Through the pandemic, companies had to downsize and reduce the number of people coming into the office. They also had to implement some new rules like remote working to get as much as they could digitally. People could not always keep up with the work and missed some deadlines, while companies noticed an overall productivity drop. At the beginning of the pandemic, companies saw a significantly reduced amount of work getting done while implementing a few more changes. To reduce their costs, they even shut some of their lower-performing departments and outsourced work they would have handled.
Many firms outsourced their marketing, which was smart because they now spent less to get the job done, compared to running an entire department. There were moments over the last two years where the situation got bearable and then immediately escalated again and needed another lockdown.
If we had to predict the changes to our business over the next six months, it would be difficult to put a finger on it. We have to limit our travel opportunities to network with other nearby offices. We highly stress COVID compliance and policy during our interviews. We started working on a better approach to an online presence which makes communicating with clients, finding new ones, and working with the current teams, a lot more bearable.
Overall, there were a lot of changes that we had to make to the process. We dealt with FedEx and UPS and lost more inventory than usual. Our business relies on Face to Face relationships. COVID has made customers more apprehensive about conversations with our reps. We even had to change the way we were communicating with one another. We now use zoom to keep sick or infected people in the loop while they recover. Zoom helps us keep connected despite the distance. There were instances where we traveled and met clients but had to put those on hold because of the pandemic.
For the most part, we worked remotely but returned to the office in Sept 2020. However, there were moments when we had to shut again or maintain certain restrictions, and we would do that to keep everyone safe and not break any rules. One of the biggest challenges we had when working from the office was the number of people who could come in. We have limited capacity in the office and had to move into a bigger space to accommodate our team and social distance from everyone.
When following the guidelines, we ensure everyone is on the same page and comfortable working under these rules. We hold 40 people or less in our office but we stagger meeting times accordingly to avoid overcrowding. People who are not fully vaccinated are required to wear masks in the office. Even when clients come to the office to get anything done, we make sure that they are following all the rules put out by the state. Additionally, we have nightly cleaners disinfect the office every day. People stay home if they have any symptoms, and we are sure to not allow them into the office.
While there were many changes we were getting through, there were some aspects we could maintain the way they were, and one of them was the hours we spent working. When it comes to the work we handle, we make sure our clients can always get in touch with us, and they can come to the office at work timings, and we would be happy to work with them.
We do all of our interviews over zoom, but after we start hiring, people can start coming to the office to get things done. We do travel but are restricted to make sure we are safe. Other than many of the meetings we handle, we do not have much we can handle remotely, other than Zoom meetings. We do this using various software like Zoom, Google Meet, and others. We would also like to participate in virtual public events and Business Expos and create an added awareness about our brand.
Our biggest focus is to create an environment where people can grow and develop while still providing services to our clients. The only way we can do that is to follow the best practices to ensure everyone’s safety.
If you are looking for a marketing firm in Minneapolis, MN, connect with us at Destined Consulting Solutions. We combine strategy, creativity, and a unique approach to help place trust in brands because people do more when they genuinely believe in them. Along with direct marketing and working on management issues, we assist with training teams, professional growth, and collaborations. We understand the requirements of our clients and work with them to find the best solution to any of the issues and problems that they might have. For a better understanding of the approach we take, please click here. If you are looking to get in touch with us or think we can assist with a requirement, please click here.