COVID-19 is unlike any other virus the world has ever seen.
Its death toll may not be as high as SARS or H1N1.
But, its global economic impact has been staggering.
The 2020 NBA season was cancelled because All-Star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.
Major tech industry events, such as Facebook’s F8, were cancelled.
Restricted travel has hit the global travel industry hard. The Guardian calls it the worst crisis for the travel industry in more than 18 years. They report that “businesses have cancelled non-essential travel, conferences are cancelled and would-be vacationers are avoiding foreign and domestic travel.”
The coronavirus has disrupted the way we work, gather and do business.
Remote work is becoming common - productivity can’t stop if businesses need to survive. For instance, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft asked their Seattle employees to work from home.
Your FBA business may already function as a one-man show or incorporate elements of remote work.
Nevertheless, here are some tips you can use to leverage remote work and adjust areas of your business where remote work isn’t possible.
Interesting: Stay Afloat the Covid-19 Markets
Use a Project Management App
Project management apps, such as Basecamp, help teams keep track of projects. Basecamp is one of the best project management apps out there because it is user-friendly, has an easy to follow layout, and facilitates communication and file sharing in carefully organised task boards.
Some other project management apps include Slack, Trello and Asana.
Choose the app that works best for your business so that you can keep track of what’s happening with projects that have been assigned to your team although they’re working from home.
Protect Inventory Workers
A wide range of inventory tracking apps are available and you’ve probably already been using one that works well for your FBA business. Your inventory tracking app can help you keep tabs of what’s happening with your inventory remotely.
However, consideration should be given to your team member(s) who must be on site to receive, sort, stock and send inventory to Amazon for fulfillment. Unfortunately, these team members can’t work from home.
It’s fair to think that they would be at the highest risk of catching the coronavirus since the packages they handle come from corona affected regions.
However, CBS cites information from the World Health Organisation which reveals that “it is very unlikely that the virus will persist on a surface after it has been moved, travelled and exposed to different conditions and temperatures.”
Nevertheless, good hygiene is important for preventing the spread of the virus.
Your inventory workers should be provided with sanitation products such as hand sanitisers, disinfecting wipes and disinfecting sprays.
They should also use gloves and be reminded not to touch their faces. Regular handwashing is also encouraged.
Must Read: China VS. The World: Impact of Covid-19 on Sourcing New Products
Hire a Freelance Virtual Assistant
There are multiple challenges hitting you from every angle as an FBA seller during this coronavirus crisis. You need help.
A freelance virtual assistant can help you accomplish more by completing minor tasks that consume too much of your time.
This article shares some great insight about hiring the right virtual assistant.
Final Words
The coronavirus pandemic has made remote work a mandatory consideration for many organisations.
Remote work, however, doesn’t mean lost productivity for your FBA business.
You can use a project management app to help you and your team keep track of tasks. Hiring a virtual assistant can also help you free up more of your time to tackle the big issues like finding a new supplier.
You should also pay attention to the needs of your inventory workers who have no choice but to be present to cover your inventory needs. Provide them with the sanitary items they need to protect themselves from the coronavirus.