The events of this year have drastically changed our society, and one of the major effects of the pandemic and lockdown has been a giant leap in our reliance on the internet. As now almost all customer engagement is taking place online, it’s important to make some updates to your organisation’s website as soon as possible.
Keep your users informed
It’s vital that your valued customer base is up-to-date with the impact that the pandemic may have had on your business. Whilst people are aware of the difficulties faced by businesses post COVID, they won’t know of your specific circumstances. Provide prominently displayed information on your website, including changes to opening times, product limitations, or delays to services including deliveries and customer response times.
If you are offering discounts to key workers, or special shopping hours for those in at-risk categories, it’s important to share this information on your website, too. This is particularly important if your new initiatives relate to areas of customer service, such as temporarily replacing live-chat or telephone support with an email response service, or if you are now offering services such as home delivery.
Show you care
Your customers will be keen to learn that you are taking steps to protect your employees. Your website should include information about measures such as PPE provision, social distancing or remote working, and if furloughing is taking place. As well as helping to continue the good reputation of your brand, making customers aware of staffing implications will help to compensate for any compromise of your usual service.
Other website considerations
Your website hosting provider may no longer be the best fit in these changing times, so it’s wise to explore your options via sites offering web hosting services. A new package may be required if traffic has significantly increased, or you have started to focus on an online store. It’s crucial that your website is capable of staying accessible at all times now that business is so reliant on internet use.
The website’s files relating to aspects such as delivery times and costs may need to be adjusted as demand fluctuates. It’s important to keep up with stock monitoring, to avoid sold out products showing as available, and creating frustration for customers. It’s a good time to explore plug-ins or other apps that can grow your email list, and keep customers informed of any updates.
