We are facing an unprecedented time in New Zealand. With the enactment of Alert Level 4, we hope your families are safe and secure.

Beyond immediate health and safety concerns, our first instinct has been to put ourselves in your shoes to see how we can best help. We realise that now is an extremely challenging time, the future is uncertain and that we are all having to adjust to a very unfamiliar environment.

To protect our livelihoods, we also need to protect our businesses. Now is a good time to make sure they are in an even healthier position when we come out the other side. The EBOSS team have all set up remotely and are here to help you adjust to servicing architects, designers and builders during this difficult time and into the foreseeable future. And whilst building sites have shut down, the majority of architects and designers are continuing to work.

Digital communications and services will play an important role in how architects and specifiers continue to stay up-to-date and informed. Yesterday on the eve of lockdown we had over 1,500 user sessions on eboss.co.nz. Architects have quickly adapted to working remotely and talking to a number of firms, they are hopeful that a good amount of design work will continue during lockdown and beyond. So there is work to be done!

How do we adapt?

Amongst all the uncertainty at the moment, we have been fielding plenty of calls from clients asking us:

• How do we utilise our specification reps in lockdown?
• Can we offer an additional service to further help architects (eg. takeoffs and design reviews). How can we promote this service?
• What marketing is going to be effective once we come out of lockdown? (whenever that may be)
• What video software do architects prefer if we want to set up video meetings and presentations?
• During the lockdown is there anyone who can assist us in reviewing the resources we have for architects?
• Post-lockdown, how do we service architects if they still have their office doors closed to suppliers?

What can you do right now?

Architects and builders will be heavily reliant on digital communications whilst physical contact is restricted or banned, both to communicate and source information. I started this business 13 years ago to create the most cost-effective specifier marketing channel, and today with over 30,000 industry subscribers, we’re here to help keep architects up to date with your latest product and project news.

During the lockdown:

• We will run 1:1 planning sessions to help you plan for the next few months.
• Specified 2020 will be delivered as a series of webinars over the next 3 weeks.
• We will continue to update you on industry developments as they come to hand. Here is the government building industry update (as of 25 March).
• As architects continue to work through this period, we will continue to publish case studies and product updates in EBOSSNOW and Detailed. Architects have told us they want to be kept up to date — and will have more time to read updates!
• We will promote supplier technical services. With architects working remotely, we want to make it as easy as possible for them to reach your technical support.
• We will have staff available to assist you in updating your product technical information.

Post-lockdown we will also:

• Broaden the scope of EBOSSNOW to include supply chain updates and promotion of design services & support.
• Launch a Digital In-Practice Presentation Service — both for technical product reviews and technical presentations.
• Work with key practices on coordinating team meetings and presentations (both digital and physical).

With the uncertainties we are facing in the industry, we hope to be able to work with you to ensure your products continue to be seen and specified by architects.

We know the next few months will be tough for everyone, but we are here to help you adapt to the challenge and come out the other side in a strong position.

As always, I am here to answer any questions you may have over ZOOM, email or phone.

Stay safe,

Matthew Duder, Managing Director
P +64 9 551 6902   M +64 21 675 960
EBOSS