Page 11 - SME Toolkit: The Star Covid-19 Edition

Wednesday,May27,2020 www.thestar.co.uk THESTAR 11
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CONTACT
THE WAY AHEAD
Change brings opportunity to businesses that embrace it
Are you a business owner or decision maker?
Do you want to hit the ground running as lockdown is lift- ed?
If so, I want to challenge you to re-evaluate your rela- tionship with your landline, mobile phone and digitalcommuni-
cations.
SUPPORT
Paperclip has been pro- viding telephone answering services, bookings and res- ervations support, live chat and more for over ten years.
We work with organisa- tions large and small, local and national, products and
services.
Would you
like to know more?
There is a library of useful and informative
blog articles that are accessi- ble on the Paper-
clip website.
Visit: www.paperclip.
co.uk.
Paperclip Ltd
First Floor, Unit 3, Dronfield Court Wards Yard, Dronfield S18 1QJ Tel: 01246 418181 www.paperclip.co.uk
Change busi1ness model.
In this brief
article I will
provide case
studies of
local compa-
nies that are
already chang-
ing their business
models, to embrace
new ways of staying opera- tionally lean, improving cus- tomer service and capturing sales leads.
The one constant dur- ing the Covid-19 pandemic is change.
Change brings opportu- nity to those businesses that embrace it and adapt.
“Paperclipprovidesa seamlessservice.Whenwe answeryourcustomer’s call,wearepartofyour team”
Convert fixed costs to wards calls to the variable. relevant solicitor, As lockdown bit, a leading or a message is law firm with offices across taken. Outsourc- South Yorkshire furloughed ing some or all
its team of receptionists, of ‘reception’ closed its offices, and asked services to Paper- its solicitors to work from clip post-Covid-19
Member of the Paperclip team at work
Capture eve2ry call. Maximise revenue The property market you capture every sales
By the end of March, the do- opportunity. Our estate mestic property market had agent clients, for closed its doors. There are example, divert all
now an estimated 430,000 their incoming calls properties advertised for to Paperclip when
sale in the UK. their team is busy. When conditions are We take the call, established for it to be acceptable answer basic FAQs, take
to move, there will be an explosion new instructions, confirm
in activity. You need to ensure viewings and update the estate
home. All calls are diverted to Paperclip; effectively operating as a surrogate reception. Paperclip for-
can give you operational flexibility and help control costs.(Pictured: Anne Batty)
3 Fill up the diary... Cash flow is king
Private healthcare providers – physiotherapists, osteopaths, audiologists and more have seen
their turnover decimated by Covid-19. As regulations are relaxed, patients
will want to be seen. Managing the ap- pointments diary will be key to success: you can answer the phone or you can treat patients. Paperclip manages the
diaries of healthcare providers. Calls are answered, appointments made or
rescheduled. A full diary means the cash can start to flow again.
Embrace live chat. Close that sale
Covid-19 has led to many businesses selling products and services online for the first time. Customers h4ave become comfortable with buying online. In e-commerce, UX (User Experience) is king. Live chat supports customers on their journey across your
website. From their perspective, it helps clarify points of doubt; from yours, it removes barriers to a sale. Paperclip can activate live chat on your website and respond to your visitors in real time. See how at www.paperclip.co.uk.
5 Change business model Do what feels right
Wedding Cars: One Paperclip client has a passion for sharing their love of vintage cars. They
have turned this into a lucrative wedding car hire business. All the business processes,
however, are handled by Paperclip. Paper- clip takes the initial call, answers FAQs, advises re availability, takes the order, confirms details, takes the deposit, issues
the invoice, and makes a final call on the day before the event. All the Paperclip client has
to do is make sure the cars are pristine and transport the bride to the church on time.
Anne Batty