Prevention is equally important for everyone in many areas, and risk reduction comes into focus more than ever in our everyday life.
It had always been important for United Call Centers to provide our services without interruption. Determining roles and responsibilities, creating and maintaining Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), and properly training and informing employees can help with all that. It's important to know what to do not only during fire drills and health & safety training but also in case of severe environmental events or during seasonal or unprecedented illnesses.
Education regarding prevention and information has significant importance for United Call Centers both for their local employees and also for their global at-home agents worldwide.
Preventing an epidemic requires our community’s complete co-operation and responsibility, so everyone must be familiar with the first and most important points. We need to take extra caution not to travel to areas infected by a coronavirus, if we have been there prior to the outbreak, and we are returning from an infected area, we should not socialize, and we should pay significant attention to minor signs. If someone feels the symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat, stay at home and contact your general practitioner.
In the list below we have collected simple means to reduce the chance of any infection at all outside our offices.
Avoid public events!
Do not go to public events or shopping centers where many people might be within your personal space. Try to think about which events are not vital, where you’re not expected or needed.
Plan your travels!
Try to postpone your travels after the flu season. COVID-19 infects without symptoms for 14-21 days and even then its symptoms are similar to normal flu.
Be hygienic!
First of all, wash your hands multiple times every day. Keep your hands under running water for minimum of 20 seconds. Then, use paper towels instead of fabric. Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer with min. 60% alcohol with you if you travel.
Take care of your peer!
If you cough or sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue. Put used ones in the trash bin and wash your hands. If you feel ill, contact your GP and employer about your symptoms.
Cook properly!
Regularly clean and disinfect everything – especially surfaces that are in contact with food. Keep your hands and cooking surfaces clean, and keep raw and cooked food separately. Make sure to well cook food, and let them cool off to slow down bacterial growth.
Communicate calm!
Only consume reliable news sources. Do not share information from unknown sources, which might be fake news. Calm and natural communication is essential with colleagues and friends, do not cause panic or fright.
What can UCC do with hundreds of colleagues at its offices?
We are preparing for all occasions. Just as in business, we are always one step ahead of the game, focusing on preparation in addition to prevention. We are placing educational posters in our offices about prevention to raise awareness, but we are also planning for the worst-case scenario by allowing every colleague to work from home.
United Call Centers is a pioneer in home-based work, having provided comprehensive Contact Centre services with at-home agents since 2008. We have more than a decade of expertise and best practices available for our Partners to ensure security and business continuity. Most of the business services can be delivered from home and can be seamlessly transitioned into a home environment with a high level of information security.
There is no reason to be afraid, but we have more than enough reasons to prepare. We are not yet threatened directly, but its reasonable to believe the virus will arrive since it had arrived in nearby countries. It is our mutual interest to react effectively and prepare for possible events, working together, helping each other.