My heart goes out to everyone impacted by Covid-19. Our front line workers and service providers have been impacted the most and I cannot thank them enough for everything they have done to support and lift us up. Leaders around the world have stepped up to the challenge to guide us through these tumultuous times. I wish I could put a big bear hug around every family who has lost a loved one to this disease or is still suffering from its effects. The good news is there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. One day soon everyone will have access to the vaccines and we can start to move forward. I look forward to that day.
Even with this glimmer of hope on the horizon, I worry about the future of the companies that have been able to survive the pandemic. In particular, there seems to be a trend toward using the pandemic as an excuse to let certain bad habits form and it concerns me. It’s important to realize that enabling bad behaviours can have a massive impact on a company’s culture and can take years to eradicate and fix.
In order for companies to survive in the long term, it’s critical to guard the organization from developing these bad habits. Of course it is acceptable to have excuses, but when these excuses become normalized within the business it becomes a repetitive enabler and provide roadblocks to achieving revenue goals. Over the past few months I’ve started to notice many very good companies use Covid as an excuse for not providing a proper level of service. While this was acceptable and understandable for a while, companies should adapt to the new environment and begin to adjust processes to meet customer needs.
On the flip side I’ve seen a lot of great businesses adjust their plans and make the necessary changes to evolve and potentially prosper in a bad situation. These companies think outside the box and while they may have “taken a hit” in the short term, in the long term consumers will remember companies who successfully pivoted and met customer needs.
Two such companies (both restaurants) come to mind while I write this article – Earls and the Keg. Both of those companies put together fantastic prepared meals drawn right from their current menu. In addition Earls offered a “grocery” box that contained many household items that were difficult to source during the most restrictive phase of the pandemic – allowing consumers to safely pick up much needed items without having to go to the grocery store. These dinner and grocery boxes were offered online, by phone, or in person ordering.
For our family, we ordered the Keg prime rib dinner box for our Christmas dinner. This box included a full Prime Rib dinner for 4 with bread, vegetables, au jus, fresh horseradish, caesar salad, garlic mashed, 4 pieces of cheesecake and mints to boot for $175. The box came with a recipe style cheat sheet for preparation and cooking. I cannot tell you how much it meant to us as family to be able to enjoy this dinner – fully sourced, portioned and hassle free – when were unable to see either side of the family over Christmas. I should also let you know that I tried to source all of this food myself from a butcher prior to ordering and there was no competition on quality or price. This was a steal of a deal.
I’ve seen a lot of great businesses adjust their plans and make the necessary changes to evolve and prosper in a bad situation. These companies pivoted quickly to meet the immediate needs of their customers. Some of these changes may even become permanent as organisations find that in necessity comes innovation and even success beyond the “old way” of doing things! There’s opportunity here for us all to turn setbacks into successes.
Please view my video below for a little more insight. Thanks for your time, take care and my thoughts are with you and your family.
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