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In mid-March, as cases of COVID-19 began to spread across the state and nation, local businesses were faced with a challenge: How to operate in a new, socially distanced reality.
While in-person businesses such as hair salons, tattoo parlors, cinemas and gyms have had to shutter completely to adhere to the new social distancing guidelines, other sectors have been able to pivot to continue providing professional services remotely. As customers navigate the new normal of staying healthy at home — living, working, and, for those with children who are students, teaching and learning — all in a single space, there are bound to be anxieties and uncertainties.
Keeping an open, honest line of communication with clients — one that acknowledges their questions and concerns and offers actionable information for navigating this new normal — is key, said Bill Allen, president of Bank of the Bluegrass and Trust Co.
Like several area banks, Bank of the Bluegrass opted to close its lobbies in mid-March except by appointment, while keeping its drive-through and online banking platforms accessible. Bank of the Bluegrass sent email messaging to all its account holders outlining the steps it was taking to keep staff and customers safe. Additionally, staff members individually called many of the bank’s wealth management clients in order to address concerns they were having, particularly in the wake of disruptions to the stock market and other financial indicators.
Clients “are all home right now. They want to talk. The response to our phone calls was so uplifting,” Allen said. “They appreciated that their bank was calling them just to check in. Just to ask: ‘Do you need anything?’”
"Clients are all home right now. They want to talk. The response to our phone calls was so uplifting. They appreciated that their bank was calling them just to check in. Just to ask: ‘Do you need anything?’” —Bill Allen, president Bank of the Bluegrass and Trust Co.
Several Bank of the Bluegrass employees are working from home, and communicating with customers and work colleagues regularly by phone or video conference, as needed. For those staff still reporting to one of the bank’s three Lexington branches, distances between workstations have been expanded, and extra precautions have been enacted to keep both staff and customers safe.
“We try to do as much as we can via Zoom and over the telephone,” Allen said. “But if there is a real need for someone to come in, they must stay six feet away. We disinfect before the client comes in, and we disinfect again afterwards. We are trying to be very smart about it, but yet we want to make sure our customers are taken care of.”
Similarly, staff and attorneys at McBrayer PLLC have found Zoom video conferencing and internal document sharing and communication platforms like Microsoft Teams to be invaluable tools as they continue serving clients while working remotely from home.
“We’re also the type of firm where you can typically even go to our website and get personal cell phone numbers, so it’s been very seamless for us,” said McBrayer member Jaron Blandford. “We’ve been able to stay in constant contact with clients, potential clients and other lawyers, on all of our cases.”
McBrayer has been sending informative email news bulletins to its business clients, with articles on navigating management-related aspects of COVID-19 closures, from employee leave compliance to relief loans and payroll protection.
“We’ve been communicating to our clients about navigating the crisis every day,” Blandford said. “I believe our firm has been on the forefront, here in Kentucky, in getting information out there. Many of our small business clients have expressed their appreciation at the information that [McBrayer legal writer] Brian Powers and our lawyers have been able to produce and share.”
“I believe our firm has been on the forefront, here in Kentucky, in getting information out there. Many of our small business clients have expressed their appreciation at the information that [McBrayer legal writer] Brian Powers and our lawyers have been able to produce and share.” —Jaron Blandford, McBrayer PLLC
The extra time and effort to contact clients in this time of uncertainty can go a long way toward relationship-building.
Responsive communication channels and the effective use of technology has also proven critical as schools have shifted to remote learning, and many teachers find themselves in dual roles as educators and IT support personnel.
Kentucky State University computer science professor Jens Hannemann pivoted his classes to a fully online model in late March, adopting a technology smorgasbord to keep communication flowing.
Hannemann uses Blackboard to host online class video conferences, YouTube to post tutorial videos, Slack for instant messaging and GitHub as a repository in which students share their coding assignments.
“During the students’ spring break, faculty got together and had lots of virtual meetings to agree on a plan for the technologies [to adopt] and how to reorganize our classes,” Hannemann said.
Roughly 90 percent of Hannemann’s students had ready access to a computer and internet at home, he said, and KSU is working to loan out laptops as needed.
The biggest challenge for teaching computer science remotely, according to Hannemann, has been guiding students on how to access the specialized software development programs already installed on KSU classroom computers via their own home equipment.
“I created my own YouTube channel with lots of videos on how to recreate what we had in the lab on their personal machines,” Hannemann said. “They’ve finished with that now, and so we can actually resume classes.”
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Many area healthcare providers are offering telehealth appointments for non-emergency consultations.
Thanks to telemedicine platforms, even medical guidance can be provided remotely — allowing patients to stay in direct contact with their health care providers, without the need for in-person office visits.
Lexington Clinic launched its new Telehealth services on March 23, offering patients a means to connect privately and confidentially with physicians via their computer, tablet or smart phone.
Several other area medical providers — including UK HealthCare’s UK Telecare and Baptist Health’s Virtual Care — are also promoting telemedicine as a means of reducing office traffic while social distancing remains a priority.
Said Lexington Clinic CEO Dr. Andrew Henderson: “While we don’t know how long this crisis will last, we do know that our new Telehealth program will allow us to continue to provide the highest quality of health care to our patients and community.”