Coronavirus Business Support

Supporting your business during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Find out what you can expect from us as well as ways to support your business.

 

Get informed

The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is creating unique challenges for small businesses throughout the UK. As such, we’ve compiled a brief guide to inform you about what Lunar CRM is doing as well as any steps you can take to help keep your business going.

 

What Lunar CRM is doing

We take the health and wellbeing of our staff seriously and, as such, all our employees are now working from home, which means that they can continue to assist you. 

If you want advice, or experience any issues with your Lunar CRM product, you can get in touch with our expert support team via your My Support page within your Lunar CRM.

Although we expect minimal change to your experience, the team have just transitioned to home-working so please do bear with us if response times are longer than usual.

We will continue to review the ongoing situation and post any updates on our Status page.

 

Overcoming this challenging situation

If you’re not sure about the best way to operate your business in these changing times, here are some quick options and ideas that you could easily implement:

 

Communications

Make sure that you inform customers about any changes to your service operations, opening hours or delivery options as soon as possible. Furthermore, be sure to announce these changes across your entire website and social media channels.

Honesty and transparency are always appreciated and, given current circumstances, most people will understand if it’ll take longer for them to receive their goods. 

In any case, any messages sent out to your customers should be as brief and clear as possible, since many will probably be busy dealing with the effects of the outbreak on their personal lives. 

 

Remote working

If, like us and many other companies, you’re now working from home, you'll need to configure your system or contact your system administrator to obtain authority to access our systems away from your office. It’s also worth downloading video conferencing and messaging software to ensure a smooth transition. Some great options include:

 

  • Microsoft Teams – a free version is available that offers unlimited chat and video calling, although you may already have Teams if you’re subscribed to our Office 365 package
  • Zoom – host free 40-minute meetings with multiple people
  • Google Hangouts – make free group video calls for up to 10 contacts
  • WhatsApp Business – send automated messages and quick replies to potential clients
  • Facebook Live – broadcast live events to your customers

 

How are small businesses adapting?

To overcome the fact that many potential customers have begun self-isolating, some businesses have implemented unique strategies: 

 

  • Toast Ale have removed delivery charges on their products
  • Down Dog Yoga are offering free downloads of their fitness app for anyone to try
  • Body Electric Dance Studios are streaming classes to their dance groups
  • Imperial are recommending customers purchase gift cards that they may use in the future
  • Many restaurants are offering online ordering and take-away services to customers

While these measures might not be viable for every business model, it’s worth considering how exactly you could cater your business accordingly.

 

Government and national resources

Even during these difficult times, you’ve still got a business to run and ongoing costs to meet. At the time of writing, to help with this the UK government has announced that it will offer a 100% Business Rates retail discount for companies whose property’s rateable value is less than £51,000. Businesses that pay little to no rates may also receive a £3,000 grant, provided they’re currently eligible for Small Business Rate Relief (SBBR) or Rural Rates Relief.

In addition to this, the government will soon be launching a new ‘Business Interruption Loan Scheme’ that will support small and medium-sized businesses that need access to bank lending and overdraft services. 

If, however, you’re facing immediate cashflow issues, you may be able to delay your tax payments to HMRC by calling their helpline on 0800 015 559. Alternatively, you could get in touch with the Small Business Commissioner, an independent office dedicated to assisting small businesses affected by late or unfair payment issues.

It’s also worth checking to see if you’re covered by your business insurance – especially if you’ve purchased supply chain or denial of access cover – since the Chancellor has confirmed that the government’s advice is sufficient for businesses to make a claim, where they have appropriate interruption cover for pandemics in place.

As always, you should stay on top of the latest information and advice for businesses on the government’s gov.uk website and the latest health guidance from the NHS and World Health Organisation

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