Customer Trust: The story of three service brands and their response to COVID19

"You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before"

- Rahm Emanuel.

With COVID19 Pandemic hitting countries and companies across the globe, albeit with a varying degree - the impact has been on everyone. These are the times when you get to see the corporations/leadership which stand out - in the way companies treat their customers, employees and community. And with those responses, these corporations can either build on the trust they enjoy & win back any past trust deficit or with their actions or lack of it, they can even loose trust of existing customers.

I am generally a loyal customer and stick with brands (product and/or service) unless there is a severe breach of trust by the company and as a marketer, I believe that this is how a large number of average customer out there, behaves. This story is about how three brands that I have been a regular customer of, for a long period - behaved in the COVID19 lockdown scenario.

1. Amazon - I have trusted and used amazon over all other e-tailers over the years. My last order on amazon was for a few immunity boost ayurvedic medications on 18th of March, before the Janta Curfew or Lockdown in India began. Being an amazon prime member, the delivery committed was within 2 days. Partial delivery of 2 / 5 products happened by 20th, but the other three products online status was "Delay in Delivery Expected." The status remained there for another 10 days (the lockdown in India got announced on 24th March) after which the order was auto cancelled and refund initiated. All this while, there was no call centre point available to reach out to/ the customer service page was up with a COVID 19 related advisory and a chatbot.
2. Big Basket - A brand that I have been using for last 7 years, for my grocery deliveries at home, month after month and has never disappointed. Over time, it built on loyalty by self-penalising if they weren't able to deliver my ordered stuff, bulk buying discounts etc. Even as the COVID19 related lockdown (initially partial, and then full lockdown from 24th March) was implemented, Big Basket was taking orders.

Though with the surge in demand and shortage of staff, the delivery timeline was changed from a regular next day delivery to a scheduled slot of 7 days later (28th March - well into the Lockdown). I as a customer could empathise with that and was ready to wait since a fixed delivery slot was given on a fixed date. Lo and Behold, 1 hour before the fixed time slot - the delivery van was there. Since the delivery boy was not the regular one, I enquired with the one who has come. He was one of the office staff of big basket, helping out his team with deliveries during the labour shortage. Impressive! Showed true character of company - Employee commitment, Customer Promise being kept.

3. Cult Fit - A group fitness/exercise company. The whole business model was built around the centres where the groups can gather, based on booking a class slot, for a session of their choice - ranging from Exercise to Yoga to Boxing and more. Expected to be the worst hit with their basic business premise being hit due to the ask of social distancing. But man, how they evolved as the pandemic/restrictions progressed - has been nothing short of WOW. Kudos to the leadership team there for thinking on their toes.

Firstly, early on at beginning of March itself (or may be earlier) they implemented increased sanitisation of their premises; kept extra hand sanitisers at centers, stopped water bottle sharing etc. Then, came the stricter restrictions on congregations and within a few days, they were ready to launch the live classes over their app.......and all of them, with the favourite instructors. Sessions were made bite-sized ie. 25 mins, 35 mins, 45 mins and available all through the day and with variations across days. Within a few days, each session was clocking 2000-3000+ logins. In each session, there were all options available like classroom - higher intensity vs lower intensity, relaxations, water breaks, even energy trackers, rankings and lately selfies. The latest introduction a few days back has been celebrity sessions with likes of Mandira Bedi, Mary Kom etc. Their Cure fit doctor consultation sessions are also available to book online through app. And lately, I got to know from a friend how they have started to reward' some of their biggest / most regular users.

Conclusion

Before coming to my own conclusion and satisfaction rating, I would want to share a post I read recently from a user on one of the social media - "Where is the global giant like Amazon, when we need them the most for supplying our groceries. Henceforth, I am going to stop using Amazon and the likes, and shift back to my local grocery store - which with meagre means has been able to service me better and faster"

The examples above are based on my own experience (as a random, yet loyal customer of each of these brands) - It goes out to show that the size of pocket or age of the company has nothing to do with agility or customer focus. One who has the will and vision can do it. Among the three brands, would I personally stop using any or start using more of any - maybe not. But, the companies and the founders are now on a different pedestal as far as my recommendation/trust level goes. Amazon, despite its might and chance of making a difference to the community - has let me down and lost trust on Integrity and satisfaction parameters. Big Basket, with its clearer communication and employee commitment, has gone a notch higher in terms of respect and referral chances. However, it is increasingly becoming more and more challenging to get the slot now. Cure Fit - @Ankit Nagori and @Mukesh Bansal take a bow - you've earned huge respect from a customer/user not just for the brand but for your own ingenuity. A perfect shining example of brand agility. Wish there are more brands out there like yours. Keep growing.