Blog Post

Dear Customers,

The UK is in a state of lockdown, we have been told to ‘Stay Home’ unless we are critical workers. Whilst our work is seen as critical to supporting your businesses, we have sought advice on how to proceed from the Government Business Advice line. We have had to make minor changes on how we operate, but our core services, same day printing and our current ‘Homework Support for families’ can remain in place. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is at the forefront of all of our minds and we are naturally concerned about the health and welfare of our friends, family, colleagues and clients across the UK and globally – So stay safe and stay indoors.

Rest assured your business with MRCmedia is in safe (sanitised) hands. Our supply chains for paper, ink, clothing, server administration and signage materials are very robust and we are in regular communication to maintain stability.

Government Advice to MRC Media

The Government has advised that all work must be done from home where possible. Following our communication with the helpline yesterday evening we have been advised the following:

• The MRC Media Print Shop in the Jewellery Quarter Birmingham must remain closed to the public.
• Due to the size of our machinery, we are unable to operate from home so can continue to print as required from our commercial premises.
• Orders can be placed online, via WhatsApp, via text, phone or Instagram but can not be placed via visiting the shop.
• Payments must be paid beforehand – (We are currently accepting payment in forms of packs pasta if that helps! ?)
• All orders must be delivered – Nothing can be collected from the premises.

MRC Media Home Schooling Support:

Parents are home schooling all across the UK. Schools are sending online work for children, but it needs printing out. Some of these documents are over 70 pages each. The cost of ink, paper and access to a home printer is proving difficult for parents. We feel we have a social responsibility to help where possible and have released a number of initiatives via our Instagram feed to help. These will remain in place till the lockdown is over or the situation changes.

• All homework printing is being offered at a very low minimal cost (part funded by ourselves). These can no longer be collected, they need to be delivered at cost to the recipient.
• All deliveries in the Birmingham area can be delivered for £2.50 on the same day or next day for home school printing.
• We are offering FREE colouring sheets to all parents for their children (These are no longer available for collection, they need to be delivered at cost to the recipient)
• We are running a ‘Design a Coronavirus Safety Poster’ competition with a £10 prize for all children’s posters used.
• Keep a eye on out Instagram feed for further more regular updates @mrcmedia https://www.instagram.com/mrcmedia/

MRC Media Supply

• All face to face meetings with clients have been cancelled until further notice, we will in turn use phone, video, WhatsApp, email and social media to stay in contact with you.
• All print deliveries will remain unaffected at this time.
• All website / media solutions remain unaffected.
• All design work remain unaffected.
• Printing, t-shirt, signage and banner collections are still available but all monies must be paid before delivery.
• All web, email and hosting services remain unaffected.
• We will not be doing any signage or window graphics during this lockdown period

Please note: Every customer has access to their personal control panel, with an extensive backup system that can let you delete or change anything (including auto responder emails for if you are out the office).  

Business continuity tips and things to think about

 Are you communicating with your clients? Even if you are just letting them know everything is fine or how your business continues to operative.

• Social Media is FREE. Social media engagement and people’s use of it has increased. Facebook usage (which includes WhatsApp and Instagram) has gone through the roof. Video calls have increased by 100% and messaging and engagement is up by 70% – Are you making the most of it? Is your LinkedIn upto date? If not, we can help get your business pages and media links up to date quickly.
• Facebook engagement is up – But their revenue is down! Paid advertising online is proving less affective in countries affected majorly by the Coronovirus.
• Are you using Business Social Media Apps? -There are Business versions of Instagram, Facebook pages, and Business WhatsApp – Use them, they offer you more as a business owner.
• Is your business in a position to sell your services on-line? Can you start selling pre-orders, vouchers, discount codes for when you restart full service? Do you need a low cost e-commerce solution – Discuss it with us and we can get it sorted for you.
• We can offer design services and posts at low prices – But in times like this, low priced may not be enough! . . . There are a range of apps that can be used to create your designs. These will not give you a tailored solution and advice on how best communicate or create a business identity through all your marketing and promotion – BUT, if you are on a budget, give it a try!
• Can staff access your files from home in a secure cloud storage? There are a number of secure cloud storage with large amounts of free storage, Google Dive is an excellent app you can access on your phone, desktop, Mac or via a web browser.

Are you promoting yourself in this time of low business to reassure business continuity? Don’t wait till business starts again and get caught playing catch up. In this instance ‘BUY AND STOCKPILE YOUR PRINTING!’ Get yourself ready! Get them leaflets ready, get the new business cards ready to go and know how you are going to kickstart your business.