The role of Local Guides to support Small Business in a post-COVID-19 World.

[davo_dw]

I've been meaning to pen this post for a while; but like many of us, the last few months have caused enough distraction and my attention has been elsewhere.

This post focusses on the feedback that Small Business Owners have shared with me which spurred ideas to help them get back on their feet once COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease.

Greetings from Adelaide - the Capital City of South Australia and my home city with a population of ~1.3 million.

It is one of the fortunate places in the world whereby there have been 0 Active COVID-19 cases for over 2 months - a cause to celebrate! With restrictions eased, it was time to get out and about.

Whilst exploring the city and the state, it quickly occurred to me how Small Businesses had suffered as a result of shutdowns and quarantine restrictions: empty shop fronts or greatly restricted operating hours and menus. This isn't a first world problem, economic development is charged by the growth of such enterprises and I'm sure they're equally impacted elsewhere.

The Barossa Valley, our flagship wine region, is a good example where over a third of their revenue dried up overnight when the borders to Victoria, our neighbouring state, were closed due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Cellar Doors are struggling due to dramatic reductions in visitors due to Border closures

It got me thinking - how do we support businesses to get back on their feet? After all, the economic figures in Australia highlighted that recent Consumer Confidence is currently at its highest over the last 12 months.

The best way to help Small Business Owners was to ask them 'what can I, as a LocalGuide, do to get them back on their feet?'

Here's the feedback:

1) Take time to show how they can manage and update their Google Maps Page

Being a small business owner doesn't mean that you're tech savvy and even if you are, you often have other priorities than updating your Google Maps page. There's been a dozen occasions where I've taken the time to assist the business in updating their details to reflect their current operating hours, new menus or delivery services. We all know how frustrating it is when the information isn't correct and unfortunately, if a customer has the wrong information and arrives when the shop is shut, there's a good chance they won't return - a vicious cycle. The owners are grateful as they never realised how easy it is to complete themselves. Some businesses have also changed their operating name and I rarely submit an edit nowadays via my own profile as they're often rejected with no rationale - a seperate issue.

2) Make the time to Review

Many business owners highlighted that they are bombarded with calls or enquiries because customers are unsure if they're still in business as the most recent reviews are often several months ago OR if they're a new business, they're just not getting the volume of reviews. Since August, I've been making a concerted effort to improve the quality of my posts further with more detail and photos so that future customers are aware that the business is back in operation. 

Creating Lists and Sharing with immediate friends and family is a micro-step to promote Small BusinessesLists also are a great way to group Businesses, making them easier to find

3) Be Patient and Review considering the Current Circumstances

I've observed low score reviews left because customers were unable to be seated or there were queues or because the staff were busy - this makes me angry. In all instances that I've seen, small businesses are doing an amazing job at accomodating people based on the capacity restrictions that have been imposed. In most cases, businesses are operating with a lower number of staff and a lower customer volume which directly chews into their revenue. If you're planning to give a low review based on this, pause, put the phone away, sleep on it and think about the impact you may have by sharing a sentiment because you were inconvenienced.

Open for business but many seats that are unable to be filled because of capacity restrictions

In time, more restrictions will be lifted in more places as Governments and Populations coordinate efforts to tackle COVID-19. It's been an inconvenience in my life but no where near the impact to the lives of Small Business owners. If their enterprises do well, they hire more people, the economy performs better and subsequently, the community only stands to benefit. Get out there when it's safe, speak to small business owners and add value via Google Maps. 

[PaulPavlinovich]

Good words @davo_dw when you help them get their entry right, its worth trying to get them to open their own GMB entry at https://business.google.com/ which will put them in full control of their entry.

I agree with all of your observations and suggestions. You might also:

• Check an open place on Maps and if it is open but Maps says "closed" or "temporarily closed" then re-open them
• Put on up to date photos of the store front showing the restriction signage so people know in advance what to expect

Paul

[SP31]

I think it is great that you collected direct feedback from those small businesses who could really use the help during these trying times, @davo_dw - could not agree more on the point of consumers and visitors understanding that this new situation and the restrictions in place may mean that the experience people are generally used to, say at a restaurant or a store, may be entirely different to accommodate new implementations and to keep people safe. 

Before, if you were waiting 30 minutes to be served, it may have been worth noting in a review, but in this new day and age as we still work to fight COVID-19, it may take a bit more time to be seated (if indoor dining is available) or you may have to wait in a line to enter your favorite store. It is something that everyone is getting used to at this point and it is in efforts of following the precautionary efforts put in place, so reviewers should definitely take that into consideration when writing their feedback and understand that it is not at the fault ultimately of the establishment.

[davo_dw]

Thanks @PaulPavlinovich  for the useful tips and I hope it’s sooner rather than later that you and the rest of Victoria will be out and about 

[davo_dw]

@SP31 agreed - would be interesting to have visibility on the impact of COVID on the volume of reviews - I’m not sure what’s worse - leaving a bad review of not leaving one when you have a good experience ...

[PaulPavlinovich]

We've had a bit of a reprieve with some resumed freedoms with more to come on 1st November if we behave ourselves @davo_dw 

[ojifahruroji]

Terimakasih @davo_dw hal ini menjadi referensi bagi saya untuk diterapkan di daerah saya👍

[ojifahruroji]

Terimakasih @davo_dw 

Hal ini menjadi referensi bagi saya untuk diterapkan di daerah saya

[davo_dw]

Terimakasih @ojifahruroji Saya senang ini bermanfaat untuk Anda

[FaridTDF]

Gracias por compartir @davo_dw , buenos tips los que nos das. Estoy seguro que muchos Local Guides, apreciarán los consejos que ofreces. La pandemia pasará y los negocios se tienen que prepara y adecuar a la nueva realidad que tenemos. 
Yo le agregaría que a todo aquel Local Guides que visite un sitio tome fotos y realice nuevos comentarios sobre ese lugar, por ejemplo indicando que tipo de desinfección de manos cuenta el local, otro dato importante es tiene demarcación de seguridad o distanciamiento personal. 👍👏🙂

 Saludos Farid

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