Coronavirus: Your home working preparation check list

Many businesses are preparing for the possibility of needing to work from home for a temporary period of time.

Based on input from experts and agents across the country, here are some practical things to start thinking about now to make sure you’re well prepared if your business did need to operate from outside the office.

Making and receiving phone calls

If a customer tries to reach you on the phone but the office is closed, what would happen? Can you transfer your office number to a mobile if you need to?

Does everyone who would need to answer or make calls have a mobile phone at home?

Another option is for staff to install a “soft phone” on their laptop connected to your company phone system. For this, they’ll require a laptop and headphones. Does everyone who’d need them have them?

Accessing emails

Does everyone who needs to monitor and respond to emails have a laptop or device at home available for business use? If staff have a work laptop, many businesses are now mandating that they take these home every night.

Internal communications

Consider how you’d replace face to face meetings where multiple people are involved. Do you have a conference call facility set up? Is videoconferencing an option for you?  Many companies are currently offering free trials of these services and are extending the length of them to specifically help smaller businesses during the coronavirus outbreak.

Is there an agreed system your company uses for internal instant messaging? Many options are available (often free, or with free trials) but it’s worth agreeing on one and making sure everyone knows how to install and access it. Popular options are Skype, Slack or Whatsapp.

Think about how you’d let all your staff know if the Government or your Head Office mandated overnight that all offices must close effective immediately. Do you have an up-to-date email address and phone number for all staff?

Accessing systems and files

Think about how staff would access your CRM system if they’re not in the office. Is it available online? Does your CRM have an app and does everyone know how to use it?

If your company restricts access to certain systems or programmes only to people accessing via a company VPN (Virtual Private Network), does everyone have the VPN software set up on their laptops and know how to use it?

Would you want files to be available to access from a laptop or other device? If you store files in a cloud solution like One Drive or Sharepoint Online, you’ll be able to more easily access and share files with our team.

Accessing Rightmove

If you have staff who need to update your Rightmove listings through Rightmove Plus.

We restrict Rightmove Plus access to verified browsers to help keep your data secure. When a user tries to log in from a new browser for the first time, access from that browser will need to be verified by clicking the verification link we send you via email.

If your team needs to access Rightmove Lead Reports to help them handle incoming leads from home make sure they have the right permissions set up.  We restrict access to Lead Reports to ensure your data and your customers’ data is secure.  We may need to update permissions in Rightmove Plus to allow you or your team members to access your Lead Reports.

Speak to your suppliers

Contact each of your suppliers, particularly if they offer services for your customers in their properties for services like repairs, Energy Performance Certificates, property photography and floorplans and so on.

Action:  Find out what measures your suppliers are taking and ask them to keep you up-to-date. That way, you’ll know ahead how any services you offer might be affected.

Communicating changes to office hours

Think about how you’d communicate any changes in your opening hours to your existing and potential customers. Can you update your phone system’s “On Hold” message and voicemail from outside the office? How easy is it to update the wording on your website? It’s worth having these things prepared in advance in case you need to switch them on at short notice.

Communicating with your customers

Even if you haven’t had to close your offices, consider pro-actively communicating to your customers.  You could start by answering the questions your customers are most likely to ask.

You might find that during this time that many of your potential buyers, tenants, landlords and vendors are engaging with you online – through Rightmove, your own website or via social media.  This could also be an opportunity to do any community building activities via email, live-streaming or You Tube as a safe way to remain top of mind and reassure your customers.

It’s important to keep the conversation going with your customers in a way that is honest, direct and timely.

Finally… be prepared

There’s a lot to think about when enabling effective home working and other issues will no doubt come to light that we haven’t covered here. Many businesses are preparing for this by trialling a day working from home and inviting staff to share feedback on their experience to improve their processes.