How to run your business remotely during COVID19.

But the world cannot stop, the new normal has important challenges, such as maintaining the operation of our business through virtual and remote means.

In the new normal, in addition to adopting the health measures imposed by the government, such as sanitization protocols in offices and businesses, it is necessary to innovate in the face of the demands of maintaining the production chain in an environment of uncertainty and crisis that only businesses that best adapt can overcome. To achieve this, here we present some recommendations for running your business remotely, in the new normal.

Plan the activities of the business in detail

Faced with the need to work remotely, it is essential to adopt astrategic planning system that allows defining in the short and medium term the detail of each of the business activities, the people responsible for those activities, delivery dates, meetings and other activities necessary for the business to function. This information should be consulted, agreed upon and coordinated with all collaborators and partners, so that everyone is on the same channel.

Establish clear communication rules with your team

Coordinating a team requires maintaining a stable communication flow between team members, which becomes more complex as teams grow in diversity and geographic location. Working hours, the applications used to communicate, the duration of meetings, are just some of the aspects to consider.

According to Mandy Brown, CEO of Editorially, the collaborative writing software company, it is important to maintain a permanent and redundant communication between remote work teams, due to the ease with which misunderstandings can occur. However, balance should not be lost. Endless virtual meetings or a lack of agreement on topics to be discussed, can make online collaboration very exhausting.

Use shared cloud software

Nowadays there are multiple programs that can be used from the Internet, which allow real-time collaboration, whether in the drafting of documents, or in the generation of presentations or spreadsheets. Some are free and cover the most basic needs of small or medium-sized businesses.

There are also enterprise management systems via remote access, which integrate more complex functions, with modules of various specialties, such as inventory management, human resources administration, customer management, supervision and monitoring of production processes, which can be adapted through the gradual optimization of the different areas of the company or business.

An excellent option is the SAP Business ByDesign platform, which was designed to operate on a service rental model in the cloud and with the best market practices to automate and grow your business.

Integrate information from the different areas of your company into a database

The option of having an integrated database that is fed by different sources and areas in real time, which in turn allows each area to obtain the information necessary to perform its functions, represents enormous savings in economic and time costs, as it facilitates interaction between teams, aligns the production chain and provides important elements for decision-making, by allowing observation of the complete business picture.

This can be starting with the creation of a share point or virtual contact point, where common work files are shared, and also through an ERP, whose main function is precisely to automate, order and facilitate the registration, consultation and analysis of information between all areas that make up the company or business in a secure cybernetic environment.

Adopt protocols or systems for remote monitoring of areas

One of the most difficult parts is maintaining the normal flow of each process. Remote supervision requires instruments where you can observe the progress of areas through task confirmation and constant communication with those responsible.

Virtual meetings and email and messaging systems are very useful as long as they involve simple tasks. But to have a deep understanding of how our business operates, there are dashboards through which you have access to real-time management indicators. In this regard, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, by functioning through integrated databases, greatly facilitate this function.

Limit physical contact between collaborators, clients, and suppliers.

Because one way COVID-19 is spread is through physical contact, it is important to adopt strategies that allow you to reduce it to a minimum. If you have already returned to the office, measures such as staggered schedules, restriction of physical meetings, and implementation of work from home for responsibilities that allow it are recommended.

To overcome the restriction of physical contact, we invite you to hold virtual meetings and adopt systems to manage relationships with clients and suppliers. Enterprise resource planning systems have the ability to integrate with other companies through the establishment of modules that allow for the management of specific shared information, and through a CRM, relationships with clients can be managed.

How to create my own management model in the new normal?

Most companies were not prepared to adapt to such a sudden change and are currently facing the challenge of overcoming the change and innovating to survive and to grow.

Furthermore, not all have specialized personnel, the time, or the resources to assume large investments to cover the costs of the new normal. Therefore, it is advisable to seek assistance from companies dedicated to improving business management processes, which provide support and offer the best options according to the company's conditions, following a process audit.

In Mexico, one of the most experienced companies in improvement and continuous innovation is Xamai, which has more than 20 years of implementing business solutions and is a certified partner of the world's leading enterprise software company, SAP, so they have a wide range of options to improve accounting, tax, human resources, sales, customer management, supplier management, inventories, project management, among others, fully ready to automate and grow your business. Consult with an advisor. here.

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