First: Assess Your Business Needs

Just as with any significant change, the first step towards reopening a business is to make a detailed plan. Account for how your business needs will be different than before you closed.
There are new health, safety, and communication considerations on both the customer- and employee-facing sides of the business.

In addition, businesses should plan to continue offering online shopping and messaging since there is still a heavy consumer preference for them. We’ll show you how to revamp your website and social media presence to support your in-store or in-office efforts.

Before reopening a business, check your local and governmental websites for resources, like this one offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Every local area has different regulations, and it’s important to be sure you’re following these guidelines fully.

To follow these reopening rules, there are a few questions every business owner needs to ask:

What are my staffing requirements?

Consider how many staff you will need at any given time, and determine whether they will have a staggered schedule to limit the number of people on-site. Take staff communication and hiring strategies into account as well. Make a list of your previous staff and plan to reach out to them about working for you again. Plan for the possibility that they may have found other jobs, and you may need to post job openings.

What extra supplies will I need?

Your business has supply considerations now that didn’t exist pre-pandemic. Your staff will need personal protective equipment (PPE), like masks and gloves, and extra cleaning supplies (such as soap, hand sanitizer, and cleaning spray) to ensure high sanitation levels. Capacity planning will help make sure you always have the supplies you need in stock.

Check local resources to see what supplies you are required to provide, but don’t limit yourself to that. Think about how you can go above and beyond to keep your staff and customers safe, like installing clear screens at registers or in offices.

How am I going to improve sanitation?

A Capgemini study found that 77% of consumers will be more concerned with store cleanliness going forward. Schedule regular cleanings for stores and offices, and share your cleaning schedule with customers. The CDC recommends cleaning high-touch surfaces after each use and offers guidelines on how to clean different types of materials. Sweetgreen, a healthy food restaurant, emailed customers to share its new sanitation policies and posted the information on its website.

How will rules change for customers?

Consider whether you will require customers to wear masks (and check to see if they are required by your local government). If you normally allow customers to walk in, such as in a bank, hair salon, or even insurance agency, will you be requiring appointments going forward? You will also need to determine capacity limits, and restaurants and stores should consider whether they are requiring online orders. Check out this resource from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for more information on reopening a business.

How will your business react in the event of an exposure or a COVID19 outbreak?

Businesses should keep their online ordering and remote work practices and policies intact in case they need to shut down physical locations again.

The most important thing is to constantly monitor the situation in your area. Increased severity of Covid-19 in your community may mean you have to close temporarily. Use region-specific resources, like this map created by Harvard, to follow case numbers in your locale.

Expand Your Online Presence

Just because your brick-and-mortar locations will be open doesn’t mean you should abandon online interactions. Forty percent of consumers expect the bulk of interactions to still be online as stores reopen. Support your physical reopening efforts by expanding your website and social media offerings.

If you have eCommerce already set up, keep that a central focus. Emphasize in your advertising that you’ll still be offering online shopping. Retail stores should also consider expanding to a hybrid environment, allowing customers to place orders online and do either curbside or in-store pickup. Home improvement store Home Depot adopted this strategy:

Hybrid setups are easier to implement than delivery, and they will encourage customers to shop online rather than coming in to browse through the store.

Even if you don’t have an online store, you can post pictures of your products online. Use your website and social media accounts to update customers about availability and share pictures of new products.

Cake Ann, a bakery in Massachusetts, keeps customers in the loop with social. The company uses Facebook and Instagram to update customers about what it has available for takeout and delivery and what items need to be ordered in advance. The mouthwatering photography also keeps customers interested in the bakery’s products, even if they can’t browse the display in person.

Keeping your online presence up-to-date is especially important as businesses have to operate at a lower capacity. If people can interact with your brand online, you can keep higher numbers of customers engaged while still having fewer people on-site.

Now that you’ve assessed your business needs and made a plan for when and how to reopen, it’s time to move on to Chapter 2, and learn how to communicate your plan to employees and customers.