To what extent is your advice business being impacted by the current Level 4 lockdown?
- It’s a major disruption to our business (36%)
- It’s a minor inconvenience (27%)
- It hasn’t bothered us at all (20%)
- Too early to tell (16%)
Loading ...With financial advice not deemed an essential service by the Government during the current level 4 lockdown, RiskinfoNZ wonders if this has affected your advice business.
One of those who’s taking it in her stride is Katrina Church, Director at Insurance People. She says the lockdown hasn’t interrupted her business at all, having learned a lot about remote working last time around.
Church says that while mortgage settlements are being held up, the risk side of her business is really busy.
“We are fielding lots of calls and I have wall-to-wall Zoom conferences with clients, nothing is paper-based here nowadays – it’s all digital,” she says. “It’s level 4, but it is business as usual really.”
Church says it is easier to do business under lockdown because all her clients are at home “…so you can get to speak with them”. Her focus is on her staff.
“Our staff is the biggest thing, we want to make sure everybody is feeling okay,” she says.
Church has a team of 30 and says during the last lockdown everyone was busy getting up to speed with working from home. But this time, Church and her management team is checking everyone is feeling okay “spiritually and emotionally”.
“We are very conscious of it,” she says. “That’s the area I’m worried about, especially the younger ones who can struggle to be at home. People are more fearful, clients are too. So it is just a case of keeping in touch with people.
“We are checking everyone in the team to make sure they are well. We are being supportive, holding team meetings, and quizzes on Fridays.
“But our business continuity plans have worked well.”