At the time of writing this, the UK has returned to somewhat normal, with offices bustling once again, naturally increasing the footfall for nearby businesses. Restrictions have been eased too; there is no longer a limit on how many people can meet, or a requirement to wear a face covering, although 78% of UK residents say they will still be wearing a mask for some time to come.

It’s easy to think, and feel, like things are on the up, but the reality is we could see 1,000 to 2,000 hospital administrations per day before mid-August as the next wave hits its peak, according to government scientists. Over the pond, Sydney has just extended its lockdown by four weeks as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Australia. 

Dr Susan Hopkins, the strategic response director for COVID-19 at Public Health England, recently warned there may need to be further lockdowns over winter, depending on “whether the hospitals start to become overwhelmed at some point”. 

With this in mind, it makes sense that businesses should at least start thinking and preparing for how they’re going to navigate a possible fourth lockdown. Some companies may have their processes locked down - pun intended - while others are still testing the waters when it comes to adjusting their operations while maintaining good customer relations. 

Here are five considerations for businesses looking to plan ahead for a potential winter lockdown:

Employ an omnichannel marketing strategy

‘Omnichannel’ has become a bit of a buzz word of late. Put simply, it’s an approach that provides customers with a seamless and integrated experience through a range of touch points. The best way to employ an omnichannel strategy is to understand your target audience by really digging into the data. To improve their experiences and increase sales, it’s important to map out an average customer’s journey from start to finish - from identifying the stages of cart abandonment to highlighting the various touch points along the way.

You should also think about the different ways your customers can engage with you. Do you only provide customers with a phone number and email address, for example, or do you have options at every touch point? Conversations through SMS, SMS landing pages, RCS, social media and even Whatsapp can be very powerful, enabling people to contact your brand however is best convenient to them.

Consider ‘hiring’ a customer service bot

Bots can be very useful at a time when businesses may have to account for more sickness than usual, or be operating with smaller teams. They help to automate some of your team’s previously manual customer interaction processes, such as handling straightforward requests. While many customers do still enjoy interacting with a real person, they also want answers fast. A bot can give them the answer they require in a matter of seconds, helping to improve customer loyalty and reduce churn rate. Intelligent bots will effectively escalate requests by putting a person in contact with a real member of the customer service team.

Implement robust feedback structures

Agility is crucial when it comes to surviving a lockdown. Businesses must be able to adhere to any new laws, rules or regulations at the drop of a hat, while trying to keep their day-to-day operations as uninterrupted as possible. 

Although the future is still very uncertain, businesses can use the next few weeks to gather data to build informed strategies. Despite a push to online, 64% of UK shoppers still say they prefer the high street. With this in mind, businesses should take steps to gain a deep understanding of precisely what it is their customers love, and what they don’t, so that if restrictions come back into force, they can meet customers on the channels they are most at home.

SMS Surveys or email surveys are a great way to collect feedback in a non-intrusive manner quickly. This can be particularly useful when businesses may have introduced new online services or are looking to expand digital offerings.

Reflect on the previous lockdowns

Unlike the first lockdown when everything was thrown into disarray, businesses will naturally be more prepared for change the fourth time round. Now is the time to take a step back and reflect on the learnings of the past year. Are there any new communication channels that your customers have been receptive to? Are there any product lines that have performed particularly well while people have been stuck at home?

Perhaps the biggest lesson is that having an online presence is essentially required in 2021. Understandably, a lot of businesses have always been quite nervous about the idea of ‘going digital’, but COVID-19 has forced them to make the change. Now they’ve taken that step forward, they must continue to not only run with it, but make improvements to it as the digital landscape is forever changing and becoming more competitive.

Personalise and incentivise

Personalisation goes beyond simply calling a customer by their name. Thanks to technology, businesses can ‘connect the dots’ and send unique messages to certain customers based on their previous buying habits. For ecommerce businesses, personalisation can come in handy when offering upsells and cross-sells to shoppers; having a ‘customers who bought this item also bought...’ section can do wonders for encouraging a higher spend per transaction. 

In addition, a little goes a long way, especially right now. A one-off discount code or flash sale, for example, may be the difference between capturing a new customer or losing them to a competitor.

Businesses have done this before and they can do it again, but only if they continue to learn and adapt. Hopefully, many changes companies make now will have a positive impact on customers, encouraging better communication, engagement and retention throughout the rest of the pandemic and beyond.