CORONAVIRUS BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING

On March 12, 2020

Statement 12th March 2020

This is a communication to all our customers about our plans for the impact of the virus and likely government actions and restrictions, the effects on our employees, supply chain, customers and finances.

Initial planning has been around testing the move to a full, partial or combination home working format. We have ensured we have a fleet of laptops that includes every employee that are being taken home every night commencing the 15th March, along with headsets and adequate home broadband facilities with back-up facilities for both computing and telephony.

We are issuing some basic protection equipment – masks, gloves and anti-viral preparations. This will allow our Engineers to attend business premises where a member of staff is confirmed as present, so they can give them access. Use of a mobile phone communication may be necessary to permit social distancing.

Meeting for planning and Account Management – Although some visits are necessary for Engineering staff to attend faults at your premises (s), we will give you a choice of a face to face visit or virtual meetings using multiple conferencing facilities; including Unify Circuit and Microsoft Teams and have invested in a virtual meeting room. These are being tested and practiced for full office participation.

Faults – Duty of care to attending Engineers – If you have a fault we need to attend to, we must give clear information to both our Engineer or the Carrier/Openreach Engineer about your status regarding virus presence. This will allow them to prepare (e.g. masks, gloves, social distancing) or plan a work around in high risk situations. Please supply answers to all questions requested or the Engineer will not attend until you complete them.

Shipments – Social distancing may be applied where you have to confirm the shipment is received or it is deemed to have been through photographic evidence or a follow up call.

Stock – we have been stocking up on most products and shortages may occur in the supply chain. If you need an upgrade or refresh that requires new stock, place your order sooner rather than later so we can buy anything you need in advance.

Business as usual – Midland Telecom is a utility and we supply Care Providers, the NHS, Food Suppliers and Distributers; as such we will gain permission to pass through lock downs where appropriate. We will continue to trade normally, solicit and install new products and services that can help you move to remote working.

Financial Implications – Midland Telecom is a well-established business and has excellent longstanding working relationships with our suppliers. This combined with our sufficient cash reserves, we are able to meet our financial obligations for the foreseeable future.

Managing an infection within our team – If it transpires one of the team does become infected, we will inform anyone who they have met in the previous 14 days from our help desk system records. The business will be deep cleaned and staff will self-isolated to home working for 14 days. Anyone with similar symptoms will be asked to work from home and seek a test for the virus.

Supply Chain – We have no immediate worries about our supply chain, but plan early for any changes you want to make and be flexible if a product is out of stock. Telecommunications is likely to be an industry that gets busier during this issue, we are classed as essential workers and will be given priority to restore service. We are focussing our resources on converting customers to flexible working.

Service Level Agreements – Although we will attempt to repair and replace products and services as quickly as we can, it is likely Openreach and other Providers will declare a MBORC, matters beyond our reasonable control. Under these circumstances we will have tolerate slower response times and using work arounds.

We are expecting the problems caused by Coronavirus to be medium term.

We are of course most appreciative of all the trade you have brought us in the last 34 years and If you need any special assistance relating to your communication products, please get in touch with your Account Managers or the Help Desk.

Your Faithfully,

Leon Fletcher

Director