eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Business software maker Zoho is at it again, reaching out to help customers old and new with tools they can use to get work done during the coronavirus pandemic.
Following the March 6 announcement that the company will offer free use of its Remotely productivity platform, the Austin, Texas-based company revealed March 19 that it is launching a Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Program (ESAP) to help customers and potential customers worldwide weather this global pandemic crisis.
ESAP is designed for small businesses. For up to 20,000 qualified paying customers with 25 employees or less, Zoho is waiving the cost of every single application they currently use, for up to three months. Zoho offers a pick-and-choose menu of dozens of business productivity applications in its platform.
‘Every bit of help for small businesses will go a long way’
“Businesses are hurting. They already face tremendous pressure on revenue and cash flows. Not knowing when things will get back to normal is even worse,” Zoho CEO and co-founder Sridhar Vembu said in a media advisory. “Every bit of help we and other companies can offer to keep these small businesses afloat will go a long way, not just financially but emotionally as well.
“We are in this together, and contributions from every business help our community get through this pandemic.”
Zoho, founded in India in 1996, is a bootstrapped, privately held company with more than 50 million users located in more than 180 countries. Since the beginning, Zoho has owed its existence to its small business customers. While Zoho now has grown significantly upmarket, serving midmarket and enterprise customers in addition to small businesses, the company said it believes that for the broader economy to stay healthy, SMBs must first stay healthy and viable.
ESAP is intended to lighten the financial burden put upon small business customers during this chaotic and difficult period, Vembu said.
“Certain industries have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and we strongly encourage our customers in these industries to please apply for this Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Program,” Vembu said. “While we want to provide relief for as many small business customers as possible, we will prioritize those who are most in need and hope that others who are adapting to market conditions will help us by allowing program availability to those struggling to stay afloat.”
Remotely Giveaway Has Been Highly Successful
Earlier this month, Zoho launched Remotely, a virtual productivity platform of 11 collaboration applications, provided to businesses of all sizes around the world for free so that companies could effectively make the transition to remote work. Since its release two weeks ago, more than 5,000 new companies are running on the platform, and that number is increasing every day.
“We have seen an average of 500% growth in usage of our collaboration apps and 1,000% growth in daily new users of Zoho Meeting,” Vembu said.
Go here to see Vembu’s video announcement of the Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance program. For more information and to apply for the program, go here.