COVID-19 emergency: 101CAFFE’ does not stop thanks to teamwork

Our beloved coffee or a good herbal tea are one of the few things left unchanged in this difficult period, reminding us of our “normal” life.
101CAFFE’ does not stop: even more than before the brand believes in its mission: bringing every day coffee taste and aroma of Italian Roasters to Italians homes and beyond.

Our secret? Teamwork!

101CAFFE’ has about 120 franchisees stores, all “tied” to 101CAFFE’ headquarter by a special agreement: it is called franchising, a teamwork system that shows all its strength, above all in such difficult situations as the one we are experiencing.

“I would like to thank all 101CAFFE’ franchisees and people working in our company, who are daily demonstrating a great ability to team up“, says Umberto Gonnella, C.E.O. & Founder of 101CAFFE’.
“This crisis is penalizing us a lot, but it is also showing how networking works well. In our reality network is made up of those who work in company headquarter (offices and logistics) and those who are in stores, in contact with customers. As in a team, everyone plays well their own role for everyone benefit “, continues Umberto Gonnella.

How is 101CAFFE’ reacting to COVID-19 emergency?

“101CAFFE’ is a company of 95 people and about 120 stores in Italy and abroad. Most of its shops have never stopped, remaining open, being grocery stores and making home deliveries”, says Roberta Bolchini, Head of Communication in 101CAFFE’.

“I am very proud of our franchisees who offer coffee for charity to local hospitals and health professionals at the forefront”, continues Roberta Bolchini.
Not all the stores can make home deliveries, but many of them manage to stay open anyway, being grocery stores, following all hygiene and behavioral rules imposed by Government to prevent infections.

What support headquarter is providing to franchisees?

“Franchisor support must be immediate and concrete when there is a real need. The first request came to us in February, from a franchisee resident in Codogno, who could not leave his town to go and open his shop, located in a non-red area. We responded immediately by sending our retail manager and then other staff from our direct stores, until the owner was able to move from Codogno again”, says Umberto Gonnella, who adds: “this allowed our franchisee not to lose even a day of profit and above all not to lose his precious customers”.
In addition, many 101CAFFE’ employees have intensified their work to guarantee franchisees some priority and urgent services without any hitch, in smart working or at the workplace. For example, IT department is working to improve e-commerce performance, as a result of the important needs of this period and to guarantee customers to receive products at home without leaving.

These initiatives have helped our stores, limiting the loss of turnover for those shops that have not been able to stay open for various reasons, since (we remind you) 101CAFFE’ recognizes the margins of online sales to franchisees, based on the address zone from which the orders come.
Communication with end customers has been immediately strengthened through social campaigns, emails and sms to communicate opening hours, home delivery services and online stores availability. We have also intensified telephone customer care to help clients with orders or those who want information on deliveries.

Even the warehouse workers have immediately adopted all safety devices, respecting the new rules to avoid contagions.
The continuous updating given to our network on the various decrees and on the general situation is very important. “In cases like these there is no Saturday or Sunday: I have recorded myself a video with which I was able to update our stores in real time, answering questions and trying to reassure everyone, like a real family man, because in franchising this is how a franchisor should behave“, says Gonnella.

The relationship among all franchisees has also become more intense, thanks to several ideas and lots of courage that have been exchanged.
“Of course, concludes Gonnella, the situation is evolving day by day and we cannot know when and how it is going to end, but in the meantime we are defining a series of solutions to support our network, especially regarding supplies and making our logistics system more efficient”.

For those who like more details about this topic, it is possible to review a recorded webinar, held privately, in which Umberto Gonnella and Roberta Bolchini are explaining how franchising works and the different business formats proposed by 101CAFFE’.