Coping with the pandemic looks different for each industry and the businesses in them. While others thrived, a lot more are just making do or have succumbed completely. If one were to make a thorough analysis on why companies in the same industry performed differently, many factors come into play. There’s one fundamental element, however, that is true for the majority who not only survived, but also showed promise in the midst of the crisis. There are three key personnel that they maximized to keep their business from going under.
IT specialists aren’t the only ones that proved essential for businesses. While they’re the ones that proved especially critical in the transition to a more virtual corporate scene, there are other noteworthy jobs that deserve the accolade.
HR Specialists
If there’s anyone that truly held the company together at the onset of the pandemic, it’s HR specialists. They received the brunt of the work and their colleagues’ temper as everyone scrambled to adjust to the new normal. Even now that the worst of the situation is seemingly over, HR is likely still creating new systems that will enable them to help everyone cope with the lasting changes the pandemic has made.
They’re also the ones who handled the ugly side of downsizing and reducing operations and overhead costs (think terminations, non-renewals, and severance pays). HR specialists answer questions about compensation, benefits, and sending the memos for the shifting work status from remote to office work. Not to mention the important job of handling office reentry as people begin occupying their desks again.
Perhaps the most noteworthy job that HR specialists accomplished in your company’s direst moments is the empathy they extended to everyone. Theirs was a mentally and emotionally taxing year for dealing with nearly everybody in your company to meet their needs. Without their effort, your operations would likely have been more badly affected.
Your Data Management Specialists
The pandemic proved the importance of data when it comes to creating new business models and drafting projections about revenues and other profit-making opportunities. For a lot of companies that don’t have anyone collecting, organizing, and storing their data, scouring through years of records and thousands of correspondence ate up valuable time and effort. There’s also no guarantee that their data are complete and accurate.
One area that benefits from good data management is customer engagement. Now more than ever, companies need to build strong relationships with their clients to secure revenues and improve their prospects. However, they can’t even begin to chart a customer engagement strategy during the pandemic without looking back at their performance in the previous years. This includes customer feedback, complaint resolutions, and customer onboarding statistics. When you have a thorough and ready record of these things, your productivity increases and you’re better able to come up with more realistic strategies.
The most outstanding benefit of a data management specialist is that it allows your company to be cost-efficient. You’ll spare teams from conducting the same surveys, research, and reports that were already made by people in a different department. Other forms of duplications can also be avoided, which ensures that all present efforts are relevant to the company’s growth.
In case you’re just beginning to realize that you need this in your team, let your HR sift through the data management specialists for you. You’ll be glad to know that simply having one onboard your company can significantly reduce the threat of bankruptcy and closure in the future.
Social Media Marketing Specialist
The pandemic has made social media even more relevant and profitable today. If you want to broadcast to the world that your company is still alive and kicking, the way to do it is through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the other giants in the industry. Still, with the competition barely cut in half and the need for new customers rising, it’s through your marketing specialists that you’ll truly be seen.
No average social media user can promote your brand like they do. A growing number of consumers are making their purchases based on their social media encounter with you. If you want to see the progress of your campaigns, these experts will be able to explain the complex analytics that comes with your business account. Social media marketing specialists can make sense of the algorithms that confound you and create changes that will open new doors for your brand.
Without them, your company’s survival might not amount to much when only a few people can feel your online presence.
Support Them
Find steps to make these key personnel’ work easier. Often, it’s by equipping them with the right tools and working out dilemmas with them that show your support best. Schedule regular meetings to know what kind of help they need from the higher-ups, and do reward their output with work and non-work related incentives. Satisfied employees make for satisfied customers, which is exactly what will move you from survival mode to success.
