It’s official, COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way we work and live. Right now, many Families are feeling uncertain about their future and may also be questioning what child care option is the right option for their Family – especially with community lockdowns looming around each corner.

So, what can you do to navigate this constantly changing environment and help ease occupancy anxiety?

Communicate!

Put your time and energy into developing strong personal relationships with each Family, building trust and fostering your community reputation and Centre loyalty.

“Steering your business through the pandemic depends largely on how you communicate’ said Richard Harmer, CEO of The Holos Group. ‘The real key to leadership is being in constant conversation. It’s about having a dialogue with your customers, your Families and with the future.” 

Your Families are likely looking to you to ‘steady the ship’ during these uncertain times. Transparent, concise and consistent communication can help you build trust and identify a pathway for everyone through this pandemic – most importantly with your Centre. Family loyalty will ensure they remain with you throughout this pandemic – and for the remainder of their child’s enrolment.

“What we say, how we say it, and how we respond to what others communicate can make or break trust” said Randy Conley of Leading with Trust.

So how should you communicate with Families during COVID-19? Our Marketing Team lay out a few ground rules here:

Develop a strategic communications approach

Strong and deliberate communication is essential to ensuring families feel supported during times of uncertainty. Being concise, consistent and transparent will stop the spread of misinformation, rumours and panic – building trust and confidence that will help you retain families so you can emerge stronger on the other side of this crisis. 

When developing a strategic communications plan (or any piece of communication), there are several key objectives you should always keep in the back of your mind, such as:

• Increasing family loyalty by addressing topics your families care about most
• Maintaining engagement with your Centre and Families by thinking through the right timing and channels of communication before communicating
• Welcoming transparent and open dialogue to strengthening and build trust

Whilst developing a strategic communications plan may seem like a daunting task, it will be invaluable in the long run to ensure you are continuing to keep families, their needs, and circumstances at the forefront. Here is a great resource to get you started. If you’re still not sure how to move forward, just give our Marketing Team a call and they can walk you through it!

Establish a predictable pattern

Be proactive, predictable and structured with your communications. By creating a regular communication touchpoint with families, it reassures them that they have the most up-to-date information, especially in such a fast-changing environment. It may also help minimise the one-off questions you get throughout the week – a win for everyone!

Ideally these communications should occur at the same frequency (e.g. same day of the week) so Families know when to expect updates from you and can read and engage with them.

No news to share? It’s important that you still communicate. “No news is also a worthwhile topic, and people will still appreciate knowing that you’re thinking of them and the situation” said Enrolment Hub Director, Tracey Daniel.  If there are major updates you need to share outside of your regularly scheduled communications (i.e. news of changing CCS entitlements or Centre closures), you should share it.

Anchor your communications around topics families care about most

Right now, the world seems very uncertain, for both families and children. Changes are occurring quickly and often, so it’s important to ensure your communications are in-line with what is happening in the world right now.

Make sure your communications are deliberate and cover the areas that Families are interested or concerned with. Here are some great topics for your communication:

• Updates to your Centre’s operating plan, including any changes to timings, staffing, new processes or incursions.
• The precautions and measures you’re taking to keep children and staff safe, including updates to your learning curriculum.
• Changes to the sector, Family entitlements or the community that Families need to be aware of.
• An insight into how you and your team are dealing with the changes (to add that human and personal touch).
• Resources to help Families and children deal with the changing situation (including lots of words of encouragement).
• If you Centre has had to close, it’s important to continue to provide Families with resources and tips for home/remote learning so they feel connected and still a part of your Centre’s community.

And don’t forget to share your vision for the future to encourage hope and optimism. Remember Families are looking to you to help lead them (and their children) through this pandemic.

Not sure what your families care about most? Why not ask them through a short survey or at drop off/pick up times? You can set up a survey so easily using Survey Monkey.

Explore new channels for communication

With so many channels you can use to communicate with your Families, it’s important to understand the channels they engage with the most – are they more responsive to texts? Social media posts? Emails? Face-to-face communication? This information will allow you to better understand which channels to use to communicate, and when, to make your communication more effective.

Here are some channels you may want to explore – don’t forget that your communication plan can include a variety of these channels:

• Emails or newsletters – This channel is especially useful for detailed updates and for sharing links to websites and documents.
• Video – Sharing weekly video updates through platforms such as your Kinderloop, Xplor or YouTube help to bring a more personal and human element to your communications. Video is an opportunity for families to hear from you directly and can also be valuable for children who miss seeing their educators every day. 
• Texting – For time-sensitive updates, text messages are fantastic. Remember to reserve these for major news, as sending frequent one-off messages may create a negative perception among families.
• Develop office hours – Consider blocking out a couple of hours in the week for dedicated office hours that Families can book in for. You can create a spreadsheet for parents to sign up or meet with them over a tool such as Zoom. 
• Social media – Why not create a closed group on Facebook to get the word out? Be mindful that you cannot always control the message in groups like these. You will have to monitor it often and sometimes mediate the messages.

Above all, have empathy

Every Family is different and dealing with the current situation differently. It’s important to be community minded, be present and be available to answer questions, field comments and help to soothe anxieties. This will help to maintain a sense of community and calm and breed loyalty in you, your team and your Centre.

Remember, open and honest communication serves as the vehicle for building trust in relationships.

So, what’s next?

We know that developing a strategic communications plan is big project to take on, but it’s a necessary one in the current situation. It will take you time to get it right, and that’s where our team comes in. We’re here to help you every step of the way.

Working with Xplor, QikKids or KidSoft our team can help to lighten your administration load whilst you spend your time focusing on navigating your team and Families through this continually evolving landscape.

Acting as your own personal administration and enquiries team, we can provide phone and email support to:

• Answer your new enquiries, speaking with families to answer their questions regarding the Centre, offerings and the enrolment process
• Arrange all Service tours for families to visit the Service, at times pre-specified by the Centre Director
• Enter new enrolment form data and provide an overview of missing documentation
• Submit attendance, ensuring all times and child attendances are marked correctly
• Make changes to any booking, sending a confirmation of the changed enrolment to a family, while informing the Centre Director
• Walk families through the process of applying for CCS or ACCS to alleviate pressure from Centre staff
• Send weekly statements to families and answer their questions
• Assist with entering manual payments or uploading required payments
• Audit family accounts to ensure they are maximising their CCS entitlements

Give yourself more time to focus on your Centre, team and Families.

Director Tracey Daniel is always available to chat. Why not give her a call to discuss how we can help you on 02 8123 2300, or send her an email at traceyd@enrolmenthub.com.