COVID-19: Finding opportunities in uncertain times

Find opportunity in uncertain times

Everywhere in the world, we’re all grappling with the same thing. 2020 has changed the world as we know it. In 2019, if you were to ask me “what’s the likelihood of the whole world shutting down, police roaming toilet paper aisles and everyone working from home and wondering when things would go back to normal..” I’d have been practising social distancing right then and there. 

As we enter this new world, for once, everyone has a common goal. From a business operations perspective, a lot of organisations are entering into a completely new world. Working from home for the first time, suddenly seeing that their systems, processes and regular ‘ways of doing business’ have changed and aren’t necessarily working. But what might feel very overwhelming at first can be flipped. 

Take the time to stop, pause, and reflect on how to adjust to this new world and focus on how to provide greater value to clients. Analyse ‘what’s always been done’ and question whether this is truly the best solution for you and your clients in this new world we’ve been forced into. It’s an unnerving time for everyone at the moment and we really hope in this time of unease, you find opportunity and possibility for you, and your clients. Where there is difficulty, there is always opportunity to think and do things differently. 

1. How can technology aid your clients in removing unnecessary fixed costs?

Does the technology clients are currently using have everything they need under one roof? Or perhaps even an open API that allows for easy integration into other software as required?

If you answered no then it might be time to help your clients re-think their investments. Instead of paying for various platforms each month, why not dig into the capabilities of each system and identify opportunities for combining one or more of these giving your clients greater flexibility, a more seamless experience and simultaneously reducing their costs?

For us here at KeyPay, having an open API has enabled us to offer our customers numerous industry-leading and industry specific platforms connected straight into payroll to meet their needs from HR to Accounting.

2. Where could clients have greater flexibility in their operations?

Although the majority of the workforce have switched to working from home, could your business play a part in helping to increase flexibility within their working from home environment, even further? What technologies could you suggest to assist them with their internal communications? Or with dealing with customer enquiries?

Working from home will become the new normal. It's not a new concept, but COVID-19 has sped up the requirement. Instead of seeing clients go through the motions with the bare minimum in place during this period, you can help to equip them with the right tools that introduce longevity, flexibility and resilience to their operations.

Some of the tools we love to utilise which foster a collaborative approach to work include: Slack, Trello and Zendesk.

3. What are the unnecessary administrative processes your clients still have in place?

Are your clients offering their employees the tools that will make their lives easier, that will give them the time they need and allow employees to still do their best work? As a payroll and workforce management company, probably 70% of the businesses we speak with are still using paper timesheets which only increases the time spent on payroll. As our main aim is to reduce the time people spend processing payroll, we’ve introduced digital timesheets that when approved, feed straight into the pay run. 

When it comes to your business, help your clients make the lives of their employees easier. Some things may seem as if they won’t make much of a difference but remember - small things matter. Small things matter because they make the world of difference to our lives over the course of a year, including the lives of employees. It all adds up.

4. Maintain a healthy relationship with your clients 

Hone in on the relationships your clients have only with you.

You’re their business advisors, their accountants, the ONE business partner your clients come to in a time like COVID-19. JobSeeker, JobKeeper, deferrals of payroll tax - where do they start and who do they turn to? 

They turn to you. Leverage this relationship - they’re waiting for it. Now is an opportunity to show them you’ve got more resources than they thought. Don’t forget our COVID-19 hub which can help equip you and your clients during these trying times.


KeyPay is here to help 

Now more than ever, the only permanence is change. Changing the way we work, changing the way we pay, changing our thinking and approach.

We hope this helps you think about the opportunities that might present themselves for you and for your clients, so you can both thrive during this period. 

Our doors, albeit virtual, are open and we welcome any questions - we’re all in this together.

If you’d like one of us to reach out to you to see where we can assist you and your clients through this period, please do so at sales@keypay.com.

Georgie Gilbert

Sales at KeyPay Australia

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