No Playbook for Small Business

There’s no playbook for small businesses' new reality, but we all need to adapt quickly. Change is inevitable not only in life but in business too. As long as people and technology are progressing, so should the businesses around them. In many ways it’s surreal, but the changes we’re all going through with COVID-19 are very real.

Now, the importance of adapting and overcoming fast changes will make a very big difference for most small businesses and how they weather the long-playing COVID-19 storm. If businesses do not adapt to the environment, the competitive edge they offer to customers will likely be gone.

When it comes to small business vs. Coronavirus, there is no playbook, it’s all new and it’s time to pivot or lose market share to those who can. These times are quickly forcing small businesses to rethink their everyday strategies and adapt their usual operating procedures.

Until last week, Wally Conway’s home inspection business, HomePro Inspections in Jacksonville, Florida, had only felt minimum effects from COVID-19. This week, his customers are beginning to voice concern about home inspectors, or anyone else for that matter, entering into their homes. With the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. still in its early stages, Conway feels it’s necessary to adjust the status-quo and communicate with his customers now, more than ever.

Quickly, Conway and his team created and mandated their COVID-19 "Inspector Safe Practice Procedures" for his entire team. Moving forward, HomePro’s office staff, prior to scheduled inspections, inform customers, clients and agents HomePro has put a COVID-19 safe practice procedure into place to ensure the safety of their customers and their inspectors.

Customers and agents are made aware they're still welcome to attend the inspection, however, if they’d prefer to not be present the inspector will connect with them via telephone, following completion of the inspection, to review the findings.

HomePro Inspections - COVID-19 Inspector Safe Practice Procedures

HomePro Inspections team members will now greet anyone who is onsite for the inspection, (client, agent or seller) while practicing social distancing (Minimum 3 feet distance). The inspector will make them aware the company has instituted a COVID-19 safe practice procedure and review that procedure with them. The inspector will let them know they have a mask and are willing to wear it for the duration of the inspection, should that be their preference. The inspector will confirm how they would like you to proceed.

Each inspector may use his/her personal preference to wear the mask for the duration and will be sure to put it on prior to entering the home. If an agent is present, they will confirm who will be opening the door prior to entering the customer’s property.

Upon entry into the home, the inspector will go to the kitchen sink and layout a company-issued package of gloves, hand soap, paper towels and a bag for collecting any such materials that you use during the inspection.

The inspector will proceed to wash their hands with antibacterial soap for 20-30 seconds and once hands are clean and dry put on gloves.

Inspections will proceed as usual maintaining a minimum 3 ft distance from anyone who is onsite with you at all times during the inspection.

The inspector will be cognizant of any surfaces touched during the inspection and those surfaces will be sanitized following the inspection, prior to leaving the home.

When the inspection is completed, the client/agent will be made aware and a complete review of findings will be offered.

Once the review is complete, remind them that you are going to go through the home to spray any surfaces that were touched during the inspection (doorknobs, switches, controls, appliances, etc.), with disinfectant spray and remove all materials that you used from the home.

All used protective items will be removed from the home and taken with the inspector. HomePro’s inspectors will not dispose of these items in the home's trash bins.

This policy is a great example of a business that has adapted quickly and has made fast changes. By creating and adapting this policy, HomePro Inspections has been able to contact their customer base and their prospects to reassure them the company takes their customer's health concerns very seriously while allowing life to continue both safely and efficiently. The efforts have retained 97% of their scheduled business and will position the company as a leader in addressing consumer concerns in our new COVID-19 reality.

How's Your Business Adapting?

Has your company's day to day business been affected by the Coronavirus and social distancing policies? Please share your experiences by commenting below about ways your business has changed and adapted to COVID-19 and our “new reality” in recent weeks.