With the second wave of COVID-19 well and truly here, the time has come for businesses to reevaluate the business continuity measures they put in place back in March 2020. Many of these moves were made very quickly as a necessity, and as such were only put in place for short-term use. Before we settle in for what could very well be a long fall, winter, and spring still in the grips of a pandemic, it’s important that your business implements long-term solutions for what could very well be a long-term problem. By being prepared, you’re securing the future of your business and its employees, ensuring that your business and your team thrive. 

The realities of a second wave of COVID-19

The world was effectively shut down for months as COVID-19 rapidly spread across the globe. Businesses were forced to begin operating remotely, temporarily shutting down offices and physical workplaces in favour of the safer alternative. This meant that the adoption of cloud-based productivity tools, CRM solutions, and communications software was necessary in order to allow teams to work from home without losing a beat. 

While many promises have been made about the second wave of COVID-19 with regard to businesses, it’s become clear that the impact of the second wave could very well be worse than the first. Businesses may not be forced to shut down, but it may be in your best interests to host your workforce remotely until the second wave blows over – it eliminates the chances of your employees spreading the virus, allowing them to work safely and productively from the comfort of home where possible. 

The measures you put into place months ago may not be working well, and now’s your chance to correct the course. Investing in intelligent workplace technology that allows your teams to seamlessly work together and communicate at will is your best bet. Conduct an audit to ensure that each solution is working as intended, that they’ve been integrated with each other (or can be), that nothing has been forgotten about, and that no duplicates in either software or processes exist.

Everything from your office suite and CRM solution to your accounting package needs to work together in order to ensure consistency and keep your entire team in the loop. This is where fulsome solutions like Zoho One become extremely valuable, offering your business an entire integrated solution made up of dozens of apps and tools that are critical to your ongoing success, including Zoho CRM, Zoho Analytics, Zoho Books, Zoho People and more.

Invest in business intelligence and analytics for informed decision making

You can’t just rely on technology to get you through the second wave – there may very well be major decisions that need to be made regarding things like laying off staff members, closing physical locations, and changing employee duties. These decisions can’t be made lightly, and need to be informed by hard data wherever possible. That’s exactly where business intelligence comes into play, giving you concrete data with which you can confidently make decisions that will affect the future of your business.

The most important thing to watch as your business marches on is your financials. This is made easier with the powerful pairing of Zoho Books and Zoho Analytics, both of which come with Zoho One. Zoho Books is a simple-to-use accounting solution which easily integrates with Zoho CRM, and Zoho Analytics helps you get the most out of it with powerful financial reports that allow you to keep a close eye on margins, profit, and expenses. 

If your business is experiencing disruption, reviewing financials on a weekly and even daily basis can inform decision-making with data. Such decisions may include doubling down on a particularly profitable product or service or whether or not it is time to hire or fire employees. If you really don’t want to give up your current accounting system, most cloud-based accounting software can be integrated with Zoho Analytics. 

Solutions like Prodoscore can be used to measure the productivity of each member of your team, discreetly monitoring activity in popular solutions like G Suite, Office 365, CRM solutions, and unified communications, providing you with a unique productivity score calculated in near real-time. Having access to this information will show you which employees are working at full capacity, which ones may need assistance or further training, and how employees are making use of cloud-based tools.

It’s also critical that you stay on top of marketing analytics in order to know what is and isn’t working so you can pivot at a moment’s notice. Marketing is a critical aspect of your business, even during a pandemic, so it’s important to ensure that your ad dollars are being spent in a way that enhances your brand’s image, entices customers to visit your website regularly, and maximizes ROI. Now is the time to focus purely on achieving results – the second wave of the pandemic could be brutal, and so wasting time, energy, and money on ineffective campaigns could very well change the course of your business for the worst. Solutions like Marketing Hub – also included with Zoho One – give you a bird’s eye view of what is working and what isn’t. 

Until the pandemic subsides, it’s your mission to ensure that you and your team can continue working as effectively as possible. Making the right moves will mean coming out on the other end unscathed, ready to face whatever else the future may hold. If you’re unsure of where to begin, ion8 is your best bet to ensure business continuity and remote employee productivity. Our team is highly experienced in implementing and integrating cloud-based technology solutions and digital strategies that will help your business thrive, even during the worst of times. For more information on how ion8 can help you weather the storm, contact us today.