As we all spend more time working remotely, home delivery will become crucial over the coming weeks as we all move further into isolation and avoid leaving our homes, even to shop for essentials.
Ecommerce is vital if we want to meet the outbreak head-on and we all have a responsibility to customers who rely on us. To continue operating, companies need to adopt new practices that keep supply chains moving while maintaining social distancing and self-isolation.
At EcoFuel.ie, we’re trying to stay ahead of the curve, and we encourage other delivery services to do everything they can to help.
Zero-contact deliveries
We closed our Galway store to customers days before the pubs closed, and replaced in-store collection with 100 per cent home delivery
We introduced zero-contact deliveries and added extra steps to disinfect our delivery vans throughout the day
Wherever we can, we're working from home and communicating online using Zoom, WhatsApp, and phone calls
There are only one or two people in the office at any one time and they sit apart. We stopped handshakes, fist-bumps, high-fives and hugs weeks ago.
Thousands of homes across the country depend on us to fuel their stoves so we’ve been working with our suppliers to make sure we have enough firewood to see our customers through the end of the winter season. We’re normally ramping down supply in spring but this year, we’ve placed additional orders.
We’ve seen a surge in online orders for firewood in the past two weeks and are fortunate to be in a position to ramp up our service and capacity.
To maintain our supply, we're focusing on products with the shortest lead times: PiniKay recycled wood logs and wood Eco Briquettes.
We’ve had our own fleet and drivers for five years now and our customers are already used to buying online. We’ve been able to hire additional drivers and are pushing ahead to open a warehouse in Dublin in April to keep customers supplied.
Hundreds of other small businesses are doubling down on home delivery to keep the country moving. Journalist Peter McGuire turned to Twitter and a shared Google spreadsheet to crowdsource a list of Irish companies that are doing delivery or collection. The new normal, home delivery is our opportunity to support home-grown Irish businesses when they need it most.
EcoFuel.ie has been delivering kiln-dried firewood and recycled wood eco logs to homes and restaurants all over Ireland since 2015. Visit ecofuel.ie to learn more.
