How did the company fare during the first wave of a pandemic?

When the pandemic broke out, we weren’t prepared at all and we were very new. Frankly, the first wave did not affect us much as we were very new and started operations a month ago. First-wave even helped us streamline our process and improve our business model.

However, we were prepared when the second wave arrived. There is a very marginal decline in our business. Our customer-centric initiatives enabled us to maintain and earn the trust of our customers. However, our deliveries are affected by the blockage.

What kind of customer-centric initiative have you taken during the pandemic? What impact has it had on the company?

In the wake of the pandemic, we have ensured proper training for our packaging teams and delivery partners to follow all Covid protocols and social distancing standards. They are also supplied free of charge with the appropriate dresses, shoes, PPE kits, as well as a mask, shield, gloves, boot covers and disinfectants. We also offer free disinfection for vehicles and merchandise.

These initiatives give our clients a lot of confidence to move in times of pandemic. So in the first place, our sales have remained intact even during the pandemic.

What changes have you noticed in consumer behavior since the start of the pandemic, and what kinds of customer inquiries have you received the most during the pandemic?

During the Pandemic and lockdown, customers have been concerned whether the people coming to pack and move would take proper social distancing or not, whether they would use protection kits or not, whether the vehicle would be decontaminated or not, etc.

There has been a phenomenal change in consumer behavior. They are more concerned and specific than ever about hygiene, social distancing, masks, etc.

Which are your future plans?

Shift Freight currently delivers around 2000 orders per month across India. We expect our numbers to be around 200 orders per day or 6000 orders per month by the end of June 2022. Also, our long-term goal is to reach 2000 orders per day in the next 5 years, which is just and only the 5% of the total market capitalization of Packers & Movers services in India.

Beyond these numbers, we plan to start a Training and Development wing to train more than 300 unemployed workers monthly and provide them with permanent employment through our network of Shift Partners. We have already assisted our delivery partners with concessional loans, cash back, packaging supplies, and supplies of PPE equipment. We will continue to expand these benefits.