Canadian carriers detail retail store reopening plans and new safety measures

Canadian carriers have detailed how they plan to reopen their stores with newly implemented safety measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent report from the Globe and Mail outlines that the national carriers, Bell, Telus and Rogers, will likely be getting rid of demo devices. This means that for the time being, customers will probably not be able to hold and touch devices before buying them.

Stores with street entrances will open up first, and stores located in malls will open up next. Kiosks will be the last to open since it is more difficult to introduce a way to operate them while still adhering to physical distancing guidelines.

The carriers will also limit the number of people that can be in their stores at a time and will take health and safety precautions to protect customers and employees. This involves having hand sanitizer available and installing plexiglass dividers.

Several carriers also plan to continue their new methods of working, as Rogers plans to increase its remote workforce after noting that its customer care department has been effective while working from home.

Shaw Communications has recently cut around 100 field technician jobs in B.C. because it is seeing success with self-installations, and doesn’t plan to go back to its old model after the end of the pandemic.

These new safety measures are the right step when re-opening, but it may take some getting used to for customers, especially those who like to test out and get the feel of a device before buying it.

You can read the Globe and Mail’s full feature here.

Source: Globe and Mail