into the trap of assuming customers are familiar with them. In fact, business owners should assume that customers are hearing about the new rules for the first time. Communication should be frequent and across a mix of channels, including websites, social media, newsletters and on-site display equipment.
Websites should have COVID-19 information clearly displayed on the homepage, whether it’s the full information or a link to a dedicated page. As well as regular social media posts, businesses should make one comprehensive post and pin it to the top of their feed. Anyone who visits their page will see that as the first post.
Newsletters can also go out to the customer database. Regardless of how people on the list are likely to visit, regular communication about the situation demonstrates to all customers that the business is well on top of all safety and hygiene measures.
As well as talking about what protocols are in place, it’s important to talk about why. Again, it’s good to assume that customers are unaware of the reasoning behind protocols. Explaining the why adds weight to your messages. There may also be some customers who treat pubs and restaurants reopening as if everything is back to how it was before lockdown – it’s important to clarify that’s not the case quite yet.
All messages should be reinforced by staff as customers enter a premises. This can be as simple as a quick greeting, pointing out sanitation stations and reminding customers of the basics. Owners should hold staff briefings once a week to make sure everyone is familiar with the rules and able to share them with customers clearly.
Visible hygiene practices
Businesses must walk the walk if they expect customers to do the same. It’s all very well asking customers to adhere to certain rules, but if they feel the business is not doing its part then they will be less likely to do theirs.
www.tomorrowscleaning.com
In hotels, cleaning teams should be visible in communal areas at intervals throughout the day. In pubs and restaurants, staff should be taking extra care to clean tables after use. They should also be cleaning the high-risk touchpoints throughout the day and in front of customers.
Hand sanitiser for staff should be placed on the bar and at the entrance to kitchen areas. Even if they will be washing their hands in the employee-only areas, sanitising in front of customers is another simple way to demonstrate that best- practice hygiene is being observed.
Finally, owners should display certification around cleaning and hygiene standards, especially any that verifies the premises to be above standards. Previously, we judged cleanliness visually – if a pub looked clean, then that was good enough. Now we are judging by higher standards. Customers will feel reassured by certification, so don’t be afraid to display it prominently by the main entrance.
What does the future hold?
It’s unlikely that the hospitality sector will be forced to close again, other than in local lockdown cases. The Chancellor’s VAT cut for the hospitality sector, as well as his desire to see pubs and restaurants ‘bustling again’, clearly demonstrates the Government’s desire to see the sector back to full capacity as soon as possible.
The burden for ensuring that it’s safe to do so falls on each individual business owner, but perhaps that’s not a bad thing. Now that the public has a greater appreciation of hygiene and how easy it is for viruses to spread, some of the new habits will stick even if and when a vaccine is found.
It may be that the hospitality sector becomes a more hygienic industry in the long-term, which could dramatically reduce the spread of more common viruses, such as the cold and flu. Getting customers onboard with new procedures now could pay dividends in the long run.
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