Paraco Gas is an essential service with a diversity of essential employees across Westchester County, such as customer-experience teams who continue to answer calls, and our frontline employees who continue to serve our customers in the field every day. We had to pivot as a business instituting new policies and procedures to further protect our employees and customers.
Immediately increasing health and safety measures, Paraco provided frontline employees with additional PPE such as gloves and masks and instituted washing and sanitizing hands, vehicles and all equipment regularly, along with practicing safe social distancing.
We also changed several operational procedures, such as staggered start times for field employees and providing the ability to clock in-and-out on a mobile app so employees can practice social distancing and reduce multiple contacts with the time clocks. We also temporarily eliminated walk-in traffic and provided alternative ways to communicate, such as our online portal, online chat features or phone calls with live customer experience agents.
While the risks and sacrifices of our drivers and technicians may seem obvious, the Customer Experience Agents and other administrative staff at Paraco are also a group of unsung heroes. This team was ready to adjust and handle the influx of customer inquiries, all while working from home. They are also responsible for staying in communication with customers to ensure they don’t experience an interruption of service, now that people are spending more time at home and potentially using more propane than usual. Regular delivery can be done entirely outdoors with no contact.
During this time, it’s about more than the frontline workers or the unsung heroes behind the scenes. It’s about the community, which is why Paraco has donated propane tanks and other supplies, along with meals, to pop-up testing facilities and other health care sites and financial contributions to local nonprofit organizations assisting people in need.
We have been a family-owned and operated company for more than than 50 years, our culture is vital to us. We treat every employee and every customer like a member of our family. During this COVID-19 pandemic, and at all times, we believe prioritizing safety above all else and open transparent communications are the essential parts of our relationships with our employees, our vendors and our customers. We are so proud of how our employees have responded to the crisis, we will be stronger as a community because of it.
