Don’t ditch your pandemic pivots.
By: James William
Tags: Coffee, Connection, Accessibility, Mental Health, Pandemic

Don’t ditch your pandemic pivots.

Photo by Henrik Dønnestad on Unsplash

The observations I’ve stated in this article were made from within the coffee industry and will not apply to all industries, but even if you’re in a different industry, you should still find some takeaways from this article.

Though we can’t quite see the end of this pandemic, with multiple vaccines being rolled out worldwide, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and it might not be long before we return to our pre-pandemic ways of life.

Worldwide restrictions and lockdowns have forced many businesses to explore additional sales channels or change the way they operate entirely. Although it’s been stressful for many (to say the least), and unfortunately meant the death of business for others, for many of those that were able to adapt their operations and embrace the change, their pivots have kept them afloat. Not only has it kept them afloat, but many have experienced a growth in audience, and sales. So why has the pandemic slaughtered some businesses, and blessed others? I found this a particularly interesting question, considering the customer demand within the (coffee) industry has remained relatively unchanged. After pondering this on/off for the past few months, my thoughts let me to one word, and one word only.

Accessibility.

The varying range of restrictions we’ve all faced, forced us to find ways of making our businesses more accessible to our customers. For the majority, this meant taking things online and offering a varying array of delivery/collection options. It makes sense, right? Our customers can’t get to us like they used to (or at least not as easily), so we have to go to them.

Of course, this is no revelation. It’s pretty obvious we won’t make sales if our audience can’t get to us. That’s why no one opens a coffee shop at the bottom of the ocean (though that’d be cool). So, here’s the headline. Why does it take a pandemic for us to think about accessibility?

The majority of us have one way to serve our customers, and we just sort of expect that to be enough. This matter isn’t just about being accessible to those that fill the stereotype of disability, this is about being accessible to everyone. We all have different needs and abilities, some of these even change over time. One week we may be able to go physically into a store and get what we want, and the next week we may not have the time, the confidence, geographical or physical ability. The truth is, there are too many reasons why someone may not be able to be your customer today, even if they desperately want to be.

When we do reach the other side of this awful pandemic, it’s highly likely that more of your customers/potential customers than ever before, will be struggling with their mental health. The changes you make to your business, by thinking carefully about how to be accessible to everyone, can genuinely be the helping hand that someone needs to lift them out of the darkness. At the very least, you’ll create a space where people feel like they’re welcome. A place where people feel like they’re seen, and accepted as they are, regardless of their current, or life-long levels of ability.

I urge you to keep your “pandemic pivots”, your collection services, online stores, digital queues, and spacious counters, because COVID-19 and government restrictions aren’t the only reasons restricting someone’s ability to be a customer of yours.