Look to Your Expertise for Ways to Pivot During the Pandemic

“Normal” is on an indefinite hiatus.

That’s a reality many people and businesses have had to accept during the coronavirus pandemic. In some ways, we’ve all been forced to redefine the routines and processes that were so essential to our lives as recently as this winter.

But just because the world and the way we operate might look a little different, that doesn’t mean there’s a need to abandon everything familiar. While their services might not completely align with what the public needs right now, forward-thinking businesses must look for gaps that their expertise can fill to stay both useful and relevant during this time.

At ASV, it’s a challenge we’ve been more than happy to embrace.

Expertise for Essential Businesses

As the arenas, ballrooms, and convention centers that ASV typically works in continue to accommodate overflow traffic from hospitals, we’ve reframed our thinking on how to help. Here are some ideas we’ve brainstormed that leverage our core strengths to create potential offerings in the current climate:

•  Detached Overflow Areas:  Open or fully enclosed spaces for health care workers. These setups can be used for treatment, storage, intake/testing, and patient waiting rooms. 

• Tabletop Safety Guards:  These are designed for frontline workers who can’t avoid face-to-face customer interactions. These can sit on store counters or office desks, creating a barrier that gives both sides of an interaction peace of mind. 

• Hand Sanitization Stations:  The initial push for hand sanitizer bottles and safe platforms/stations has left many businesses scrambling to provide for their customers. Our resources and experiences building experiential marketing displays have provided us with the know-how to manufacture hand sanitization stations. We’ve also listened to client requests for  products that are more premium while offering brands the opportunity for messaging. 

• Augmented Reality Stadium Simulations:  Technology has always been core to our offerings, which means it only makes sense to incorporate it into social distancing efforts. As such, we’re developing a custom AR photo experience for a stadium under construction that provides fans a branded, customized digital keepsake to commemorate the opening. 

• Permanent Installations:  Custom designs and installations are an ASV trademark. By pivoting to permanent installs, we can provide resources to companies and venues on the cusp of reopening to get them back into the swing of things faster and more comfortably. 

• Drive-In Events:  For the many people experiencing cabin fever, getting out of the house (safely) is imperative. We’re working with clients to develop drive-in experiences such as movies, concerts, and sporting events that enable customers to socialize from the comfort and safety of their vehicles. 

This experience has allowed us to get creative and show how ASV’s strengths can help everyday people navigate a landscape that’s changing by the week (and sometimes day).

How to Pivot With the Times

Your ace-in-the-hole services might not perfectly align with what people need during this pandemic, but your expertise could pivot to be of assistance in other ways. Try these strategies to apply your strengths during this — and any other — crisis: 

1. Bring all hands on deck. The best way to begin pivoting is to identify your positions of strength. Build a cross-departmental team and meet regularly to bounce around new ideas that showcase your company’s ability to provide a unique value. 

Then, whittle those concepts down to the ones that showcase that expertise in a way that best serves the marketplace right now. Those are the concepts that stand out to customers and make an immediate impact. 

2. Redress current strengths as new services. Much like we shifted our display-building capabilities into permanent installs and hospital stations, experiment with new applications for well-established expertise. These can also be some of the simplest pivots to get off the ground. 

For example, a textile company that’s not getting as many orders could shift gears to begin making hazmat suits or PPE for frontline workers. With the right resources and expertise on hand, these pivots can put your crew into action quickly and your company into demand just as fast. 

3. Let the people know. The current circumstances have people in search of aid and alternatives. Let them know that yours is an option.

If your pivot was developed with a company or industry in mind, reach out and make it clear that you’re available. Update marketing materials and your website, plaster social media, and focus media spending to get the word out about your company’s new endeavor. The more people know, the more you can be of service.

Normal might not seem normal right now, but there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Lean on the expertise you already have to pivot and be a resource for people in this uncertain time.

Are you curious about what ASV is doing to help during this pandemic? Click here to learn more and inquire about our offerings.