Due to the health threats of the current coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have had to shut their doors, either temporarily or permanently. Luckily for some businesses, many areas have now made it possible for them to conduct business as long as it’s done in a safe way. So if your business had to shut down for a time but is now ready to get up and running again, here are three tips for reopening your business during the pandemic.
Put Safety Above All Else
The most important thing, both for your employees and for your customers, is going to be making their safety your top priority. In fact, if you’re not able to do this, you likely won’t be able to legally open your doors until you’re able to do so.
According to Sergio Mannino, a contributor to Forbes.com, failing to keep your employees and your customers safe could have a very negative impact on your business. This could bring about a lot of bad press for you as well as having people being vocally against your business. So while you may have thought that you couldn’t survive without getting your business back up and running, if you’re not able to do so safely, it may be better for you to keep things shut down until you feel confident that you’ll be able to keep everyone that you work with safe and healthy.
Take Care With Common Areas
One area of your business that you need to be extra careful with when you reopen your doors are common areas.
For many businesses, Mona Bushnell, a contributor to Business.com, shares that common areas have been completely closed off. To deal with this roadblock, you may want to bring part of your business outside and into the open air, where many people feel safer than being in an enclosed area. Just make sure that if you choose to do this, you take steps to keep your customers comfortable, like installing a misting system if you live in a hot climate.
Limit Touching
To reduce the risks of anyone getting sick as a result of doing business with you, you should try your best to reduce any touching or sharing of items if at all possible.
To do this, Nicole Fallon, a contributor to USChamber.com, recommends that you discourage people from paying with cash and use debit or credit cards instead, that you place a safety seal on bags that you use to give a purchased item to your customers, and that you provide car-side delivery of purchases in order to encourage people to stay in their cars rather than coming into your store in the first place.
If you’re preparing to reopen your business after being closed due to the coronavirus, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you safely reopen.
