Business continuity challenges for online delivery services

Online delivery services have become the lifeline for cities amidst the 21-day lockdown across the country.

On the one hand there is the rising demand for supplies, and on the other hand there are genuine logistical challenges. Online grocery firms, such as BigBasket, Grofers and Licious have been facing several hiccups.

Albinder Dhindsa, co-founder, Grofers, shares with HRKatha, “Due to lack of clarity at the ground level, we faced operational challenges across many states. We want to assure that our teams are working relentlessly to ensure deliveries of essential products, to avoid any kind of panic amongst our customers.”

To weather these challenges and complexities, Grofers is closely working with administrations across multiple cities to resolve these concerns and issue passes. There have been cases where delivery boys have been beaten up by the police for disobeying the lockdown. Grofers hopes to be able to assist its compatriots in these difficult times.

Licious has taken all precautions to ensure that our people on the ground are safe and maintain the highest levels of hygiene standards as prescribed by the Government

Amidst the chaos due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the online delivery services have to ensure safety and hygiene for both the customers as well as their own staff.

Grofers is now planning to attempt deliveries at night, to address the high surge in demand. It has also introduced zero-touch deliveries in housing societies for prepaid orders. The Company is abiding by the rules and ensuring the maintenance of proper hygiene and sanitation at its facilities and in its vehicles.

“Our teams continue to work around the clock to support people who are relying highly on our services and are waiting for essential supplies at their homes. We understand that a lot of vulnerable sections of our society are highly dependent on our services, and therefore, we take this responsibility very seriously,” explains Albinder.

However, another big problem for the online delivery companies is to keep the morale and engagement level high for their team members, who are not only fighting the risk of getting infected, but also the man-made problems while they are out for delivery.

The co-founders of Licious, an online meat-delivery platform, Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta, voice a similar concern.

Our teams continue to work around the clock to support people who are relying highly on our services and are waiting for essential supplies at their homes.

They share with us how the Company is deploying technology to predict demand and supply patterns, and leverage the data to increase the overall supply chain efficiency. The platform is also using technology to engage with the employees

The key lies in staying connected with the employees and ensuring that there is no gap in communication. Hanjura and Gupta claim to be regularly talking to each and every employee through e-mails, video conferences and town halls, keeping everyone and every system in place.

Hanjura reveals, “Licious has taken all precautions to ensure that our people on the ground are safe and maintain the highest levels of hygiene standards as prescribed by the Government.”

Licious apparently operates on a farm-to-fork model, buying raw materials at the standard cost and not the current plummeted market price. It is also committed to ensuring business continuity for the farming community.