Highlights of 2020-21 Collaboration Initiatives
COVID-19 RESPONSE When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Saskatchewan, the Crowns knew quick action had to be taken to support customers. Whether it was deferring bill payments, waiving data overages, implementing COVID-safe installs or raising money for families in need, the Crowns took initiative under the guidance of the provincial government to help the people of Saskatchewan manage these difficult times. The Business Continuity Management primes from the Crowns engaged in discussions with Crown peers to understand and share information about their respective pandemic responses, including mask use in the work place, contact tracing protocols, back to work strategy and plan (2020 and 2021) as well as the use of rapid test kits. The examples below highlight initiatives and success stories from our Crowns. SaskPower and SaskEnergy Joint Repayment Arrangement Form When the Province announced the Utility Bill Interest Waiver Program in mid-March 2020, SaskPower and SaskEnergy customers who were financially impacted by the pandemic were given the option to defer bill payments, interest free, for a six-month period. At the end of this period, customers who had taken advantage of the program were to contact SaskEnergy and SaskPower to make repayment arrangements. All outstanding amounts were to be paid within 12-months beginning September 18, 2020. As there was no formal sign up for the program, there was concern that phone queues would be overwhelmed with customers trying to make payment arrangements in a timely manner. To ensure this did not happen, SaskEnergy and SaskPower collaborated on the development of a joint repayment arrangement form that was available on the SaskPower website. A link to this form was on the SaskEnergy website and allowed customers to make their repayment arrangements for both utilities efficiently. This collaboration involved re-purposing an existing form on the SaskPower website and adding the SaskEnergy link and account numbers. This resulted in significant savings related to IT development and configuration time, avoided long wait times for customers in the phone queues, and eliminated the anticipated over time for Customer Service Representatives in both Crowns. Estimated operating savings for 2020-21 are approximately $85,000.
security of employees and customers in communities across Saskatchewan. In 2020-21, SaskEnergy added 3,000 customers to its distribution system and maintained 99.99% reliability. SaskTel technicians serve customers safely Over the last year, the workload for SaskTel’s customer service and facilities technicians grew significantly to accommodate increased requests for upgrades and new connections for internet and TV services. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the operations team found safe and innovative ways to deliver services to customers’ homes. Since March 2020, the team saw an increase of 14,000 installs from the previous year. Technicians were already visiting approximately 1,000 homes and businesses per day, so they had to become more creative in their approach to customer requests. The technicians involved in the installation and repair process adjusted their safety protocols and work procedures to ensure the safety of employees and customers by asking pre-screening questions, wearing masks, social distancing and sanitizing their tools and hands. There are many examples around the province of how technicians creatively delivered services. For example, they created mini offices right in their vans to program routers, set up Wi-Fi, and program set top boxes. They would then leave the sanitized equipment on the customer’s doorstep and walk them through the install by phone, Facetime or Zoom. Even with the increased customer service activity over the past year, no COVID-19 cases have been linked to technicians being in a customer home. This is a testament to how well the PPE, screening and sanitization procedures worked, but most importantly how much care technicians took in following safe procedures. SaskTel President and CEO Doug Burnett echoes that pride. “I continue to be impressed with the creativity of our technicians to deliver our services safely. I’m very proud of how our employees adapted and responded to provide communication services for our customers.”
Other ways that SaskTel supported its customers include:
• Leveraged relationships with equipment manufacturers and other service providers to procure thousands of additional devices for health, protective services, First Nations, education, and government agencies. • For a limited time during the pandemic, SaskTel waived data overage charges for wireless and
SaskEnergy serves and supports customers
SaskEnergy, like other Crowns, experienced abnormal business and operating conditions. SaskEnergy implemented measures in light of COVID-19 to continue to provide safe and reliable natural gas service to customers without compromising the safety and
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