Massive business strategy changes must be made to survive during COVID-19 attacks. Inevitably the company must be agile and think fast to adjust. Not only the product, marketing, and promotion, leadership and organizational conditions are also important things to consider. Some tips and input from Dr. Dina Dellyana in episode 2 SBM ITB Talks can be a stepping stone for companies to survive and even thrive in this difficult time.
Corona Virus (Covid-19) has now become a global pandemic. Indonesia is one of 186 other countries that have been listed by WHO as a country that is also exposed to the influence of the Corona Virus outbreak. The number of patients infected with this virus is getting higher each day. This makes the government promote restrictions of community interaction, or what is often referred to as social distancing.
“Work at home, study at home, and pray at home,” said Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia 2019-2024. Doing activities from home would almost change our entire work pattern. Dr. Dina Dellyana, Director of the Greater Hub Incubator SBM ITB, shared tips or strategies that can be done by digital startups in dealing with Covid-19.
The first strategy is to ensure that our Work from Home (WFH) performance stays productive. To achieve optimal levels of productivity, we can redesign our weekly targets and set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each task we perform. These startups are also encouraged to redesign online reporting methods to fit the Work from Home (WFH) pattern.
The second strategy is to actively involve each employee. Do not forget to frequently ask for their current updates, such as psychological state, physical health, or financial condition. This can create a closer and more open relationship between team members. It’s also a good idea to communicate and discuss together about the best or worst scenarios that can occur from this spread of Corona Virus.
The last strategy is to create new products by using existing resources to add income or brand awareness from the community. Startups which engage in food and beverage are advised to be able to make products that are more durable, so that they have a longer period of time to be marketed since the number of sales may decline for an uncertain time. For startups in the fashion industry, it can also shift to creating PPE (Personal Protective Equipment for Medical Staff) such as face masks, gloves, medical hats, and protective clothing. Startups who work in the field of design, animation, or film can also create content and appeals to the public about Covid-19. Lately,we often find various educational videos about Corona Virus. This becomes a good example since it allows us to participate directly in educating the community.
For startups that are oriented to the types of entertainment such as dancing, theater, or music can also make a live concert online. Concerts like this can be free, dedicated to people so that they would be more comfortable working from home, or also drawn fees (paid). For startups that work in the digital and application fields, it is also advisable to create simple applications that can support the current situation, for example, such as tracking applications of the number of patients who are positively affected by Corona Virus equipped with information on where he/she lived and also the area he/she had visited before being detected as positive Corona patients. Applications like this have been designed by many other countries. This kind of application can be very effective in informing the public of Covid-19 patients in real time so that they could be more careful about looking after themselves.
