How to stay connected with your customers

As you reopen, rebuild and reinvigorate in line with easing restrictions, there are some things our Business Liaison team recommend keeping in mind to stay connected with your customers.

Circumstances are evolving quickly, and each business owner is facing their own challenges, but keeping your lines of communication open is something that helps no matter how your business is impacted. The key is making sure your customers don’t have to guess if your business is open, closed, or operating in a different capacity.

If you’re still trading...

Let your customers know!

Make sure your website and social media accounts clearly show your trading situation. If you have one, use your customer email database to share updates directly.

Clearly announce changes

If any aspect of your business has changed, such as opening hours, the way your product or service is being fulfilled or additional health and safety precautions, make a clear announcement so there are no surprises.

Ask your customers for feedback

Want to keep trading during this time, but not sure how? Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback about how your customers prefer to access your product or service. They might want contactless delivery or a subscription-based service, or they may want online consultations with social distancing in place. This feedback can also open new opportunities to modify your offering for the long term.

Try a new way of sharing

If you’ve been considering a new marketing method but haven’t had the time, now might be a chance to branch out into something new, like social media advertising or a leaflet drop in your local area.

If you’re temporarily closed...

Stay visible online

Make sure your business website is updated so customers know about your temporary closure and reach out to your customers directly via email if you can. On social media, post an announcement and ‘pin’ it at the top of the page so it’s always visible.

Rethink your customer interactions

Consider how you can still support your customers during any downtime by providing meaningful information relevant to your industry or product - like home recipe tips if you’re in the food business or spinning the decks via streaming services if you’re a DJ!

Call on customer loyalty

If your business has a gift voucher or ‘forward-pay’ option, let people know. This can keep some cash flow coming in so you can plan for the future.

Start planning now

We’ve seen changes moving quickly, so get ready now for the next step towards reopening or ramping up operations. Are your supply chains unaffected to fulfil your orders? Do you need to perform a stocktake so you’re ready to go from day one? Be as prepared as you can for reopening as restrictions can change, so you can hit that ground running.

Need more support?

Council’s Business Hotline (133 BNE) is available 24/7 to answer your questions. Join our Business in Brisbane Facebook group to receive the most up-to-date information and share ideas with fellow business owners.

Need one-on-one support? You can book a session with Council’s Business Liaison Officers by emailing the team to hear about Council programs and resources that are available to support your business.