Written by Supermove. https://supermove.co

COVID-19 is a national emergency. Our lives are changing rapidly as the weeks progress, and it is critical we remain vigilant and prepared for the situation.

Our industry will be impacted significantly - consumers and businesses are entering unforeseen territory. Our partners and customers are already slowing down or losing business.

It's hard to predict where we will end up a few months from now. We may need to go undergo severe restructuring and there may be difficult times ahead. The key is to act now, decisively, in order to prepare for what may happen next.

What to do as a moving company

Protect Employees

• Allow the back office to work remotely or work from home (WFH)
  • Not every employee can WFH. You may need to reserve space for people unable to work from home. If possible (1) space people out at least 6 feet (2 meters) (2) remove communal food and eating. People should either bring in their own food or get individually wrapped food if possible. (3) ensure proper sanitation of work place and availability of cleaners for hand washing. This may shift if the government gets its act together and mandates work from home for non-location-essential work.
• Wipe down work areas regularly. There is some evidence suggesting the virus may stick around for at least a few hours, if not more, on surfaces. You may also want to wipe your phone down on a regular basis.
• Cancel events. It is wise to cancel group company events. Biogen recently held a 175 person event in Boston, which is now tied to 70 cases of COVID-19 including 25+ of the attendees.
• Zero tolerance sick policy.
• You may ensure all employees have paid sick leave if feasible. This is especially important if you still have people in the office and do not want sick employees coming in to make their payday.

Comfort Your Customers

• Maintain great hygiene. Provide masks or gloves for your movers if you can, and let customers know that you will come prepared. Train your movers accordingly.
• Provide hand sanitizer and contactless customer service. Is it possible to leave a good impression on your customers by giving them a bottle of hand sanitizer? Can you get documents signed digitally rather than in person and use virtual & video estimates?
• Comfort them. Your customers may be deciding right now whether or not to continue with their scheduled moves. This could be your chance to let them know the precautionary steps you are taking, with an email, or even better, a phone call.
• Remain flexible. Allow customers to reschedule moves and be flexible on cancellation policies or deposits. The trust you establish now will pay off in the future.

Dealing With A Potential Downturn