When the editors of ENX Magazine were making minor adjustments to the Elite Dealer nomination form at the onset of the year, one of the annual questions we pose, “What was the most significant challenge you endured during the past year,” was tweaked with the preface “Aside from COVID-19…”
Well, we have been properly admonished. Virtually every issue that has cropped up in the last 24 months can be directly or indirectly attributed to the pandemic, and many of our Elite Dealers made a point of emphasizing that notion. Pretending COVID-19 is no longer on the radar is a fruitless exercise. We just need to release a long sigh and keep moving forward. We’re as sick of writing about it as you are of reading it.
Still, the dealer community is to be commended for the swift and adroit manner in which they continue to balance the safety needs of clients and employees with the measures necessary to continue thriving in a most challenging environment. For Fraser Advanced Information Systems of West Reading, Pennsylvania, it was an all-hands-on-deck approach that kept the wheels of commerce grinding.
“Our leadership and management teams and our fantastic HR team pulled together to keep the company moving forward and in compliance,” the dealer wrote. “Our marketing department kept sales and clients connected with a bevy of great information about work-from-home options and the technology needed to do so effectively. Our sales team quickly adapted to working through (Microsoft) Teams Meetings instead of in-person calls. By working together as a whole team, Fraser could weather the COVID storm and come out the other side intact and surging ahead.”
When confronted with adapting its culture to the new approach to work, Cincinnati-based Prosource was equal to the task. Drawing on the strength of its team, the dealer rallied to collaborate, overcome obstacles and celebrate successes while finding new ways to reinvigorate its team.
“Our mission as an organization is to help companies leverage technology for strategic advantage, and we did precisely that internally to ensure not only that we could continue to serve our customers, but also to help our team stay connected to our mission and one another,” Prosource reported. “From a company-wide virtual Amazing Race event to virtual happy hours and sales competitions, we worked to find ways to infuse our values into our new remote and/or hybrid work environment.
“We believe that if you have engaged employees, the rest takes care of itself. Thanks to our team’s grit and resilience, we were able to emerge a stronger organization and at the same time, identify how different digital channels and tools can be adopted long-term to positively affect our sales process, customer support functions, and employee engagement.”
Team Connectivity
Trying to maintain unity without being within arm’s reach of teammates was a challenge echoed by many dealers, including Fisher’s Technology of Boise, Idaho. The objective was to continue to feel connected as a team.
“We pushed through the tough times with significantly more communications, open discussion forums, video updates, and transparent reports on how we were doing,” Fisher’s wrote. “We are now reintroducing social gatherings and opportunities to engage and have fun together in person.”
For United Business Technologies of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the pandemic’s impact on the economy, workforce environment, health care system and the health/safety of its team members was onerous, to say the least. Still, the dealer is proud of the way it was able to perform exceptionally in light of the many obstacles.
“The sign of a great company is achieving significant results during the most difficult times,” UBT reported. “Our sales, service, administrative and operation teams allowed our organization to thrive. The teamwork, resilience, never-quit attitude and the sheer effort define UBT and separate us from the competition.”
In California, which has endured some of the most draconian of shutdown measures, the shelter-in-place edict was an absolute hindrance for The Swenson Group in terms of generating equipment sales. Thus, in order to capture profitable revenue, the dealer pivoted to focusing on its growing IT division for both MNS and managed voice.
“We increased training and reallocated resources in order to help our clients,” The Swenson Group wrote. “As companies were forced to suddenly work from home, we jumped in as a business partner and helped them secure their home environments, gain access to electronic information and remotely collaborate in order to get quality work done. While making this shift had its challenges, it paid dividends and has positioned TSG for even more IT growth going forward.”
Overcoming Fear
One aspect that cannot be discounted is the fear factor, the emotions that swell due to uncertainty and can grip a dealer’s employee base. Advanced Imaging Solutions of Las Vegas certainly had its share of trepidation among the ranks.
“Seeing their peers being furloughed and the office very empty was scary at times,” the company reported. “We are taught to deal with any difficult situation as long as we know the results. But, in this situation, the unknown was the challenging part.”
At Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises of Cincinnati, creativity was essential in devising ways to meet with customers when in-person visits were not possible. That held true for sales as well as service.
“We had to get really good at meeting virtually and utilizing social media and other avenues to reach our customers and prospects,” DME reported. “From a servicing side, we had to make sure we adhered to all mandates and proactively approached accounts in a manner that protected our customers and people. Our white-glove approach to service was welcomed and appreciated by our customers.”
Maintaining employees, especially in the IT department, was certainly a byproduct of the pandemic, according to Standard Office Systems (SOS) of Duluth, Georgia. But the dealer quickly adapted to how the HR landscape has evolved.
“We have lost some quality members of our team due to the enticing nature of remote work opportunities,” SOS reported. “As a result, we have begun embracing non-traditional models like freelance work and remote work as we move forward.”
