Figuring out how to keep the vitality of your business strong during the storms of life is so important for long-term success. Whether our marketplace is experiencing highs and lows, natural disasters or a public health crisis, your business will need a game-plan to proactively move forward with your operations. Better Business Bureau Serving Central Oklahoma is your partner in business through it all.
Go online
If you haven’t already, now is the time to discover what your business can do to go digital and telework. Quickly changing your business from traditional operations to accommodate mandatory shutdowns or natural disasters can be the difference in your continued successes or lack thereof.
Check out the resources below to get started and learn more about digital conferencing, page sharing and more. There are several web-hosting platforms available, do your research and choose the option that best suits your business needs.
- GoToMeeting – instantly join, host or manage a video, audio or web meeting from anywhere.
- Cisco Webex – digital solutions for video conferencing, online meetings, screen share, and webinars
- Zoom – modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars
If you need a quick, efficient way to communicate with your team, as well as keep track of projects and productivity offsite, consider checking out the communication and project management platforms below. When your business or environment relies on you to quickly change, it is so important to be transparent and keep your team informed.
- https://slack.com/ – communication and tools in one place
- https://asana.com/ – work management platform teams use to stay focused on the goals, projects, and daily tasks that grow business
- https://monday.com/ – work OS where teams connect to run projects and workflows
- https://trello.com/en-US – boards, lists, and cards enable you to organize and prioritize your projects in a fun, flexible, and rewarding way.
Link sharing and file sharing are another way to continue collaborating with your team at a distance. Check out these free resources to get started.
- https://www.google.com/drive/ – free file sharing
- https://www.dropbox.com/business – a digital workspace where teams, tools, and content come together
Working remotely
It can be a big adjustment to change from the daily office grind to a remote-friendly workplace. Don’t panic, business owners and leaders, there is an abundance of resources you can turn to to inspire a successful remote infrastructure. Visit the links below to learn about the procedures and policies you put in place to boost employee morale and productivity while working remotely.
- Forbes: The Art Of Working Remotely: How To Ensure Productivity
- BBC: How to work from home, the right way
- Service Master: Tips on reopening your business after a natural disaster
- Nonprofit Risk Management Center: Coping With Crisis: Managing Employee Fear and Low Morale
Once you and your team start to nail down new processes and finalize what works for you, it is so important to streamline those processes. Consider creating standard operating procedures, especially during these times, to make sure all of your employees can quickly adapt and effectively follow new guidelines. Check out the resources below to learn more about documenting and testing your processes.
- Writing Standard Operating Procedures
- The Importance of Standard Operating Procedures
- Construct a Standard Operating Procedure
Get creative
When life and business doesn’t go as planned, it can be frustrating. During times of crisis or disaster, stress can quickly creep in, this is an opportunity for you to get creative and re-imagine what your business can do to move forward. The links below will provide you with inspiration to keep going.
- An opportunity to innovate
- Being creative in the face of crisis
- What Does the ‘Creativity Crisis’ Mean for Innovation?
As business owners and working professionals, we all need support when storms hit, BBB® is here to help your business connect. We encourage you to connect with other business owners, leaders and entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and bring your own unique approach to staying afloat. We’ve quickly developed a new, virtual peer group to provide a safe space for your business to bounce ideas off others who can relate to your situation. Email [email protected] for details.
For more information and tips, follow BBB online, @BBBCentralOK (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, GoogleMyBusiness, Twitter and LinkedIn) and find resources on BuildWithBBB.com to help you better build all aspects of your business.