It can be a challenge to shift traditional, in-person services to virtual services. But many small business owners will need to go digital while people practice social distancing because of the coronavirus.
Offering online services may help maintain your cash flow and pay the bills. They may also lessen the disruption to invaluable services, without which some could suffer physically, mentally, or professionally.
Mira Sternberg is one such service professional who’s learning how to help her clients in new ways because of the coronavirus. She and her colleagues at Express Professionals in Longmont, Colorado, USA recruit job candidates.
“Typically, I interview around 15 candidates in person and visit two to four client companies each week to conduct business reviews and facility tours,” Sternberg says.
But those services have changed since health authority recommendations went into effect. She and her co-workers are adapting to a world of social distancing in a field built on interpersonal relationships.
“We’re still open for business and committed to helping client companies and job seekers,” she says. “We’re conducting lots of phone interviews to keep our workforce full.”
Sternberg says her team is available to clients via phone, email, and even FaceTime or Microsoft Teams.
“Stay safe, but think outside the box. Just because you can’t do business the same way doesn’t mean you can’t be successful and provide the support and encouragement your clients need,” she says. “Make yourself available via phone, and don’t default to email. A conversation—just hearing another voice on the other end of the line—in this period of semi-isolation can mean a lot to a client who’s feeling the strain.”
