A Twitter user recently asked people to describe 2020 to someone who had (hypothetically) been in a coma. To no one's surprise, some of the responses included, ‘Imagine the worst. It’s worse’, ‘you’ll want to sit down’ and ‘good luck finding toilet paper’. That last response is certainly one aspect of this pandemic that will confuse future history students for decades to come. This year certainly has been a year like no other. 

Amid the tragedy and heartache, here at About Space Lighting we’ve had to adapt and overcome the challenges of the pandemic to ‘keep the lights on’. We’ve been trading online for some time now, and when the pandemic struck, we were in the middle of a complete revamp of our website. Now live, the new website is just one initiative that has enabled us to continue trading when our showrooms were forced to shut.

Like many businesses in Victoria, we’ve had to make a lot of changes to stay operational and to keep our people, clients and the community safe. We’re doing a few things to keep our spirits up too! 

 

Contactless pick up 

eCommerce is perhaps the safest way to shop during COVID-19, with contactless pick up giving both clients and staff a way to keep their distance. The pandemic has been an opportune time for renos and construction to take place, so allowing our clients to pick up contactless has played a really important role in keeping people - both in our industry and in others - in a job and working.  

 

Virtual consults 

Taking our consults virtual has opened up a new way of doing business at About Space. Along with other new ways of working we’ve tried, it’s something we may practice long-term if it benefits our clients. Once our team ironed out the kinks of remote work, virtual consultations were the natural next step. It’s also streamlined the process of follow-up appointments and confirming product selection. As both home and commercial projects have been booming, virtual consults have given us a way to engage with our clients and get excited about their lighting designs. 

 

Picking up the phone and emails aplenty

During times of uncertainty, communication is key. This applies to businesses too! At About Space, our level of client interaction is higher than ever. We make sure to jump on the phone wherever possible to ensure our service is at the same high standards our customers have come to expect. Where needed, we’ve upped our use of email to make sure no stone is left unturned and every project is on track! 

 

Masks, social distancing and regular cleaning

They’re all messages we’ve heard numerous times since the initial outbreak of COVID. But they remain some of the most important things we can do to stop the spread of the virus and keep our clients, staff and community safe. All About Space staff wear masks and practice social distancing, and our showrooms are cleaned frequently and thoroughly. We expect to continue taking these precautions for some time, so while we can’t wait to give our clients a handshake or let them see our smiles under our masks, we’ll do everything we can to get back to normal, sooner.  

 

Warehouse staff reduced 

We know that COVID-19 is incredibly infectious, so we’ve taken the appropriate steps (inline with government regulations) to reduce our warehouse staff to 67%. This ensures we’re able to best practice social distancing and keep our people safe. 

 

Weekly meetings with the team

The future of work could look a bit different, and that’s something we’re prepared for. Members of our team might want to work from home more on the other side of the pandemic. We’ve taken the appropriate steps to make this a possibility, with one important part being weekly meetings to ensure there’s transparency across all our teams. We also use this time to have a laugh, listen to each other and build trusting relationships that keep our business strong. 

 

Friday = memes

Where would we be without memes? I mean really, is there any better way to close out a productive week? Every Friday, the About Space staff partake in a little bit of meme culture. While there’s no prerequisites for the perfect meme around our offices, lighting, of course, is always a crowd pleaser. 

 

KPIs that should be the standard in 2020

One of our sales teams’ KPIs is to show appreciation to other staff members. This is something we’re really proud of, and believe should be common practice among all businesses. This year has been tough for so many reasons, so it’s more important than ever to check in on eachother, appreciate our colleagues and commend them for the work they’re doing. It’s a cliche, but we really are ‘all in this together’.

 

Looking to start your own lighting project? 

Had more time on your hands as a result of COVID-19? Looking to add some style to your home or commercial space? Well, whether it’s a virtual consult, shopping for contactless pick up, or giving the team a call, we’d love to talk about your next project!