Business un-usual at BMi Research

Kevin Kruger

Research becomes even more important during critical times such as this, as it allows businesses to make more informed decisions more quickly. Knowledge in the current environment really is power.

The situation that the country finds itself in with the growing spread of the Covid-19 pandemic provides us with an unprecedented set of challenges. However, clients continue to require information and research data.

Business agility and the ability to adapt our processes to work within the current situation has been essential - the situation somewhat limits us in terms of what we can provide to clients via traditional means. That said, we have found innovative ways to provide clients with a certain level of research and information that will allow them to draw the insights as they have before on our information.

A combination of online research and strong partnerships with media houses and services allows us to provide clients with a view of what is happening in terms of trade and intelligence around pricing. We’ve utilised a number of creative methods of accessing the material we require to ensure the continuity of our services.

We are currently in the process of exploring online solutions for the majority of our approaches, primarily for those clients who are providing essential services and remain open to trade. In addition, web scraping will continue to be available during the lockdown period. We are particularly proud of the very agile approach we have adopted in terms of how we manage data and data sources, and the fact that we have not limited ourselves to specific segments.

Where we cannot implement processes online, we have had to place certain projects on hold until we return to normal operations.

Creative problem solving is essential for any business facing new and different challenges. In the case of BMi Research, we have had to think laterally in terms of accessing the material we need to ensure that our service is consistent and we are able to maintain contact with clients. As such, a whole new set of skills and services, and with that, a new set of efficiencies has been unlocked to make our business stronger than ever and ensure that we deliver on our clients’ expectations.

That said, we have had a surprising number of queries as to why our staff are not physically going into stores as the stores themselves are open for trade. As a business, we have had to use alternative approaches to obtain data and to service clients, and like other small businesses in South Africa at this time, try as hard as possible to avoid penalties and negative implications on the business going forward.

As such, our priority is to ensure that clients continue to receive reports and insights on a regular basis, whilst at the same time ensuring that we keep our staff safe and adhere to the lockdown regulations.

For further information please contact:

Kevin Kruger: az.oc.imb@nivek or 082 450 2979
Jenni-Ruth Coggin: az.oc.imb@innej or 076 170 6989
Cindi Collett: az.oc.imb@idnic or 082 821 4971
Danie Botha: az.oc.imb@einad or 083 271 7720