Communicating COVID-19 Actions to Customers

Affected by COVID-19 (Coronavirus) | updated March 28, 2020

National and local mandates are forcing many businesses to modify their operations or close completely as we band together to slow the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic wave has left many small business owners wondering what actions to take beyond closures, social distancing, cleaning, and curbside service.

The most important first step is to instill trust and confidence in your past, current, and future clients. Assure your community that you can still be relied upon to continue operating, even if it’s in a limited or modified capacity, or that you’ll be back to business as soon as the crisis subsides. There are three key aspects to communicate to the public as you respond to policies and challenges caused by COVID-19 (Coronavirus):

Proactive Communication
Reactive Communication
Ongoing Communication

Proactive Communications

How are you preventing the spread?

Inform the public of the steps that your business is taking to prevent the spread of contagions. Whether you’re a freelance consultant in self-quarantine or a brick-and-mortar on a deep cleaning spree, let your customers know what actions are being done to prevent the spread.

How are your operations changing?

You may be modifying your business hours and operations or pausing projects. Openly communicate how your business is making changes to meet customers’ needs and complying with federal, state and local policies. This keeps your customers informed and connected.

How are you communicating changes?

There are many ways you can communicate your action steps and changes to the public. Use this time to identify how your business communicates organically, but also stretch into new communication methods. This will help your business survive the crisis and thrive in new ways after. Here are a few ways you can connect with your public:

Post a sign on any brick-and-mortar/office locations
Send an email to clients and customers
Install a pop-up banner on your website
Post on social media
Update your citations such as Google my Business, Yelp, and Foursquare
Create a simple video- still images will do in a pinch- to visually demonstrate your actions/updates.

Reactive Communications

Since we’re all at home these days, you may be receiving a higher volume of communication from your customers. Many businesses are understaffed even in the best of times, so customer support measures may be strained. This may seem overwhelming, which makes creating a reactive communication strategy paramount.

Here are some ways you can instate reactive communication measures that connect with your clients, while giving your business space to attend to its own needs:

Create an auto-response email outlining closures or wait times
Update voicemail greetings on business lines
Engage with an online scheduling system so clients know when you’ll be available
Create email templates that respond to the most frequently asked questions
Post a COVID-19 dedicated FAQ page on your website, or an announcement pop-up
Create auto-responses on your social media accounts

Ongoing Communications

Take time to find the best points of communication that affect your business directly: this may be the CDC website, the office of the governor of your state, and the city or town council you live in. Try to tune in to these officials rather than popular news sources so that you’re receiving direct and official information.

As updates to public policies are released, be prepared to issue new information online and offline. Creating a communication tree within your organization outlining who communicates what to the public can help dissemeninate the workload and keep your key players connected. Consistency is key with all communications, so be aware of your branding voice and business policies as you continue to express changes in your business operations.