Episode Details

Things turned upside down for many businesses earlier this year. We're looking at how two companies made changes to survive. So, OK, Richard, what happened? In March 2020, companies in the UK, they were told that they weren't allowed to offer over-the-counter services.今年年初，许多企业的经营状况被彻底颠覆。我们今天要看看两家公司是如何调整策略以求生存的。好的，Richard，当时发生了什么？2020年3月，英国政府宣布企业不得提供柜台服务。

So obviously that would affect many high-street shops. Yes, indeed, all high-street shops and including those who sell fish and chips. So the Chesterfield Group in the UK owns 40 fish and chip restaurants, serving about 50,000 people every week.显然，这一规定会影响许多街边商店。没错，所有街头商铺都受到了影响，其中包括炸鱼薯条店。英国的切斯特菲尔德集团拥有40家炸鱼薯条餐厅，每周为大约五万人提供餐饮服务。

However, of course, the coronavirus lockdown forced the restaurants to close for all walk-in customers. So therefore no customers at all then? They lost all their customers in one fail swoop. Right.然而，由于新冠封锁政策，这些餐厅不得不关闭所有堂食服务。那么，这是不是意味着他们一个顾客都没有了？没错，他们在一夜之间失去了所有顾客。

So what the CEO, James Lipscomb, did was he realised the company was running out of cash fast, so he had to do something really quickly. And within two weeks, he created a new way for the company to continue in business. OK, so what did he do? He started a click and collect system.公司的首席执行官詹姆斯·利普斯康意识到公司资金正在迅速枯竭，因此他必须立刻采取行动。两周之内，他为公司创造了一种全新的经营方式。好的，他做了什么？他启动了“线上点餐、到店取餐”的系统。

So they designed an app and they started taking food orders online, cashless payments only. Right. So customers go on the app and they turn up and they just tap their card at the store so there's no interaction with staff whatsoever.他们开发了一个应用程序，通过线上接收点餐，并只接受非现金支付。对的，顾客只需在应用上下单，然后到店刷卡取餐，全程无需与员工接触。

So click is on the app and collect is at the shop. Exactly. Right.“Click”代表线上点单，“Collect”就是到店取餐。没错，完全正确。

And actually they also introduced home delivery as well on a similar sort of basis. OK. So two new systems.实际上，他们还推出了类似模式的外送服务。好的，也就是说他们建立了两个新系统。

Did that work? Yes. He kept 70% of the staff and they worked throughout the lockdown and this very fast decision prevented the business from closing down.那这样做有效果吗？非常有效。他保留了70%的员工，并让他们在封锁期间继续工作。这一快速决策挽救了公司的命运，使其避免倒闭。

Well, another co