Page 10 - Mississippi 811 Magazine 2020 Issue 3

MS811’s Response to COVID-19 Emphasizes the Importance of Community
By Melissa Hancock M
811 Magazines
ississippi 811 was immediately able to handle the COVID-19 crisis thanks to planning ahead, explains
Operations Manager, Fred Johnson. In 2015, under President Sam Johnson’s direction, MS811 was charged with the task of putting a business continuation plan together. “With the help of a very dedicated staff, we were able to put
a plan in place that would allow us
to continue to serve our members, in the event that something happened to our call center. The system has been tested and upgraded several times through the years and when it became apparent that we needed to send the staff home for their own safety, we deployed our business continuation plan. The original plan allowed for the deployment of five agents with laptops who were set up to take calls from the agent’s home. We were able to allow
Fortunately, around 50% or more of our locate requests are submitted electronically, which has been a big relief to our call volume.”
all agents who had adequate internet service to work from home by sending desktop computers with them.”
The COVID-19 crisis has affected the way organizations and businesses globally are operating, and MS811 is no exception. As Fred put it in the COVID-19 Notice to Excavators he released:
8 • Mississippi 811
2020, Issue 3