How did Humsafar circumvent the restrictions of the pandemic?
There is no doubt that small business units were hit the hardest during the last 10 months of the pandemic. Larger companies were in a better position to survive because of their huge cash reserves and their better access to finance.
But even during this crisis, many companies managed to survive by refocusing their strategies, controlling unnecessary expenditure, upskilling employees for better productivity.
Here are a few things we did to ride out the pandemic -
Handling the situation calmly:
It was to the credit of the management team and their calm attitude, the team managed to allay employee fears of the uncertain times ahead. Each decision was weighed to evaluate the pros and the cons, to ultimately take a decision that benefits all.
In rapidly changing situations, it helps if one steps back and then analyses the situation before taking a final decision.
Making Short term Financial Plans:
Just like every other business unit, we had the same key expenses like employee salary, office rent, and utility expenses. Instead of cutting down on salaries, the management decided to freeze hiring rather than retrenching staff.
Upskilling Staff
We mainly focused on upskilling the staff to new business methodologies, to increase their productivity and efficiency rather than hiring new staff. The staff was also encouraged to communicate to their customers through zoom and other online apps, thus bringing down the cost of employees visiting customers.
The organisation ensured that the staff grasped different work positions and took over other tasks and responsibilities in case of labour shortage.
To safeguard your company from the ongoing market disruptions, cross-skill your employees and explore the skills your employees lack and fill in that skill gap.
Focusing on customers
As a team, focussing on training employees to manage time and stick to delivery schedules was the first major step we took. We assured our customers of timely supplies and meeting all their demands without disruption.
The management focused on having transparency with its customers and made efforts on regularly communicating delivery updates and handling queries.
How can businesses chart a path forward –
The economy is in bad shape and to recover from it you must strategize. The management can focus on the following:
- Organize for agility: Coordinate across businesses using effective communication and data sharing skills to make decision making faster.
- Be people-centered: The very first priority for any organization is to ensure its employees safety and well-being. All investments should be centered on customer and employee engagement, reassuring and giving them the support, they honestly need.
- Be data-driven: Invest in analytics to understand current business and avoid future pitfalls.
- Invest in technology and infrastructure: By investing in this, organisations can activate remote working capabilities immediately and collaborate virtually, for operations to keep on functioning smoothly.
The success of the company during the pandemic was due to its great customer service. They trained their partners and employees, and encouraged their learning and professional development by providing them with effective tools for customer communication.
As we conclude this piece, here’s a piece of advice to all - appropriately connect with your employees, encourage positive habits, and team bonding to ensure a seamless work atmosphere helps productivity of the organisation.