Lockdown will end, will you be ready?

Businesses need to take control of planning and queueing during and coming out of lockdown to provide customers with the best experience possible.

To some extent these days are the most confusing and difficult ones yet for us all, especially for those of us trying to plan the next steps for our businesses. On the one hand there is long-term hope and excitement that vaccinations can unlock us all from our Covid-19 shackles, and on the other, the current lockdown and news from the NHS frontline make short-term positivity hard to find. This leaves us questioning when we will see a return to some sort of normality and perhaps whether we should expect anti-virus restrictions to be needed again in the future and include this in our plans.

Our lives have changed

While we don’t yet know exactly how and when restrictions will ease, there are enough clues for businesses to start to plan and implement ready for the – wait for it – ‘new normal’. It has been widely acknowledged that the pandemic has, in many ways, accelerated changes that were already happening. For example, the move to online purchasing has been steadily progressing for over 20 years, but in the space of a short few months it has become a part of everyday life for a large majority of the population. Where previously there were huge environmental concerns such as with travel, commuting and transport, they have now also become about safety, lifestyle preferences and support for local community.

For some sectors and businesses, the issue has become existential as the pandemic has gone on. For example, have customers found alternatives for gyms, cinemas, live art and live sports while they have been closed? And will demand return when they can open again and in what form?

What we've learned

At Adactus, we help clients from a range of sectors overcome their specific challenges through technology. We have also identified three trends that have a wider application:

• One thing we learned last time businesses reopened was that customers responded positively to brands – from the local bakery to national chains – that took responsibility for their queues and booking of visits. Booking, queuing and waitlist systems can all help to optimise throughput while offering a better, more intentional experience to your customers.
• Online transacting is now the preferred method of buying for a significant proportion of customers so online stores should be a big focus for businesses, for example making sure they can be used with ease.
• Digital contact with customers produces valuable data. Customers who book a table then order their food via your mobile site are sharing information about their tastes and preferences that can be used to enhance your offer to them and improve their experience.

What we do

We are helping brands like Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays to address these challenges through technology, and subsequently improving the service they offer to their customers.

Contact us for a free, no-obligation discussion about the first steps to prepare for your future operations coming out of lockdown.