Sharon Kenny, Head of Marketing, BizCover

How was 2021 for BizCover? What were the highlights? What were the challenges?

Last year was a challenging period for most Australian businesses and indeed the world. Like most businesses in Australia, we were impacted by lockdowns and the uncertainty that surrounded the pandemic. But in all its adversity, 2021 also had significant highlights.

It was great to see just how resilient our customers truly are. Whilst we saw a cancellation rate the previous year, in 2021 a lot of them stayed the course and we saw less cancellations. And while it’s not business as usual yet Australian businesses are adapting to this new normal with fortitude and flare – BizCover included.

What will be the immediate focus for BizCover in 2022?

As Australia comes out of lockdown and small businesses are busy reopening, our immediate focus is to ensure we are helping them with their insurance.

At BizCover we understand there is no “one size fits all” solution for small business insurance. Each business is unique. This is why we provide different cover options for more than 6,000 occupations across Australia – including the cleaning industry.

This year we want to continue to focus on our customer experience and innovation, making it easier for small businesses to access insurance on their terms.

We have an extensive community of Australian small business customers – 160,000 strong and we want to continue to give these SME’s a transparent way to compare their options and has empowered them to cover the risks they want to cover with the insurers they choose.

How will BizCover engage with the cleaning industry in 2022?

Our previous engagement with the cleaning industry has allowed us to understand the challenges small business owners face and the risks they are exposed to in their day-to-day operations.

This allows us to provide the right cover to protect them from these risks so they can get back to more important things like running a business. We already provide insurance to more than 4600 cleaners in Australia, so we feel like we understand these businesses.

However, we also know that the cleaning industry is not one to stay static. Change comes fast and we want our fingers on the pulse to ensure we are ready.

Engaging with cleaning industry publications and building relationships with our new and existing cleaning industry customers is what we are doing this year to ensure we continue to deepen our knowledge about the industry.

What long term changes do you think will need to be implemented to business processes in the cleaning industry as a result of the pandemic?

At BizCover, we know business insurance. We are experts in providing the small business owners in the cleaning industry with competitive products that protect them in their time of need. It’s not for us to influence change in any particular industry other than our own.

Rather we want to help those in the industry to prepare and be protected from change. What we’ve noticed is that cleaning and sanitation have become bigger issues throughout the pandemic. This is trend likely to continue and has the potential to influence business processes in the cleaning industry.

If business circumstances have changed or you’ve got new employees or equipment, your business insurance may be outdated. Many small businesses in the cleaning industry are now in a vastly different position than they were at the start of the pandemic. So now is a good time to take stock and review your insurance cover, to ensure you have adequate cover for your business.

Is there a message that you would like to share with the cleaning industry?

We want business owners in the cleaning industry to know that BizCover is here to help protect your business. Whether they’re new or well established; whether they just need public liability or whether they’re a business that needs to cover portable tools and equipment; BizCover is here to make business insurance simple.

The second point that we want to get across is the importance of reviewing your insurance. Cleaning looks to be a growth industry, and with growth comes change. As your business grows, ensure your risk protection grows with the new circumstances. Otherwise, you could be left in a sticky situation without the right cover.

Lastly, we would like to thank all the small business owners from the bottom of our hearts. It has been a tough couple of years but together we have seen that light at the end of the tunnel and emerged on the other side.

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