St. Petersburg Business Loses 90% of Sales, Pledges to Keep All Staff

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Apr 29, 2020, 13:21 ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Like most businesses in the travel industry, St. Pete-based travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth, watched sales plummet following the COVID-19 outbreak.

With travel at a standstill, Squaremouth's sales are down more than 90%. Despite the economic challenges, the local small business has pledged to keep all 39 employees working full hours at full pay, without any layoffs.

Squaremouth.com, which historically saw upwards of 500 sales a day, has seen as little as 12 in the economic wake of COVID-19. "As soon as we saw the shift, we took cost-cutting steps that have allowed us to keep every member on staff at their full salary," says CMO, Megan Moncrief.

Now, more than ever, Squaremouth remains committed to helping its customers. After the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the U.S., Squaremouth saw a 181% spike in claims related to the virus and a 102% increase in calls from travelers with questions about coverage. To assist customers as quickly and efficiently as possible, Squaremouth ramped up their customer service and claims departments by increasing hours of operation and implementing "all hands on deck" assistance, where every employee is available to answer customer calls and chats.

At the same time, the company is making adjustments to prepare for what the future might look like.

"We are taking this time to innovate, instead of cutting staff," says CEO, Chris Harvey. "By being able to keep all our staff working full hours, we can start working towards the new normal, for all the changes that are going to come."

Squaremouth is now focusing on what the future of travel might look like following this global pandemic. The company is already working on new products that will address the evolving concerns of travelers, including creating new benefits specific to viral outbreaks.

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH

SQUAREMOUTH compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare travel insurance policies side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com.

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SOURCE Squaremouth