A Post-COVID World: How do we return to a ‘new normal’?

By Jennifer Karpus-Romain, Director of Marketing Services and Industry Outreach, FayeBSG

As stay-at-home orders lift around the country, company leaders and employees (as well as their customers) are trying to figure out what a post-COVID workplace looks like for them. 

There are new safety regulations and possibly new operating hours. Everyone is readying themselves to get back to normal, or at least as normal as they can. 

So how does a transportation company move through this time, creating the best customer service and environment for its customers and employees alike?

Here are 5 tips for returning to a new normal:

1.     Keep leaning into technology.

Throughout the pandemic, businesses have embraced technology and a virtual experience because they want to be able to connect with their customers—by any means necessary.

What technologies have you relied on the most over the past few months? Were you diving into your TMS or CRM more frequently to better understand orders and keep ever-evolving customer data up-to-date? Was there any functionality that you wished it could do? Take note of it.

Did you help your drivers find the best virtual ways to connect with their families while they were out on the road? Send them updates on which restaurants/stores were open for them to get the supplies and food they needed to stay safe?

Any extra support you gave to customers and drivers does not have to end. Lean into your technology and let it continue to guide you through these challenging times. 

If you streamlined ways to work or found you were lacking a functionality that you wish you had, reach out to your technology vendor or find a new one to assist you through bettering your process.

2.     Veer into the human connection.

Life was moving quickly when the pandemic hit. Then, it came to a crashing halt for many people, but the trucking industry still had to keep moving. 

Whether your customers were grappling with a newly-remote workforce, deemed essential during the crisis or had to furlough staff members, everyone was affected in some way.

With that in mind, it seems like the first five minutes of every call I am on now is a genuine, “How are you?” To me, that’s great. Veer right into that human connection. Creating and maintaining relationships is such a big part of the transportation industry. 

Your customers trust you to get their orders to their destinations on time, in both regular conditions and a crisis. Spending an extra five minutes in conversations with them can be a good thing. It is slowing down to show you care. 

3.     Be empathetic.

All companies are still in some kind of adjustment and will continue to be for some time. 

Even your manufacturing customers that were deemed essential throughout COVID-19 have changes in their workplaces. They had to keep up with demand while handling more safety regulations and possibly adjusted hours or different product scopes. 

Your customer may sound a little frazzled on the phone. They may be short with you or take a little bit longer to respond to an email. Everyone is dealing with something, so having empathy at this time will help keep positivity in place. 

4.     Adjust marketing campaigns. 

It’s important for your customers and prospects to understand what’s going on at your business right now. They need to understand what routes you have open, if you are experiencing any service delays and any other changes that may affect their loads. 

Over the past few months, this is most likely the bulk of the correspondence you’ve been giving customers, opting to hold off on some sales-pitch emails.

While we don’t just want to turn all our marketing automation emails back on and flood the gates, people are more willing to hear from you about things outside of the pandemic. However, pretending that we aren’t in a transitional period with no set end date may not be the best route to take either.

Here are a few things to consider in your marketing campaigns:

• Marketing messaging before COVID-19 may not resonate anymore. Don’t send out any marketing from pre-COVID without giving it a look.
• If you’re just waiting a few more weeks for things to “get back to normal” you may be waiting too long before reaching out. We don’t know when things will be normal, so don’t wait around for it.  
• Think about what messaging resonates the most with you. Are you frustrated with a company that emails you every day right now? What about once a week? Think about your preferences and ask your team to figure out your next steps.

5.     Be prepared for another round.

As tempting as it is to go full force ahead and never look back, COVID-19 is still an issue. While we are working through the new normal, there is still no cure and people are still getting sick.

I’d love to be able to say that the pandemic is just a blip on the radar and there will be no resurgence, but we just don’t know yet.

One of the best things your transport company can do is make plans to prepare for another round of shutdown. Hopefully that doesn’t happen, but don’t let a potential second round take you by surprise like the first one did. 

Research best practices for driver safety and create content (audio is great for drivers to listen to out on the road) to equip your drivers with the best information.

Conclusion

It is challenging to know what your next steps will be right now because there is no precedence or best practices you can follow throughout the rest of the year. Keep your communication lines open, lean into the technology that helps you best serve your customers and prepare yourself as much as possible for what may come next.