We are no stranger to the concept of COVID-19 by now. However, it remains impossible to comprehend that we, the international moving industry, must brace ourselves for many months without revenue. I suppose, the only comfort is knowing that we're not alone. 

Based on an interview this week with FIDI, I’ve included a list of essential actions that we’ve taken to reduce costs with the hope that it can provide tangible ideas for your moving company too. I’ve also added what advice I’d give to an expat or friend if they were to consider moving in this current climate.

We must accept that we are in uncharted waters right now, and the situation is grim. So, my advice is to act now and make smart plans to ensure your company can survive the moving drought.

• Accept that business will be severely impacted for at least two, but probably three or more months.
• Cut as many immediate costs as you can, now!
• Prioritise your customer pipeline for 2+ months from now, to ensure you’ve got business when the market picks up.
• Pause your advertising (for now). People are likely to panic which will increase moving related searches, but it will not be the right searches that your business needs to earn revenue.
• Look for alternatives and creative ways to still use your trucks, warehouses and crew to bridge the gap. From our data we can see that:
  
  • Local markets have a delayed effect in their decline. There is also a chance they could open earlier than international ones.
  • Office moves and baggage are still operating (for now).  
• Protect your staff and customer’s health by increasing safety precautions
• Create an immediate solution to have people work remotely and look for a software to support this:
  
  • We use ‘teams’ which is linked to Microsoft office and is free. www.products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software.
  • A similar option is ‘slack’ www.slack.com
• Maintain a tight relationship with the industry, associations, other movers and suppliers - we are all in this together. Use video calls to speak with partners/suppliers. Especially in cases of lock-down, it’s nice to see faces and keep the relationships going:
  
  • Some options: Zoom www.zoom.us/, Skype hwww.skype.com/en/ or WhatsApp www.web.whatsapp.com/

• Be patient – if you were planning on moving in the next 4 weeks, don’t try to rush it, rather postpone it a bit until the situation is more stable.
• Help them, help you. Be informed and prepare yourself for possible delays, cancellations, last minute changes and adhoc processes. Make sure you also understand what’s happening in the world and where current restrictions are.
• Use a registered moving company! This gives you the best chance to successfully move.
• Be considerate – if you’re frustrated, imagine how it is for the moving company. This is their livelihood so they will do everything in their power to make your move a success, even if it doesn’t go perfectly.

• Short term:
  
  • Cash flow will immediately cease. Many companies, even healthy ones, are at risk of going out of business
  • Customers are trying to rush their moves, or postponing, which will create pressure on the days to come and then income will stop.
  • Shipments currently in transit risk unknown outcomes.
    
    
• Long term:
  
  • Once borders open, movers won’t be able to handle the increase and customers will struggle to find a movers.
  • The busy summer season could shift and continue until late in the year. For countries where it freezes and roads are less accessible this could be problematic for the year’s turnover.
  • It’s likely there will be less movers active due to bankruptcies so the demand could be extreme.
  • There may be new and unregulated players that enter the market to pick up what’s not able to be handled by existing movers.

Please reach out if you have questions or feedback as we might be able to think with you or learn from you.  info@triglobal.org or contact us via our website and mover portal chat.

Stay strong,

Brielle Jones

Business Development