Having recently returned to consulting it occurred to me that I have never had to face a situation such as consulting remotely before. Given businesses are prioritising essential staff only and re-rostering into discrete working "bubbles" there is understandably less priority given to non-essentials such as myself. Without doubt there is a plethora of apps available to make it easy to connect and todays technology is making some things easier. However, there is a fundamental need to consider how to actually add value from afar! When you can’t do the face to face and go to gemba to see the real place, people, equipment and materials, what do you do? For me this has meant rethinking my offering to become more aligned to the online world. Specifically,
1. blowing the dust off my web design skills and creating a simple and clear online presence.
2. giving consideration to how I can be accessible and affordable to my clients.
3. being flexible to support with short interventions.
4. being transparent about my availability and making it easy for clients to book time
5. thinking about what will help my clients when they are busy and offering to give them remote support with issues that are troubling them.
In essence becoming more empathetic to customers and adapting is how we can all continue to not just survive but thrive!