Staying safe and reducing the risk of catching Covid-19, or passing it on, is top of everyone’s mind right now but that doesn’t mean business stops. Here is a “Top-5 ideas” for making the most of a challenging situation:

1) Digital tools have changed the way we work with cloud computing and portable hardware (tablets/laptops) commonplace. Microsoft Teams or Skype make keeping in contact with colleagues easy and Sharepoint allows collaborative working. Skype customers to stay in touch and making use of video really enhances the experience.

2) Catch up on admin. The email avalanche rarely stops so whilst working from home,  take the opportunity to clean up and clear out the inbox, harddrive, and the dumping ground of the “Downloads” folder and Desktop.

3) Review and update your website. If you don’t have one, now is a really good time to look into it and perhaps even add online chat functionality or a web shop. Many web developers and graphic designers are experienced at working remotely and website content refresh is always worth doing (ask suppliers for the up to date images and text directly).

4) Search out online courses to bring training up to date and give yourself or your team the edge when things get back to normal. Cost doesn’t need to be an issue as Adobe, Google, and many other global organisations offer free courses, best practice guides, and whitepapers.

5) During the financial crisis 10-years ago; MRO spending actually increased year-on-year as production slowed and lines were temporarily shut down. This meant engineers capitalised on the opportunity to strip down and undertake larger maintenance projects without the production schedule pressure.  Contact customers to see if they have everything they need to get the job done first time.

There are many other things that can be done either in work or from home, remotely. Just because the world stops, doesn’t mean that business has to.