Whether you’re on the “abundance of caution” or the “this is crazy town” ends of the spectrum, the fact is that for the immediate future the COVID-19 virus infection has interrupted and changed every facet of our lives. We are alternately soothed or assaulted by the wealth – or dearth – of information and its many sources.
At Crowley, our plan is to put one foot in front of the other as it is safe to do so. We know that many of you are doing the same.
Below are a few of the steps we’ve taken to ensure the safety or our team and the support of our clientele*.
Team safety measures
- Sharing/following CDC personal and office care instructions
- Keeping facilities open to staff but closed to the public
- Encouraging staff to work remotely as they are able
- Restricting travel for sales and support
- Reorganizing the physical layout of our digitization services division to ensure healthy spacing between scanner operators
- Realigning scan operator shifts for maximum productivity with a minimum group size
Client/prospect support
- Corporate functions. At present, all corporate departments are fully functional either in-house or remotely.
- Scanner sales. To cover the many states and countries that Crowley supports, our sales staff has always functioned from remote locations. They continue to be ready and willing to provide information, quotes and web demos. Many clients are using the enforced downtime to clear paperwork and get some of those old “to-dos” off the list. If one of those “to dos” has been to research the best scanner for your records management or archival digitization needs, we’re on standby for you.
- Technical support. Travel may be curtailed in the short term, but our technicians are available for those concerns which can be resolved with telephone and web support. If your staff is on furlough, a web training session on image or color accuracy or on to how to get the most out of your scanner or scanner software could be an excellent use of time.
- Digitization services. As mentioned earlier, our scanning team is continuing to work on the many projects already in-house. The goal is to allow our clients to return to business as usual without additional stress to deadlines and workflow. We’ll continue to do this as long as we are in compliance with public safety recommendations. The services sales staff is always happy to discuss digitization project details and to provide project quotes.
- As of this writing, our shipping of scanners, projects, parts and supplies are running on schedule. Prior to any shipping, our logistics team will confirm that the destination is open to receive the shipments.
For more information on any of the items above, please call (240) 215-0224 or visit www.thecrowleycompany.com
Do the Unusual
The good news? We’re all in this together locally and globally and the opportunity to spread kindness is endless. It’s also a great time to just be – to enjoy me-time, your partner, your parents, your neighbors or the kids at home.
A few ideas:
- Give blood. The American Red Cross is anticipating a shortage of blood and platelets as a result of the coronavirus fallout. Make an appointment first and they’ll make sure it’s safe for you to donate.
- Order take-out; support a local business
- Take a hike (but do so safely; check out the National Park Service recommendations)
- Surprise someone virtually. Send flowers, send a take-out meal, send an unexpected text.
- Dial the phone and talk to someone who may feel isolated
- Write a letter (if you really want to stretch, use cursive!)
- Keep a diary (maybe one day we’ll digitize it…)
- Read our diary (thecrowleycompany.com/blog)
- Play board games. Teach your kids (or friends!) to win and lose with grace and remind them how fun you are.
- Clean/organize that (fill in the blank) while you’re home on furlough
- Cook from your pantry; make a gourmet meal from the items you typically pass over (but check the expiration date – my grown children once accused me of having “dusty nuts” when they found a jar that pre-dated their birth dates)
In closing, we look forward to returning to normal – whatever that may look like. We’re also taking this opportunity to be grateful for the opportunities to continue to do our jobs through the wonders of technology and the mystery of the internet.
Be safe.
Be healthy.
Let us know how we can help.
*Measures are subject to change based on state and Federal mandates
