Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response

We are taking several actions to protect the health and safety of our employees and customers.

Updated Letter To Our Field Service Provider Network

March 25, 2020

 

Hello Service Providers:

In this rapidly changing environment our focus is to keep the health and safety of our employees, service providers, and consumers as our first priority. We continue to monitor the World Health Organization’s (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and recommendations and aim to keep you informed.

As you continue to provide Essential Services, we want to remind you of the measures we are taking along with guidance being provided by the CDC.

As a reminder, when a Consumer calls in to the Contact Center they are asked the following questions:

Q1. Has anyone in the house  been diagnosed with COVID-19 or has common COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever and dry cough or other respiratory issues?

Q2. Has anyone in the house come in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, or someone quarantined for suspected COVID-19, over the past 14 days?

Q3. Has anyone in the home traveled by commercial air or mass transit (e.g. national/regional rail or long distance bus service) in the past 14 days?

Note: The Contact Center will document this in the special instructions field of the dispatch. If the consumer answers "yes" to any of the questions, we will have them call back to schedule in 14 days.

 

Service Network Actions:

We ask Service Providers to have their dispatchers and technicians follow the process below:

Dispatch Management Process:For already scheduled appointments, dispatchers and technicians should check the special instructions field for Q1, 2 & 3 responses from the contact center. Please also have dispatchers and/or technicians ask the questions below of consumers before the technician enters the consumer's home.

Q1. Ask consumers if anyone in the house has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or has common COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever and dry cough or other respiratory issues.

Q2. Ask if anyone in the house has come in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, or someone quarantined for suspected COVID-19, over the past 14 days.

Q3. Has anyone in the home traveled by commercial air or mass transit (e.g. national/regional rail or long distance bus service) in the past 14 days?

IMPORTANT ACTION:

In order to stay in compliance with OSHA, when dispatchers or technicians ask Consumer questions, they must document the answers the consumer provides in the actual Service job. Example of documentation: Q1: No, Q2: No, Q3: No

Note: If a consumer refuses to answer the questions, please provide your staff guidance using your discretion on how to proceed. Note that the Whirlpool Contact Center will not be scheduling service if the consumer refuses to answer.

Please consider that it may set the consumer at ease if the technician is able to disclose how the service company is observing CDC guidelines and other best practices (including those set forth below) and the technician’s own responses to the three screening questions. For example, “[Addressing the consumer], I want to let you know that I am healthy and do not have symptoms of COVID-19, I have been following social distancing and personal hygiene guidelines and,   to my knowledge, have had no exposure to anyone with covid-19 or symptoms of covid-19.”

 

We also recommend adopting all guidelines provided by the CDC:

1. Practice Social Distancing:

  • Maintain 6 feet of distance between you and the next person
    Technicians should consider:

    • Inviting the Consumer to protect themselves (and technicians) by staying out of the room the technician is working in and/or remaining 6 feet away
    • Communicating with Consumers by cell phone during the service call

2. Clean your hands and sanitize surfaces you will be in contact with:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • With Consumer’s permission, sanitize surfaces you will come into contact with before and after completing the repair
  • Wash your hands following the service call

3. Practice cough and sneeze etiquette.

  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
  • Throw used tissues in the trash.
  • Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; if soap and water are not available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

4. Stay home if you’re sick

  • Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.

5. Continue to visit the CDC site linked here for the most current information.

 

Please see a Quick Reference Guide linked here for Service COVID-19_Best Practices.

For anyone with any questions or concerns, please contact your Field Service Business Manager. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and do our part to keep you updated and help protect you, our employees and our consumers. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Matt Ganus
Field Service, Senior Manager

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