General Questions

Purpose of this document is to outline a plan in case of inclement weather affecting our service area of Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas.

Each type of weather incident may have variables, but this basic structure should give us written understanding of

• How safety decisions are made.

• Communication to our team.

• Communication to our customers.

Goal: Safety of our team and vehicles.

Definition: Inclement weather is considered Snow, Ice, Flooding, Hurricane or Tornados.

Decision Criteria

• Will this put a team member at risk?

• Are there customers available for us to serve?

• Will this put our property at risk?

Roles:

• Service Manager

  • Communication with Field Supervisors / Project Managers for technician availability.

• Field Supervisor

  • Communication with technicians on conditions and availability

  • Communication with customers on project timelines

  • Communication with service management on statuses

• Customer Service

  • Customer updates on availability and reschedules.

• Technician

  • Report to field supervisor status, conditions and availability prior to 7am each day of inclement weather.

• Accounting

  • Report to Finance Director for instructions

• Sales

  • Sell ice melt, boats and waders

• Purchasing

  • Buy ice melt, boats and waders to sell

• Training

  • Develop & Share training material that can be completed remotely

• Development

  • Put this information on our website, make sure it stays current.

  • Maybe make an inclement weather report app on trackvia?

• Content / Marketing

  • Create a great video about the weather, post it on social media!

Process:

• STEP 1:

  • During the threat of inclement weather, a reminder of this process should be sent to the entire team.

• STEP 2:

  • A team will be established

    • Service manager

    • Field supervisors

    • Partners

  • This team will be responsible for assessing weather and impact conditions.

  • This team will establish a communication point of contact for the rest of the company.

• STEP 3:

  • Communication

    • Clearly define next steps for each team member.

      • This may be divided into smaller teams as the company grows.

    • Timelines:

      • Delayed Start (2 Hours)

      • Half Day (Starting at noon)

      • Emergency Response (On Call)

      • Note: starting the day after noon should be avoided. If conditions will not improve before noon, the entire day should be closed.

    • Use conference call lines and text communication to distribute information quickly.

• STEP 4:

  • Communication with Customers

    • Prior to inclement weather approaching, customers scheduling appointments should be made aware of our safety policy and appointments may have to be rescheduled.

    • Upon returning to partial or full time schedule, it is important for Customer Service or Service Management to proactively contact customers to discuss availability.

      • “We are checking on your availability as we start rescheduling our site visits. When will you reopen? What are your hours of operation? Are there any times we should avoid? A technician will call when they are en route. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding.”

Each technicians availability will be different based off their home area. Due to our vast coverage and technician home area, some technicians will be affected differently and should be communicated individually.