Service has never been so important
“The new normal”, “These strange times” we’ve all heard these phrases and similar ones enough for our lifetime this year alone, as, much like the word Brexit, they have dominated the headlines, airwaves and socially distanced conversations over the past few months. With much of the country subjected to redundancies & the furlough scheme, there were plenty of industries that not only had to “carry on”, but they had to handle greater pressures than perhaps they were set up for, not to mention the new, and in a lot of cases, very restrictive working conditions. So with the government specifying the drainage industry in the “Essential Workers“ category we knew that at Scanprobe we would have a responsibility ourselves to help keep our customer’s camera systems operational and on the road as much as possible. This meant there would be a new level of pressure and importance upon Scanprobe as a company, and our Service Department especially.
“I’ve got a lot of belief in the guys in our Service Department; we have a lot of experienced heads there, and they’ve always been taught from the get-go that our customers have customers, and everyone in this chain expects and deserves the best. I am very proud of how they have all stood up to the challenges that Covid-19 has thrown up over these past months, and continues to put to them on a daily basis.”
Jon Barry, Owner & Managing Director
And “challenge” is a good word to use, as by definition a challenge is something to compete against, rather than shy away from. As the government guidelines changed, we continued to adapt our approach to business to make sure that customers and staff alike were protected first and foremost, whilst still being able to provide a service that so many relied upon in the months following UK lockdown. We had a complete overhaul of the areas of the business where customer & staff interactions occurred, and where these were unavoidable, we brought in new measures to ensure that everyone could go about their daily tasks in a safe environment. New Perspex screens have been fitted in the trade counter area, which has been operating a one-customer-at-a-time policy and undergoing a strict cleaning process.
”When the lockdown measures came into play we had to react promptly and decisively, really to show both our customers and our staff that we had a handle on things from a Scanprobe perspective. To give the message that if you need to get your camera serviced or repaired, you could, safely. Together, my team have really risen to the challenge, and been open to and understanding of the changes that have been made. Most importantly, thanks to their commitment and efforts we have been able to safely remain open and fully operational throughout this Covid-19 pandemic.“
Adam Jones, Service Manager
With over 20 years’ experience in our industry, Adam is a strong asset in the Service Department, and company. Managing to juggle team morale with job urgency and quality of output, all whilst keeping calm under pressure is an invaluable skillset, and these qualities all came into play throughout this lockdown period. Adam continues:
“Like plenty of other companies that have been operational throughout this pandemic, we have had large periods where we have been stretched to capacity and then some; such was the nature of the situation the country was facing. Especially in the early days when there was panic buying on toilet paper. The lengths that some would go to if they weren’t able to get toilet paper for the house was actually resulting in more domestic blockages, many because of the alternatives being used! Either way, our customers were out there tackling as many customer situations as possible, and when needed, we had to be ready to act quickly to get their camera systems operational and back out on the road.”
Thankfully what was at the time coined as the “global toilet paper shortage” in April this year seems like a distant memory. Now, as the country slowly starts to return to action, at Scanprobe we have come through this in a strong position, having adapted and learned throughout. We’re not saying it has been easy, or that it will be easy in the coming months, but we have implemented and adapted to new practices throughout this pandemic and we will continue to do so where necessary.