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We are thankful for our clients and friends who are all working together as we face an unprecedented event that impacts us all. During this time, you can count on the Sawyers & Jacobs team to remain available and in communication. We want to take this opportunity to let you know what our team is doing to adjust to the current environment while we continue to serve our clients in 27 states.
What is the Sawyers & Jacobs team doing to deal with this public health emergency? We have activated our "Go Mobile" protocol, a plan and a two-word order that we've always had in place (but mostly for inclement weather) to instruct our team to work from home. We are all in constant contact with scheduled team meetings each morning and afternoon via videoconference.
Why are you working remotely? While we own two office buildings and all team members have private offices, we want to do our part to practice social distancing and to follow the advice of public health experts who are recommending such practices to slow the spread of the virus. We believe an abundance of caution is prudent as this situation evolves.
How are you working remotely? As a consulting firm that helps banks with technology and cybersecurity issues, we are well-equipped to work remotely as we normally do in serving our clients in 27 states. We have restricted air travel for our team, and we are using a variety of tech and communications tools for videoconferencing, teleconferences, remote support, distance learning, email, instant messaging, screen-sharing, and the like. We would be glad to share some of our methods and techniques if your bank needs help in this area.
How long will you work remotely?
We are monitoring this fluid situation hour-by-hour and day-by-day. On Friday, we will re-assess the situation based on the best and most current information, and we will make plans for the following week, accordingly.
How do we contact you during this time? If you are a current and active client, you should have all the mobile phone numbers of our entire team, including the owners. If you don't have that information, our main telephone number is 901.853.1000, or you can contact our Firm Administrator, Lorri Johnson (ljohnson@sawyersjacobs.com or 901.643.5562) who will be glad to email you our direct contact information. Of course, you can always visit us at www.sawyersjacobs.com too.
What are you doing about live events you had scheduled?
Our March 26 ISO Education Session is the only event we have postponed. Registrants have received an email noting how they can receive a full refund, remain registered for the rescheduled live event, or enjoy the upcoming on-demand, online version of this popular training. Stay tuned for updates.
How have you prepared your firm for such a pandemic?
If we've facilitated your bank's business continuity tabletop test, you know we've covered pandemic preparedness and response as one of the
44 possible disaster scenarios
. Primarily, this scenario involves operating with a limited workforce, practicing good hygiene and cleaning practices to limit the spread of the virus, and allowing some employees to work remotely. Any "Black Swan" event such as this does not have a rigid checklist or procedure, a recipe for recovery, if you will.
Now is the time to be flexible, adaptive, prudent, and smart. The situation is fluid and requires constant monitoring with decisions made on facts not fear. We practice what we preach in this area as we can easily adapt to working remotely and we have the tools and business processes to do so. Most importantly, we have a smart and capable team that can help our clients using a variety of channels.
What advice are you giving your clients? At a time like this, we want to be available to our clients but not be seen as opportunistic or seeking profit from tragedy. We don't want to tell you how to run your ship, but we are certainly available for consultation as needed. Hopefully, we've done a good job preparing you for such events through our collaborative risk management and tech strategies over the years.
Certainly, now is a good time to highlight your digital services such as mobile deposit, mobile banking, contact center, online cash management, and all the myriad ways your bank can serve customers remotely via digital channels. It is also a good time to communicate with customers via social media, broadcast email, and other channels...all while being careful to be accurate and to not make any comments that will "age like milk."
We are all assessing this situation and acting accordingly. No one has all the answers at this early stage. Speculation is best left to the talking heads in the news media. Medical advice is best left to the professionals. Your bank's decisions on practices and tactics are best left to your leadership who knows your market, your personnel, and your capabilities.
At this time or any other, practicing the Golden Rule is a good policy. Customers and employees will remember how they were treated during this stressful time. All the more reason to be diligent, flexible, and smart...treating others as you would want to be treated.
Summary We are grateful for our relationship with you and we truly appreciate your confidence and trust in our team over the years. As we face this unprecedented event together, we will continue to put our team members, our clients, and their families as the first priorities...doing our best to take care of all and continue our mission, even during these difficult times. We will continue to stay in touch.
Wishing you, your families, your banks, and your communities good health and a quick return to normalcy and all the freedoms we often take for granted, as soon as possible. The Sawyers & Jacobs Team
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