Reopening also means gaining public trust

 

Everyday life four months ago was extremely different than July 2020. While we are not ordered to stay at home, it is suggested. Gatherings are still limited. Events like birthdays, weddings, and funerals are small private gatherings. Store shelves are, for the most part, stocked but there are still some items in which the shelf remains empty. 

 

Businesses small and large have had to adapt and overcome. Before everything shut down businesses quickly set up cleaning stations, Plexiglas shields, and tape on the floor. The temporary adjustments were hurried responses to keep employees and customers safe and stay open. Then everything stopped.

 

During closures, most businesses had time to adjust to coming restrictions regarding reopening. Temporary became permanent. “Behind the scenes” part of getting the economy going again were the efforts to create and install shields at customer interface points. Painter’s tape on the floors became printed stickers. Permanent signs explaining restrictions and warnings were manufactured. Face shields. And of course masks. The leaving home check of keys, wallet, phone has added mask. Which is also now apart of the employee uniform.

Masks

When COVID-19 began gaining momentum and entered into the pandemic phase the public and businesses went slowly. No one wanted to believe that restrictions and precautions were permanent. As the economy reopened it was realized that to stay open, and in some cases avoid fines business had to change. Temporary fixes had to become permanent. We now see permanent installations of shields, directional arrows to navigate, markings identifying where to stand, and in/out only doors. And of course masks.

 

Of all the changes we have seen from the pandemic the mask has been the most ubiquitous. Face coverings are our everyday life. They have sparked controversy. Started arguments about the improper or lack of wearing. They are now a point of fashion to be complimented. Masks are popping up in the impulse buy area at the checkout register and even vending machines. Masks have also become our non-verbal permission to enter and an invitation to leave. No mask – No service signs are posted in many storefronts. Businesses don’t want to turn people away, but they also don’t want to face the ever present risk of being shut down either.

Public trust

When stay at home orders were lifted and businesses began to reopen customers were leery about returning. Although we couldn’t wait to get out of our homes, we had to feel safe. The COVID virus was and still is a threatening menace. A big part of gaining a customer's trust is making them feel safe in your establishment.  To get ahead of competitors businesses had to try to be the first to explain the steps taken to keep customers safe. Not only what was being done to sanitize, but how, and how often. This has to be more than just words. Science has proven that we process visual data better than text or the spoken word. In fact, 90% of what we process is visual.  Customers have to SEE the action of cleaning and sanitizing in order to validate what is being advertised.  

 

Being in the grocery store and seeing an employee cleaning the carts or walking around, during business hours, cleaning door handles and contact surfaces goes a long way in convincing customers that the business is serious about their well being. On a recent went to a UPS store for their notary and overnight services this was evident. Of course, they had queue markers on the floor and Plexiglas at the registers, which would be expected. What was impressive was seeing an employee wiping down a public computer station with disinfectant after each use by a customer. Seeing the employee clean the keyboard and work area after a single use reinforces that business’ commitment in the eyes of the customer.

 

Demonstrating sound sanitation practices to the public will get them back and keep them coming back. With instant reviews being posted on multiple platforms, businesses not practicing safe procedures will spread quickly. At this point in time that is a quick way to lose customers and get shut down. Again.

 

Another good move to show how serious the company is taking health is transparency and decisive action. We’ve already seen businesses reopen only to be shut down again after a government agency finds a violation or an infected employee. Better to take the action yourself. Small businesses, especially bars and restaurants, have set this example. Setting up their own testing policies and discovering possibly infected employees, they have immediately shut down, publicized what happened, and the actions they are taking to rectify the issue. It hurts to close your doors but keeping the public trust is more important now than ever.

 

In addition to changes in sanitation and ensuring there are safe practices in place, there are other changes as well. How we conduct business has changed and will probably have long-term effects. Offices cleared, sending employees to work from home. After a few weeks, with no solution to the virus in sight, corporations announced that they would not be returning employees, adopting permanent work from home policies. Businesses have learned to adapt to stay in business. What we thought couldn’t be done or never thought of trying is successful.  

 

We are looking for a return to “normal” when we are living what our normal now is.