You will have seen that we have been sharing a lot of interviews with our clients recently. These are to help people in business see how others businesses are coping. We hope these interviews and blog posts will help you see you are not alone, and maybe you will find some interviews inspiring too.
In this interview we speak to Carrie Buckman of DALROD, a draining solutions company with a head office in Peterborough. Carrie of Dalrod is the Marketing Manager and we work with them on their social media content posting.
How has CV-19 affected your business?
We are classed as Key workers, but as many of the commercial properties we service have now closed, we have seen a decrease in volume. We have many contracts with social housing providers, so with more people staying at home we believe this will increase. Also we service the essential vital premises like hospitals, police stations and supermarkets.
Have you changed your service offering to go online / digitally – if so, how?
Our service has slightly changed in that we would usually advertise to commercial, but we are looking to showcase our services to more domestic, as with more people being at home comes people using too much toilet roll, putting wipes down the toilet, fat down your sinks and just general more usage.
We also have been explaining that the government have stated CV-19 is in faeces and urine. We are promoting the cleaning of drains to help stop the spread. We can also use our high pressured jets to clean down premises. We will also be explaining on how when businesses return they may find the drainage system fail, as it will have laid dormant for a large period of time with no running water going through the pipes.
The worse cases will be eateries, as fat will have built up in the drain as and congealed into fat bergs. If this is the case you will need assistance.
What have you struggled most with during this time?
Personally, its being away from our offices.
Have there been any positive outcomes?
It has shown that the office can all work from home and our IT infrastructure works. It’s also made us all think outside the box in creativity. Personal front, it’s made us spend time together as a family, plus I have learnt a lot about my husband’s job.
How are you finding working from home?
The actual working is good, as its quiet (except for the children) and you can get on, but working at home and then being in all evening is testing. I love getting out and meeting people.
What is keeping you going every day?
Work, my children and hoping we will return to normal very soon.
What are you finding hardest during this time?
Not seeing family and friends. March and April we have a lot of family and friends birthdays and we are unable to celebrate and see these people.
What is your top tip for other business owners?
Stay positive, use all the government funding available, if you have spare time, use it to network online (LinkedIn) and continue selling your service/business and attend virtual meetings. After all this your relationship building will hopefully pay dividends
What does your new ‘day in the life of’ look like?
Wake up, shower, breakfast, start work at 9, Lunch at 1, back to working and finish at 5, we then all go for a long walk to burn some energy, we pick a different walk each day (I’m amazed at the beautiful nature we have in Hampton), cook dinner, put the girls to bed and then bed myself.
Do you have a positive quote to keep others going?
Make the most of the time at home. We will soon be back to the hustle and bustle of daily life.
So, that’s how Carrie of DALROD is coping through coronavirus? Is her story similar to yours?
If you would like to know more about Carrie of DALROD and the great work they do, check out their website here.
