Fear of the coronavirus is causing people to avoid public spaces. This has put stress on small businesses. This is especially the case if you have a retail store or you are a restaurant owner. Many people have opted to order things online as opposed to going out and making purchases.
If customers do need to go out and purchase things, they are selective when choosing where they will go. If your business is not clean or does not feel safe, customers will cross you off of their list. The following are some tips to help you keep your business clean and safe.
Cleanliness Must Be Consistent
Keeping your business clean is a constant task. Customers may avoid your business if they see dirty surfaces, smell foul odors, or find that the bathrooms and changing areas are dirty.
Customers will make decisions about your company’s cleanliness by the way it looks on the outside. First impressions mean a lot, especially in the current environment of hypervigilance.
Some businesses invest in having professional commercial cleaning services. Others make use of tools designed to offer a professional level of cleanliness. For example, a handheld electrostatic sprayer can make it easy to sterilize any environment. It is a point and shoot sprayer being used by restaurants, retail stores, hotels, and hospitals.
In addition to doing biweekly deep cleans, train employees to consistently clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces. Your customers are prioritizing cleanliness over other factors when making their buying decisions.
Show Customers How You Are Preventing the Spread of Germs
In typical circumstances, businesses want their cleaning staff to go unseen. However, the coronavirus pandemic has changed things. Now, you want customers to see that you are taking proactive steps to protect your employees and customers from germs.
Employees should be seen washing their hands frequently. This is especially true after they use the restroom or eat. Those responsible for food prep should wear gloves and be seen changing their gloves and cleaning their hands regularly.
Hand sanitizer dispensers should be dispersed throughout the business. Again, employees should be sanitizing their hands after interacting with the public. This is especially true if they are handling cash, credit cards, or checks.
Minimize customer and employee interaction. Credit card machines should be placed in a way so that customers can use contactless credit cards. Credit card machines should be disinfected between uses.
There are other things you can do to give subtle clues that you are keeping your business clean and safe. For example, open doors and windows when the weather allows you to increase air circulation. Post signs reminding employees and customers of the need to prevent germ transmission.
Eliminate Shared Workspaces
People need to go to work. You can take steps to make the working environment safer. When possible, move workstations to make social distancing possible. Conference rooms and other empty offices can be repurposed to create new workspaces.
Put cleaning protocols in place. Test those protocols with surface testing. There are several tests available that can be used to make sure that a surface is free of pathogens. You value your workforce. It is worth it to make minor adjustments in order to keep your employees safe.
Create a Culture of Well-Being
The cleanliness and safety of your business will depend completely on the attitudes and actions of your employees. You can foster the proper attitude by creating a culture of well-being.
This includes setting aside time to train your employees on coronavirus policies and procedures. Train them on the importance of maintaining cleanliness, handwashing, and following proper coughing techniques.
All new employees should receive health and safety training specific to the industry you are in. Frequent reminders are key to keeping your business clean and safe.
It is one thing to encourage sick employees to stay home, but it is another thing to make them feel safe in doing so. If an employee feels that by staying home when they feel sick they risk losing their employment, they might try to go to work. This could get other employees and customers sick.
Cleanliness and safety have always been an important part of running a successful business. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, these factors have become even more important as customers are making their buying decisions based on how the retail spaces they visit make them feel.