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Trevose PA, November 12, 2012 – CEI’s weather emergency procedures were put to the by Hurricane Sandy and kept its headquarters and call center in full operation while millions of Philadelphia-area homes and businesses lost electrical power for days.
CEI relied on a pair of heavy-duty on-site diesel generators and its power outage contingency staffing plan to provide uninterrupted accident management, risk and safety management and direct repair services to fleets and insurance companies.
“Our on-site generators kicked on in the early morning hours on Monday,” the day the Hurricane hit the East Coast, said Bob Marriott, CEI’ senior manager for network and infrastructure. “They kept us running until power was restored Thursday afternoon.”
Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey coast at Atlantic City on Monday, October 29, and passed directly overhead CEI’s headquarters in Trevose, PA., 15 miles north of Center City Philadelphia. The storm knocked out electrical power for 3 million customers in both states.
CEI called in its storm emergency crew of 17 employees Sunday night to stay at a hotel next door to its call center to be sure they could reach their workstations on Monday morning. While CEI has the ability to divert customer service calls to employees’ homes, “We couldn’t count on them to have power,” said Carol Gillespie, CEI’s senior manager of fleet operations manager. “So they were handling calls from all over North America at our call center all throughout the storm on Monday.”
CEI declared Monday a paid weather emergency day and directed all employees to stay home. The company’s emergency plans guarantee that it will be able to provide true 24/7/365 service through its own trained staff for customers across North America under virtually any conditions.
Hurricane Sandy was the second storm that tested CEI’s storm emergency procedures in less than three years. A blizzard in February 2010 dumped up to 16 inches of snow in the Philadelphia area, causing roads and businesses to shut down. CEI responded to that emergency through its off-site call service center system, which enables customer service representatives to take and support incoming calls from their homes.
“CEI management offers its special thanks and congratulations to our associates who assured that not even a record hurricane could keep us from continuing to support our customers,” said Vincent Brigidi, CEI’s president and chief operating officer.
Recognizing that tens of thousands of Americans are still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, Mr. Brigidi asks that everyone who can afford them to donate to the Salvation Army disaster relief fund.
About The CEI Group, Inc. (CEI)
CEI is a leading provider of technology-enhanced vehicle accident, driver safety and fleet risk management services. Its provider network consists of some 4,000 collision repair shops in North America, and includes nearly 900 truck collision repair centers. Its customers include self-insured, commercial, institutional and government fleets, directly and through alliances with fleet leasing companies. CEI also provides vehicle direct repair program outsourcing to leading property and casualty insurance companies.
Founded in 1983, CEI has headquarters near Philadelphia, PA, and field sales offices in Trevose, PA, Tulsa, OK, and Lake in the Hills, IL. In 2000, CEI launched the DriverCare™ line of fleet safety services, which include fleet risk management, MVR ordering and compliance, on-line and behind-the-wheel driver safety training and a safety newsletter. For more information about CEI, visit cei-network.local.
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