With eight weeks since the start of lockdown, a number of Falmouth-based businesses are pivoting the way they operate to the best of their abilities in this unchartered climate.
Some of the Falmouth-based businesses that have created a ‘new normal’ include the following.
Local cleaning company Passmore Cleaning decided to launch its new website and branding during the lockdown despite the uncertainties. Having to postpone their new-website celebrations due to the Covid-19, the company’s staff have risen to the pandemic’s challenges and continue to provide cleaning services for people who need it the most. Right now, the focus is on providing a helping hand to vulnerable people and working on specialist deep cleaning, end of tenancy cleans, and commercial cleaning. All staff members have undergone thorough online training to understand the virus and practical measures in order to work safely and keep their clients protected.
At Falmouth University, course leaders are adapting to ensure students can continue their education. Students are also playing their part to help the wider community. For example, journalism students working from home have teamed up with local community radio station Source FM to provide daily news from the area under the supervision of their lecturer Kevin Bishop, a former senior producer and bureau chief with BBC News.
Meanwhile at the university’s Fashion and Textiles Institute, the team of lecturers is collaborating with Cornwall Scrubs to produce NHS-standard scrubs for frontline staff in hospitals across the county.
Bull & Wolf Film Co. has adapted by virtually working with clients to shoot products at home and assisting in content creation with guidance on capturing and editing. However, the team is also spending time preparing for socially distant shoots as soon as lockdown starts to ease and guidelines will allow for on-location work.
Email marketing agency Jarrang has continued to work throughout the lockdown and has in addition produced a free comprehensive guide to share with the wider business community, highlighting how strategic email marketing can help drive vital brand awareness and sales during the crisis and how it can be done most effectively and sensitively.
Stafford Sumner, CEO of Jarrang, said: “Jarrang has continued to work throughout the lockdown, and whilst we have seen reduced revenues from the travel sector, and pre-agreed schedules slide out of the window, we have seen increases in work coming from other sectors, like financial services and online retail, which has meant the team has been continuing to provide the same quality of service that our clients expect, albeit from remote locations.”
“Our team was fully-able to work remotely prior to the lockdown, so there were minimal ‘tweaks’ to the process to enable 100% remote working and team collaboration. The biggest hurdle we have faced for many years, given that our client base is predominately national and international, was getting the clients to agree to video calls instead of face to face meetings, meaning travel time, and costs were decreased.
“With everyone in the same boat, it has been amazing to see how quickly attitudes have changed and a Zoom call has now become the norm. I am hopeful that some of these enforced solutions will continue beyond lockdown and will lead to more efficient business processes across the board. This is a significant opportunity for Cornish businesses who have sometimes felt hampered by their polarised location to the markets.”
