How Abhiraj Bhal's Urban Company Got a Makeover and Doubled Revenue

1. How Abhiraj Bhal's Urban Company got a makeover and doubled revenue The home services startup invested in technology, offered comprehensive partner training modules for its staffers to ensure safety protocols are adhered to, and won over newer customers with fresh services. For waxing, the company introduced a new technique called cartridge wax, wherein unlike the traditional tin wax, the cartridge is used only on one person and then discarded. Currently, more than 1 lakh women a month use this technique of waxing, the company claims Nimisha Soni vividly recalls the butterflies in her stomach when she resumed work in May. India was grappling with the coronavirus pandemic and though the lockdowns had eased a bit by then, fear had kept most people confined to their homes. Her nervousness was apparent, and understandable. The thirty-eight-year-old service partner of home services startup Urban Company (formerly UrbanClap) was among the thousands of gig workers who had either lost their jobs or were not paid salaries in the absence of work. The financial strain became even more acute as her husband, a driver with ride-sharing app Ola, also did not have a source of income during the lockdown. Their three daughters were too young to understand that their parents were running the house on their meagre savings. Which is why when the beauty service professional received her first booking after a gap of over two months, she was elated. At work, Soni adhered to the new safety guidelines issued by the company. “During the lockdown, we were trained on how to change certain methods of working to ensure maximum safety. We were taught new techniques on Zoom video call and were asked to practice them. Later, the trainer took a test to ensure we had understood them. The training was extremely helpful because we were ready to offer our services once things opened up,” says Soni, who has been working with Urban Company for two years. However, performing tasks with gloves, masks, the personal protective equipment (PPE) and the face shield became arduous. Soni got used to it after the first three to four orders. A satisfactory nod from customers only bolstered her confidence. “We sanitise our equipment in front of the customers—before and after each service,” she adds. Once operations resumed, Urban Company made it mandatory for service partners to take a selfie with their masks and gloves at the start of every job. Service partners had to use the Aarogya Setu app and ensure daily temperature checks. Also, all beauticians and barbers were instructed to use disposables and single-use sachet products so that there is no cross contamination. Read the complete article here - https://www.forbesindia.com/article/take-one-big-story-of-the- day/how-urban-company-got-a-makeover-and-doubled-revenue/65109/1 Learn more about CEO of Urban Company - https://www.crunchbase.com/person/abhiraj-singh-bhal https://accel.com/relationships/urbancompany