The way forward

THEA LOWE

The covid19 global pandemic has taught us that many Caribbean islands still have tremendous work to do to develop their online systems and thereby better manage their businesses on an online platform. During the pandemic, many businesses have earnestly sought to channel their business processes online and manage customer orders via an online platform, whereby customers place an order online and receive a notification by way of a text message or an email, informing them of the delivery date and the proposed delivery time for these goods. For many businesses, this online transition was not managed very efficiently, as many customers expressed grave discontent stating that their orders were either delivered two days after the scheduled delivery time or that their orders were incorrect and not consistent with the original orders placed.

Caribbean businesses should therefore seek to focus on managing these online platforms more efficiently to ensure that the customer experience is of high quality and consistency, especially during a time of uncertainty. Customers prefer and enjoy the privilege of knowing that they can depend on a specific company for their goods or services, at any given time. The ultimate aim is to ensure that customers know that they are valued, appreciated and that they know that their needs are being met, especially during unprecedented times.

As such, Caribbean businesses should consider the following guidelines contributing to the more efficient management of the online business platform. Businesses should first consider strengthening the skills within their information technology department. In some instances, some Caribbean businesses do not have an IT department to facilitate the online business platform, to which our businesses are highly transitioning into. These businesses should start implementing procedures to have such provisions in place to remedy this weakness within their controls and should seek to employ appropriately skilled IT personnel, to allow the transition to e-business to be as smooth as possible. The e-business platform should also be a user-friendly platform, whereby customers can make purchases with an interface that is welcoming and easy to use.

Secondly, Caribbean businesses need to ensure that they are constantly monitoring the online orders and business requests which they will receive on an online platform. A recommended measure is to employ personnel who can constantly monitor online orders and ensure that these orders are being delivered on the correct date and at the agreed time with customers, so that these customers are satisfied with the level of service that they receive. This experience should be synonymous with the experience that they receive if these customers were purchasing these goods in the actual store.

Thirdly, Caribbean businesses need to ensure that they possess the necessary resources that are needed to facilitate an online business platform. For companies that sell goods and commodities, this will involve ensuring that they possess the vehicles that are needed to facilitate transport and delivery of online orders. For service providers, this will involve ensuring that service professionals are readily available on an online medium, to facilitate the needs and requirements of the businesses’ customers. Online mediums should also have a facility whereby customers can chat real time with a representative of the business so that customers’ queries and questions can be answered and addressed in an efficient timeframe. Whilst the costs of managing an online platform will be more costly initially for Caribbean businesses, it will generate customer loyalty and contribute to the overall success of businesses, especially during challenging times such as the pandemic.

Overall, Caribbean businesses need to ensure that the same value and level of service that they are giving to their customers via face-to-to face means, is consistent with the type of service that they provide by way of an online platform. Furthermore, businesses should ensure that their customer service is exceptional, in order for customers to maintain their loyalty to these companies and to generate consistency in the value and in the brand of the products that they are offering for sale. Additionally, as many businesses transition to an online platform – and this appears to be the way forward for many businesses – I am encouraging businesses to thereby consider this approach of facilitating business transactions on an online platform as the way forward. Whilst I am not discouraging businesses from discontinuing their face to face mediums and physical locations, I am suggesting that an online business platform will not only provide an alternative route for customers but also serves as an avenue to provide additional income for Caribbean businesses and will ensure business continuity in times such as these.

Thea Lowe, ACCA, CA, BSc (Hons) is a chartered accountant and accounting tutor with six years’ experience in assurance services and two years’ experience as a tutor. She is currently employed at a professional services firm, where she is the audit manager in assurance services, specialising in the audits of small to medium sized entities.