Safelite Glass Corp., a leading provider of auto glass repair, replacement, and claims management services, activated its Catastrophe Action Team (CAT) to provide uninterrupted claim reporting, scheduling, and auto glass service during and after the effects of Hurricane Isabel. Safelite’s CAT was developed in 1992 to provide uninterrupted service to customers in the event of disaster. To date, the company has activated its CAT program in response to more than 25 hail and ice storms, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.

In anticipation of potential local phone service interruption as a result of the recent hurricane, calls from all local Safelite AutoGlass scheduling centers in the path of the storm were routed to the company’s national call center operations in Columbus. The national call centers continued to provide primary and back-up scheduling service for Richmond, Va., Virginia Beach, and Washington, D.C., for seven days during and after the storm. By providing additional staffing in the national call center operations, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the company was able to respond to a 377 percent increase in call volume without any impact on service levels.

To ensure fast service after the storm, the company established temporary installation centers in Richmond and Virginia Beach and extended their service hours to seven days a week in many other affected markets. The CAT activation plan also includes additional shipments of auto glass parts from nearby company-owned warehouses and distribution centers as well as the temporary transfer of technicians and support resources to the affected areas. To manage the increased workload, the company expedited more than 1,000 glass parts and activated technicians and support personnel from nearby markets.

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