As part of our continual support to clients regarding the escalation of Covid–19, please see below some advice on how your business can proactively prepare in the coming days.

This is a concerning time for all of your stakeholders from staff to customers and, while you are implementing your business continuity plans, we want you to be confident of having our support in your business critical communications.

While we can’t be clear on how the next days and weeks will pan out, we do know that in order for business to continue as effectively and efficiently as possible in these unprecedented times, some alternative ways of working need to be employed. 

From an internal perspective it is crucial that staff are kept informed and also feel any concerns they may have are being heard.  In particular, support and guidance should be offered to those who are now or will be soon, required to work from home. This is not to be underestimated particularly as it will be alien to many.

How a business behaves in the current climate will impact on success in the longer term.  Over and beyond the imperative of keeping customers informed, those brands that demonstrate leadership will be in the strongest position.  Currently we are supporting a number of our clients in how they can help the communities they serve, whether that be linking them to a charity which deals with societal isolation or advising on how current CSR programmes can be adapted to have greater impact.

We know that many of our clients want to know how their brand is being perceived.  To this end, in addition to our regular on–going monitoring service we are equipped to provide social listening providing you with real time updates in times of crisis.

We would like you to be assured also that we have the IT systems and the communications mechanisms in place to continue our full service to you when it becomes necessary for us to work remotely. Your team can be reached as usual by mobile phone and email and we are available 24/7 to support across any crisis issues. We are of course, taking all advised precautions to safeguard our people and our premises; face to face meetings are subject to common sense in line with current advice and we are accelerating our own use of alternative approaches to complete work.

We will keep in touch with you regarding work plans and to provide support. Hopefully, positive action will mean we all come through this worrying situation with minimum impact to our health and businesses.