7:34 am, April 9, 2020
- No-one knows for sure when the UK’s lockdown will end, but what can you do to keep people safe when it does? Darren Cassey explains
With the UK on lockdown, thoughts are turning to a time when businesses can reopen and people can venture back out into the world to buy things again.
No-one knows for sure when things will return to normal, but after a few weeks hunkered down, now might be a good time to start thinking about what you can do to make your dealership safe when things begin to return to normal.
Give your business a deep clean
Your sales areas, forecourts and service bays might look sparkling clean, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any lingering viruses. While it’s unlikely anything will survive the amount of time most dealers have been closed, getting a professional company to give the place a deep clean leaves you safe in the knowledge you’re starting from scratch.
If you’re active on social media – and you should be! – why not upload photos during the process to show buyers you’re taking their health and safety seriously?
Implement new, regular cleaning rotas
It will no doubt be stressful for owners when reopening, knowing that if a small outbreak occurs at your dealership because people have suddenly started flowing through the doors could be a PR disaster.
Make sure all staff are aware of their responsibilities and come up with a regular general cleaning rota to wipe over regular touch points, and make each person responsible for their own work areas and asking customers to use anti-bacterial hand wash upon entering.
Make these changes obvious
Consumers are going to be very wary returning to businesses after coronavirus. Since it’s likely most restrictions will be lifted before a cure has been found, showing visitors that you’re being proactive about protecting their health and that of your employees will go a long way to building the trust required to gain their custom. Some dealerships are already trialling handheld thermometers to check temperatures of people entering the dealership, like Vertu.
Don’t go all in from day one
While it might be tempting to get everyone back to work and fling the doors open as soon as possible, taking a measured response could pay off in the long run.
For example, keeping staff working from home where possible will help to minimise the risk of infections while having little to no impact on productivity. Meanwhile, encouraging customers to deal with things remotely also helps minimise anything out of your control being brought into the business.
Continue to encourage social distancing and not shaking hands, too – customers will understand you’re not just being rude! The famous car dealing handshake could be killed off for good…
Then, once everything starts to become clearer and restrictions lift further, ease things back to normal.
Continue ‘contactless’ services
Convenience is a massive selling point in the modern world. Many businesses have come up with clever ways to continue business during the pandemic, such as taking products online-only – everything from buying a car to arranging delivery and servicing can be done without speaking directly to someone.
If you recently implemented such a service to keep business flowing, keep it going post-lockdown if feasible. It will make your business more appealing to the convenience hunters and those who aren’t quite ready to venture out yet.
