WOODSTOCK, Ont. — Independent southern Ontario telecom/ISP/TV provider Execulink Telecom is taking many steps to address the current Covid-19 outbreak, including closing storefront locations, having most of its employees work from home, waiving Internet overage charges for customers, and providing free previews for a number of TV channels.
“Execulink Telecom is doing everything in its power to ensure that the impact of Covid-19 safety measures and adjusted policies is minimized for customers while continuing to provide them with awesome service,” says a company statement emailed to Cartt.ca. “We are also working hard to ensure that our employees are in the loop, feel supported, and have both the tangible and intangible resources they need to work safely from home.”
Some of the ways Execulink has adapted its customer service activities include:
- Closing its storefront locations in Woodstock, Delhi, Thedford and Port Dover, to keep its customers and employees safe. Execulink will continue to serve customers over the phone, through email, live chat and social media 24/7.
- Waiving overage fees for Internet services until April 30, 2020. Although most of Execulink’s customers already have unlimited usage plans, the company is taking this step to support customers with limited usage plans during this time. This applies to both residential and business customers.
- Offering free previews of many of its TV channels until April 30, 2020, such as Food Network, Showcase, Lifetime, the Cooking Channel, Nickelodeon, Treehouse, National Geographic, Disney and many more.
- Encouraging customers to take advantage of e-billing and online payment solutions to lessen the risk of virus transmission or infection. With Execulink stores and offices closed to the public until further notice, customers will not be able to pay bills in person. Payments can be done via personal online banking or by setting up pre-authorized payments. More information is available by visiting MyExeculink.
- Putting optional service installations on hold to ensure the safety and well-being of its employees and customers. If a customer is left without service due to a previously scheduled installation, Execulink will work to the best of its abilities to get service installed. The company will continue to provide activations where it can initiate services with facilities set up without a technician needing to be on site, to arrange speed increases remotely, and conduct exterior site surveys with technicians available to discuss any other concerns a customer may have. Execulink will continue to monitor the situation closely and will resume installations when it is possible to do so.
- Arranging shipping for customers who need to return hardware. Due to store closures, in-person hardware returns are not being accepted currently. To arrange for hardware returns, customers can email or call Execulink to ask for a courier slip to be sent out to make the return process easier.
- Installing service for customers or businesses who have recently moved into a new home or location and are without service. All of the necessary safety procedures and screening protocols will take place before Execulink technicians enter the space. This may be impacted by the constantly evolving Covid-19 situation.
- Assessing each customer issue on a case-by-case basis to determine what repairs need to be done and seeking a method to restore services that keeps both Execulink technicians and customers safe.
- Maintaining open lines of communication with its customers to ensure they feel heard and supported during this challenging time.
Some of Execulink’s employee-facing adjustments include:
- All employees who are able to work from home are doing so as of Monday, March 16, 2020.
- Execulink’s IT department has been working hard to ensure its many employees have the security and resources needed to work from home. This includes setting up all employees with VPNs and make sure they know how to connect securely, as well as outfitting employees with additional monitors, keyboards and other equipment that might be needed for an ergonomic and functional home setup.
- Going a step further, the company has organized drop-offs to deliver equipment right to employees’ doorsteps, if they wish.
- Execulink CEO Ian Stevens is maintaining consistent communication with all employees to keep them abreast of the evolving situation and share new developments, including via video messages.
- To facilitate meetings and keep employees connected, Execulink has introduced new tools, including: Mattermost, a web-based application that allows for secure messaging between colleagues, groups and the entire Execulink team; and Highfive, a video-conferencing service that allows meetings to take place across multiple departments and teams.
