When Stephen Stowe, CEO of Bond Fitness, learned he would need to close their Santa Barbara gym because of rising COVID-19 cases, he knew he would have to get creative. It wasn’t just imperative to keep his business afloat—Stowe knew he needed to provide a mental, social, and physical lifeline to Bond’s clients in an isolating, stressful time.
That’s when Stowe and the Bond team approached their customer service representative at Cox Business and started working on technology solutions that would help everyone keep up their routines, even if remotely for the time being.
“Our entire business is about community,” said Stowe. “It’s even in our name, ‘Bond’ Fitness. People feel better, work harder, and achieve their fitness goals more easily when they work out together. We’re doing what it takes every day to help people feel good, physically, emotionally and spiritually. When we were shut down at the beginning of the pandemic, we made the decision as a team to not only support our members, but the entire Santa Barbara community by providing a daily workout live on Instagram every morning. We can’t replace the feeling of working out all together in the same room, but we can give our members a way to stay fit and feel connected to each other in an incredibly tough time. That’s mission-critical for us.”
Bond Fitness is focused on providing a space that is welcoming and inclusive for all fitness levels, where people show up for themselves and end up supporting one another as part of a community. Bond’s partners at Cox Business saw the importance of their business’ mission and worked together to create an Internet and phone service package that would keep them supported as pandemic-related restrictions shifted. In the past, Bond Fitness’ community-minded spirit has rallied members to provide volunteer services like training visually impaired students at the local Braille Institute to run a 5K. This year, Bond’s members did good for the world virtually, thanks in part to their connection through Cox Business.
“Without a strong, affordable broadband connection, our annual ‘Bond Aid’ dance party fundraiser, which was virtual for the first time this year, would not have been nearly as successful,” said Stowe. “We were able to stream our Bond Aid workout to people participating around the world, and we raised $1,525 for World Central Kitchen, which provided 6,100 meals to families in need.”
Pivoting Quickly to Help Customers Feel Safe
The impact of COVID-19 on small businesses cannot be understated. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), more than 40 percent of small businesses across the U.S. had to close at least temporarily because of the pandemic. Now, as restrictions are continually revised, many are rising to the challenge by seeking more advanced technological solutions to serve their customers—and to make them feel safe and secure in an uncertain time.
That’s what Jeremy Dugan, manager at Frank’s Auto Collision Center in San Clemente had in mind when he was assessing their technology needs in response to the pandemic.
His family has owned Franks’ Auto Collision Center since 1969, when his grandfather Frank founded the collision repair business after immigrating from Argentina. Frank’s Auto now has six locations throughout Orange County, spanning from San Clemente to Lake Forest. When COVID-19 restrictions went into effect, the biggest immediate concern, said Dugan, was security.
“I’ve been working for my family business since I was about 13 years old, and I’ve lived in San Clemente my whole life,” said Dugan, who is also the president of the local Rotary Club. “Our community trusts us with their vehicles, and we want to show them how much we value that trust by making sure they feel safe leaving their cars at our shops.”
A Cox Business customer for four years, security was top of mind for the Frank’s Auto team when the pandemic hit. They leaned on their video surveillance equipment to protect their shops (and their customers’ cars) from a distance, when staffing levels had to be adjusted and the shops were closed overnight. This system, put in place by Cox Business, also allowed them to protect themselves from on-site collisions and other instances, which could otherwise threaten the solvency of their business.
“We love having Cox Business in our corner, especially now, because it’s a one-stop shop for all our needs: phone, Internet and security,” said Dugan. “We’re going to need to stay adaptable as things evolve with the pandemic to keep our customers’ cars secure, but we feel at ease knowing Cox will evolve and adapt with us.”
To learn more about Cox Business, visit: https://www.cox.com/business/