Many café, restaurants and other businesses are closed due to the pandemic but still missing an opportunity to keep in touch with customers. Here’s a sign and tips to help recover when restrictions are lifted.
There’s a lovely café near us which has closed for the duration. It would be nice to know when it reopens, but there’s no way to know. There are opportunities to help customers or let them know when you’re open again.
Loyal customers will return to favorite outlets, if they know they are open.
Many businesses have either shut down entirely or posted a simple “We’re closed’ notice on the door. Plan ahead by changing that signage.
Collect email addresses
We suggest collecting the email addresses of customers so, when the time comes, businesses can send a message with the good news.
A sign on the door and on any website/Facebook page inviting customers to contact you.
Maybe also offer a delivery / post or online consulting service for customers who need something from you. While online sales or delivery might not be your regular business, it might be a way to serve customers in the meantime.
Helpful Sign
We’ve made a simple example that you can download as a Word document and adapt to suit your needs.
A few points:
- The email address is in large text using a fixed font like Courier New.
- The note at the bottom is polite and maybe legally necessary in some parts of the world.
- If appropriate, have signs in different languages. Use Google or Bing Translate but, wherever possible, have a human check the machine translation.
- If possible, print on double-size paper (A3 or equivalent) that will catch the eye from a distance.
Download the Word document – We’ll be back sign for businesses in lockdown.docx
Download by right-clicking on the link above, choose ‘Save link as …’ or equivalent in your browser. It’s a standard macro-free Word document compatible with any modern Word for Windows or Mac etc.
Selection Pane
Open the Selection Pane (from Format or Shape Format tabs) to see and select the elements of the document.
We’ve renamed each of the four elements from their Word defaults to something that’s more understandable for the sign. A trick that’s good for any complex formatting that you’re likely to reopen in the future.
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