Lockdown! What now?

South Africa will be in a 21 day lock down from midnight on Thursday 26 March until midnight on Thursday 16 April, all South Africans will have to stay at home. What about the business owners of shops and restaurants?

This is not the end

It might feel like the world is coming to an end - it is not. The lockdown will end. COVID-19 might have some lingering and lasting effects on how we live - but people will again want to go out for dinner at their favourite restaurant - take the kids for waffles - treat their spouses to a shopping spree.

It is important to stay informed but watching news the whole day during the lockdown will become depressing.  It is important to stay active, but you might need to do more than just play monopoly for three weeks. As a business owner you will quickly become restless if you feel you are not working and not making any progress.

Things to do during the lockdown

Before the lockdown starts

The South African government gave us three days to prepare for the lockdown. Do the following before the lockdown starts:

• Do a database backup and make sure to copy the backup file on more than one device and in different locations (not sure if burglars will keep to the stay-at-home rule).
• Take your ROBOTILL server computer home (unless you can connect remotely to the computer using something like teamviewer). This will give you an opportunity to do the things you normally don't have time for (see below).

During the lockdown

The lockdown period will be a good time to do things you normally don't get time for. 

• Upgrade your ROBOTILL to the latest version. The upgrade is free.
• Have a look at some more advanced features that you don't have time for when your business is open. For example compound items, combo deals and coupons, order attributes, product variants and more.
• Fine-tune your settings so that your point of sale system works the way you want it to.
• Implement a loyalty program - you would want your customers to get back and support you when your business opens again.
• Go through your product list and delete products no longer used, make sure current products are priced and named correctly.
• ROBOTILL is open for business during the lockdown (we work from home). You can still email for support and make suggestions for new features you would like to see in upcoming versions.

Keeping busy will help you stay positive.  

Be safe, Be healthy.