How Alorica Partnered with the APEX Infection Prevention Team to Keep Employees Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Situation
One of the world’s largest business process outsourcing (BPO) providers, Alorica is a global leader in customer experience solutions with approximately 100,000 employees across the globe supporting the most respected brands in healthcare, technology and other industries through customer care, financial solutions and digital services.
“If you call, email or chat for customer or technical support with an issue about your bill or credit card, you’re probably talking to one of our employees,” said Brett Laplante, senior director of facilities management.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started to gain traction in the United States, Alorica acted quickly. The company was able to transition about 80% of its North America staff to a work-at-home arrangement within weeks and ensure business continuity for its clients. But skeleton crews remained at many locations with strictly enforced safety measures in place. If a case of COVID-19 was reported at one of its buildings, Alorica needed a service provider to get in there and disinfect—quickly and thoroughly.
“The challenge is a lot of our buildings don’t close until midnight and then reopen at 6 or 7 a.m.,” Laplante said. “That leaves a limited window for disinfection as we work to ensure business continuity to support our clients, many of which are considered essential businesses during this time.”
The Solution
Alorica leases space in about 60 locations across North America, including many multi-tenant facilities. Sites range from 50,000 to more than 100,000 square feet. When the first COVID-19 case was reported in one of the buildings Alorica leases, the affected tenant brought in APEX to disinfect its space and the common areas, such as break rooms and restrooms. Laplante, who had proactively been researching infection prevention service providers, asked APEX to disinfect the Alorica space as well.
“When I was searching, other companies didn’t have the equipment or understanding of the chemicals,” Laplante said. “APEX had all that. They were ready and able to support us.”
Now, when there is a need, Laplante reaches out to APEX immediately for enhanced cleaning and disinfection availability.
“The staff at APEX always takes my call and gets back to me within minutes to confirm availability,” Laplante said. “The pricing is very competitive as well. Another service provider quoted us an amount four times what APEX charges.”
“For the last 10 years, APEX has really been on the forefront of sanitizing and disinfecting. When the pandemic hit, they didn’t raise prices because of supply and demand. They didn’t have to because they were already prepared.”
Brett Laplante
Senior Director, Facilities Management
Alorica
The Result
Thanks in part to APEX’s quick response times and thorough work, Alorica has been able to keep its facilities open safely during the pandemic. This allows the company to continue to provide exceptional customer service and serve its clients as they provide many essential services during this crisis.
“We have not had to shut down locations due to lack of sanitization,” Laplante said.
As Alorica began to prepare to bring more employees back to the office, Laplante turned to APEX for guidance on reopening safely. The company is adjusting workstations and adding floor markers to allow for social distancing, implementing temperature checks, and following enhanced disinfection protocols with an emphasis on high-touch areas like door handles and elevator buttons.
“They’ve given us a lot of advice on chemical use and safety,” Laplante said. “We’re doing everything we can to protect our employees.”
Contact us today to learn more about how APEX can keep your employees safe or to schedule your free infection control consultation.