomes.

It also results in a rise in the number of customer touch-points, and with this comes higher likelihood of mishandling of customer feedback; for example there might be inappropriate replies to dissatisfied clients by the random boda boda rider. He may not feel compelled to handle complaints from clients with respect and understanding. Clients who feel mistreated in such circumstances may choose not to deal with the supplier going forward, even after the crisis subsides.

This means therefore, there are must-dos in case a business is making a quick adjustment to online advertising and delivery to clients.

Handle online feedback appropriately
For starters if the business is relying on online advertising, possibly riding on social media, it needs to anticipate and prepare for handling online feedback. The business should dedicate itself to attend to resolving issues raised by their clients online. If appropriate, other communication lines should be provided together with online adverts so that clients may for example be able to make quick phone calls to the business to express complaints, place new orders or make any other inquiries that interest them.

Beyond the above, the business could devise measures to actively solicit feedback from clients in regard to their experience with the delivery teams. This may include whether their orders have been delivered to expectation and if delivery teams are making the deliveries within time and conducting themselves as expected.

The business may have to also think through their response plan in relation to genuine customer feedback and potential malicious social media attacks. Normally, it is good to stick to consistent and emotionless responses even to the most sensational feedback posted against the business.

Within the, hopefully, short time that this model may have to be heavily relied upon, it is necessary to actively monitor the end of the selling process, at the clients’ premises, as opposed to getting lost in only the transaction initiation activities that mainly happen at the business’ outlet. Someone should keep an eye on the entire transaction process, identify lapses and continually improve; say through becoming selective around the delivery team members, timeliness of response to customer needs and other important elements of the business that will come up for attention.

Raymond is a Chartered Risk Analyst and risk management consultant
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