- Hey, it's Emma from GoDaddy's The Journey.
- And this is Darlene from GoDaddy's How To.
- And with the COVID-19 outbreak
and this dynamic time that we're going through,
as you can see, we're both working from home
as I'm sure maybe you are as well.
But we wanted to put together some
educational and helpful videos
to support you during this climate.
And today, we're gonna talk about
shifting service engagement from face-to-face to online.
So how can we adapt your business
in a social distancing concept.
- A service business,
especially one that mainly operates face-to-face
with its customers,
lives and dies by its ability to make sure
that everyone's taken care of safely and efficiently.
- Yeah, in fact you could argue that all around efficiency
is the key to a successful small business.
- What's more is that this effect is magnified
when your income relies on setting
a revolving door of customers in motion.
The importance of managing your orders, appointments,
and bookings appropriately can't be overstated.
- And if you haven't done so already,
shifting your ordering, scheduling, payments online
can help you focus on both you and your clients' needs.
- Let's talk a little bit about benefits
of shifting your operations online
as your business responds to COVID-19.
- Yeah, online availability is not only changing
the way people make purchases,
but also how business owners interact with their customers.
- Customers are able to schedule, view, or order
whenever and wherever they want.
All without leaving the comfort of their home.
And this makes the customer experience
much more convenient than that of conventional shopping.
- Yeah, and I completely agree with that.
I mean, when it comes to just
what I've done the past few days,
ordering food online, changing appointments,
rescheduling appointments, whether that's something
like a hair salon or a doctor's visit.
And this will be a practice that
you continue to implement and benefit from,
honestly regardless of what is going on.
- Businesses are also adapting to
a social distancing concept.
So gyms, yoga studios, and karate dojos
are holding online video sessions
for everyone to follow along at home.
- Yeah, actually I noticed that with ClassPass recently,
I have a ClassPass membership,
and they're doing a great job of offering
at home workouts on their app.
Like, you just click a link and you can stay active at home.
Which is great, and important during this time.
Especially keep your mental health.
[Laughs]
Also, medical professionals are able to use
web conferencing instead of in person visits.
- Which I already use when
I don't want to do to the doctors. [laughs]
But restaurants are also offering
more pick up and delivery options too.
- Yeah, definitely.
And I saw an announcement, GrubHub,
GrubHub announced it'll delay collecting fees
as restaurants deal with COVID-19.
So they're on it, and we're just encouraging you
to consider these options as well so you can be on it too.
- Okay, so here's what you need to do.
You should expand your online channels.
If you don't already have one,
you'll need to set up a website
that's optimized for online ordering or scheduling.
- Yeah, and additionally consumers aren't shopping
solely on their desktops anymore, right?
This means continually optimizing your site
so it's responsive across all devices.
Like for me, I'm doing the majority of my ordering,
purchasing behaviors on my cell phone.
- Same.
As an alternative, many businesses
turn to third party websites to handle this process.
- Yeah, for online video conferencing,
apps like Zoom, our favorite at GoDaddy,
who have lifted the 40 minute meeting limit
on free basic accounts for K-12 schools around the world.
- You're gonna also wanna ensure that
your customer service team is covering all channels
with the most up-to-date information.
- Yeah, and if you commit to having
several options available to customers,
you'll need to have customer service representatives
on deck to answer any questions or concerns
that come through in a timely manner.
- And then you're gonna want to
make it easy for you and your customers.
Many of the top online ordering systems
will integrate with most of the well known POS,
or point of sale, systems.
- And this streamlines your process in a number of ways.
By having the order inserted directly into your system,
an online order will be handled just like any other order.
- Many online systems offer multiple ordering points,
such as from your Facebook page, Google listing,
or from customized, branded ordering apps.
- Yeah, and the same goes for booking appointments.
Sync the booking calendar with your personal calendars
to easily manage both your personal and business schedules.
- And if you have Websites+Marketing
you can also add online appointments.
- So, you'll wanna accept several methods of payment.
Having a variety of payment options available at check out
will help with the follow through on purchases.
- You can offer a range of payment options
in your online ordering process,
including paying with Venmo, Paypal, Apple Pay,
and also gift cards and using promotional codes and coupons.
- Yeah, and be sure to include an option
to check out as a guest,
this is so true,
you don't want to lose out on sales
to folks who just aren't interested in creating an account.
For me, I just don't want to take the time.
So you could potentially lose that person's business.
- Anything that you can do to make ordering easier
will increase your online orders.
- Which leads us into, let's talk about
offering delivery or pickup options.
You'll need to decide whether you're going to deliver
or allow customers to order online
and then they can come and pick up
at your restaurant, or store, or warehouse.
- And remember, customers are ordering online
for convenience and time saving benefits.
- But, hey, delivery is more convenient
for a lot of people who might not otherwise
be able to buy from you.
- Pickup also has its benefits.
You can quickly fix any errors
and the customer might buy a few last minute items
while they're there.
- Yeah. And let's talk about how to promote
your new online ordering system, right?
So getting the word out about your service
will be an important factor in making it a success.
- And since you've taken all the time to set this up,
you deserve to be rewarded with customers.
- Yeah, there are millions of ways
to promote any new venture.
But here are a few easy ones to get started.
Number one, put up posters around your store,
send out emails,
and post on social media platforms, of course.
- Two, if you're using a third party provider's platform,
you'll benefit from their marketing and advertising.
- Yeah, actually some companies like ChowNow
offer a marketing launch package to help you
tell potential customers that you now,
hey, we have online ordering as an option.
- And marketing costs are important
in calculating your ROI, or return on investment,
so any discounts you can negotiate with your provider
will help improve your numbers.
- So for example, offer first time customers an incentive.
Like 10 percent off their first order.
That's how GrubHub got me, actually.
[Laughs]
I got a nice discount.
- Free delivery, you know?
- Done.
- But the choice is yours.
And an online ordering system
will certainly help you maintain
and possibly even grow your business.
- Yeah, incremental sales that drive top line revenue
should be front and center in any entrepreneur's
year over year strategy.
- Just be a good detective and be sure to
investigate all of your options
and find the best fit for you and your operation.
- And when it comes to offering your services,
the best approach is to make the online experience
as easy as possible for your customers.
- We realize it's a difficult time for everyone right now,
and shifting service engagement from
face-to-face to online can be stressful.
But we wanna give our support to our community
and businesses out there.
- Yes, so, we're gonna come together
and keep creating videos like this
to help support you during this dynamic time.
And, hey Darlene, I get to see you, which was awesome.
- Good to see you too, Emma.
And if you have any questions,
you can always call our GoDaddy support line.
Stay safe.
- Stay healthy.