blog | 3 min read

How Amperity is Responding to the Economic Impact of COVID-19

March 19, 2020

Amperity Ampersand logo on a dark background.

With the world around us shifting every day, we’re all asking questions that address our most fundamental concerns: How can we stay healthy? How will this affect our livelihoods? What happens tomorrow? In the midst of so much uncertainty, it’s deeply heartening to see a strong current of concern not just for ourselves, but for each other.

Businesses and individuals are stepping up to take action in support of their neighbors, friends, and people they’ve never even met. I’m proud that Amperity can be part of these efforts to lift one another up. For us, this means supporting two communities: the local communities in which we operate and our customer community.

Our offices are in Seattle and NYC, both of which are at risk of major outbreaks. Before COVID-19 we were actively engaged in community efforts to fight homelessness and raise money for disease research through our AmperityCares program. Now the stakes are even higher.

We know that there are people whose job it is to put their lives on the line in the name of public health, and also people whose jobs have been completely eliminated because of the need to physically distance. We depend on these people to make our communities the vibrant places they are, and we recognize that it’s on us to do what we can for them now. This cannot be someone else’s problem.

Given that, our AmperityCares team – volunteers across our organization – have been spending their personal time rallying around initiatives kicking off in Seattle to support those who are most economically impacted in our community. Our team is also exploring opportunities with those on the front lines of COVID-19 – hospitals, food banks, testing sites – who may benefit from free use of our technology.

Amid all this, we are fortunate enough that we can continue our day-to-day business, and we are laser-focused on supporting our customer community as they navigate a time of profound change. In the near term, this means helping brands quickly understand business impact while deepening understanding of the consumer, and ensuring that this translates to action that drives revenue and cuts cost. We’re all hands on deck in this effort, working side-by-side with each of our customers to provide burst capacity where they need it most.

To that end, over the next week, we are rolling out analytics and data diagnostics that give consumer brands insight into key areas such as changes in customer behavior and impact on business operations across regions and verticals.

Second, we are using these insights both to accelerate our customer use case roadmaps and to make adjustments where needed given a new environment. We’re already seeing deep engagement and collaboration across our account teams and customers on this, and we look forward to sharing what we learn with others who need it.

Finally, we are organizing small group conversations between our customers and experts from both industry and academia to share ideas, discuss the shifting landscape, and to promote learning and relationships.

If we can lend a hand in a real way to these two communities — our neighbors and our customers — then we will be on our way together to greater strength on the other side of this crisis. In a time of rapid change and global interconnectedness, disruption may become a regular part of our lives. Amperity is doing our part now in hopes that the spirit of taking care of one another is also part of that new normal. Thank you to our customers, employees, and everyone in our community for inspiring us every day.

Kabir