The global COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on humankind and menacing the world economy. Companies are acting and taking measures to protect their employees and customers to prepare for the world beyond corona virus. 

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While the West is struggling with the pandemic that has taken over lives, livelihoods, and businesses, China is nearing the end of the crisis and emerging from the losses, showing the world a glimpse of hope. 

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To help MSPs and the channel partners understand the exposure to COVID-19, and importantly, position their business to be resilient in the face of the global threat and crisis, Zomentum conducted a webinar with industry experts Rob Rae (SVP, Business Development, Datto), Dan Wensley (CEO, Warranty Master), Matt Solomon (VP, Business Development, ID Agent), and Ryan Goodman (President, ConnectBooster). 

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And we enumerate the learnings from the webinar below,

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Learning 1: Supporting your people is crucial

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Human capital and owned clients are every organization’s important assets. Ensuring that your employees and your partners feel supported and connected during these unprecedented times is crucial to business endurance. 

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Establishing clear communication channels at places where they are not already existent is a must. Make the people around you feel at ease before you plan to execute a business plan. In the longer run, the support you provide today helps to build stronger relationships for the future and allows your partners, vendors, and employees to have deep-rooted trust in your brand, business, and you. 

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“Unprecedented times, strange scenes. Don't panic or take the pressure. Don't focus on sales. Call vendors and get help.”

                                                                                                              - Rob Rae, SVP, Business Development, Datto

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Learning 2: Share and listen widely

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Maintaining communication with your clients and your employees is pivotal to good management in times of crisis. Create an untethered flow of information from your mighty, result-oriented experiments that would be a breather to maintain calm in the industry and help customers recover from the current situation. 

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“Talk and take a question. Find the ones without a peer group. Take advantage of the resources of what vendors are putting up. Alleviate the panic by finding the solution.”

                                                                                                               - Matt Solomon, VP, Business Development, ID Agent

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Learning 3: Use the time to analyze and then, personalize

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Amid the crisis, business activities suffered a decline in the short term, enough to jolt the confidence of the MSPs and channel partners. Many MSPs are planning to cut down on their services or prices during the lockdown. However, one must take some time to evaluate the situation and the repercussions of the decisions on the future performance of the business. 

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Amid the lockdown, it is perhaps a better time than ever to personalize services depending on the client’s needs. Cutting down on the services or prices is not what’s needed, flexibility is. 

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“With organizations moving to remote work so quickly, it is important for MSPs to provide security to their networks, data & hardware. Probably, it’s not a great idea for the MSPs to take the liability to cut costs during the crisis. In fact, it's an opportunity to get your existing customers into the confidence of your services and provide them with what they need.”

                                                                                                                     - Ryan Goodman, President, ConnectBooster

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Learning 4: Be flexible to combat the unexpected

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The best thing people can do during adversities is to be flexible, especially when you are head-on with the virus COVID-19. Every business during a pandemic loses nickel and dime, anyway. The lockdown implemented by the government has forced businesses to close or limit their operations, giving rise to chaotic and tough times that looked overwhelming initially, and under control post a nearly 30-day lockdown. 

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During tough times, clients look up to the flexibility of the services, notably in terms of payments. Business owners are gratified by the re-partition schemes issued by the government to fight the effect of the global crisis. 

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The unprecedented situations have also forced certain business relations to end. However, the wise thing to do is stand together, strong, and united. Reflect positive decisions into the business’ wider infrastructure to support critical processes like IT. While we have put the technological capabilities of organizations to test by working remotely, staying positive, and standing strong for one another has been paramount for survival. 

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“During hard times, the communities come together. The WFH decision for the entire organization overwhelmed me. Feeling proud as an industry.”

                                                                                                                        - Dan Wensley, CEO, Warranty Master

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Takeaways for resilience 

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Despite the uncertainties and movement restrictions, business owners continue to act on their plans and sometimes create new ones. During this unprecedented crisis, we have more time to reflect and learn about the present rather than fantasize about the future. Reinventing your business and making it compliant and passable during unusual circumstances would leverage your brand value and pave the way for stronger relationships in what comes next. 

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When asked Matt Solomon about what would be his advice for his audience, he stated “Take advantage of the time we have. Pay attention to whatever you've been putting off till now. Reinvent your business. Everyone is more forgiving right now. Connect with people on a human level.”

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We at Zomentum understand the consequences of the current global crisis and would be glad to bring in content that will help you strive through the tough times, create a happy customer base, confident teams, and motivated partners. 

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“Human nature is to be negative. The first reaction to COVID-19 was terrible. The world needs more IT going forward. There will be more business.  There's a ton of good information out there. Stay positive.  Let's run into each other someday, saying that was cool.”

                                                                                                                          - Rob Rae, SVP, Business Development, Datto

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Get in touch with us to get a demo.