On March 13, 2020 AFP conducted a work from home drill with our office staff to test the company’s ability to work remote. Following the success of the drill, we made the decision to continue to work remote indefinitely. AFP office employees have not been back into the office since. As the number of COVID cases continue to rise, it has proven to be the prudent decision. We pause to think of those who have been affected by this virus.
AFP continues to work hard to maintain the same level of service that our customers expect, while at the same time, keeping everyone safe. As mentioned in my past updates, we continue to invest heavily in technology and last year, we moved to a paperless solution. Our mobile platform allows technicians to exchange information directly with office personnel easily and efficiently, while eliminating the need to meet in person. While we have no doubt had some challenges, this tool has been an essential resource for the company during this time.
Looking forward, we believe investing in technology and hiring strong people is essential to our growth. Our recently released new quote system allows customers to approve their quotes online without having to print, sign, and scan. You can read more about this initiative in the newsletter. Our next project will focus on improving communication during the work order process. Customers will receive notifications when the work order is scheduled, when our technicians are enroute to your location, when the work is completed, and when the invoice is available. Customers will also be able to view work orders at any time in order to get up-to-the-minute information. Our ultimate goal is to streamline communication between our technicians in the field, our office staff and our customers by allowing everyone access to work order information in real time.
As we close out this unprecedented year there is some reason for hope. We are cautiously optimistic that a vaccine will be available next year and we hope to be able to return to some sense of normalcy. Until that time, I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.
