COVID-19: Putting Safety First

Since we first began responding and adapting to COVID‑19 in March, Debt Free Advice and our partners have let care drive our decision‑making: care for our teams, care for our clients and care for our communities.

That has meant being there for our clients as they depend on our advice in new ways; to stay connected as we have stayed apart by offering advice via webchat, video chat and WhatsApp,  and it meant taking the unprecedented step to close all of our advice centres across London to protect the health and well‑being of our customers and teams.

As of today, some of our advice centres have been able to open their doors to our clients again. We wanted to share a bit about how we’re carrying forward our commitment to care: how it’s informing our decision‑making, the significant steps we’re taking to keep everyone who visits one of our stores safe, and the ways in which our stores will look a little different.

Our commitment is to only move forward with a reopening once we’re confident we can safely return to serving clients from our advice centres. We look at every available piece of data — including local cases, near and long‑term trends, and guidance from local health officials. These are not decisions we rush into — and an advice centre opening in no way means that we won't take the preventative step of closing it again should local conditions warrant.

When an advice centre in your area does take this step to reopen — which you can check up on using the Find an Advice Centre search tool — you’ll find the same helpful, dedicated teams that were there before we closed, but things may look and feel a little different. For one thing, you'll find yourself with plenty of space.

In every centre, we're focused on limiting occupancy and giving everybody lots of room, and renewing our focus on one‑on‑one personalised service.

We’re also taking some additional steps in most places. Face masks will be required for all of our teams and clients, and we will provide them to clients who don’t bring their own. Temperature checks will be conducted at the door, and posted health questions will screen for those with symptoms — like cough or fever — or who have had recent exposure to someone infected with COVID‑19. Throughout the day, we're conducting enhanced deep cleanings that place special emphasis on all surfaces and highly trafficked areas.

We’ve also taken this time to consider how we can serve our customers’ needs even more effectively, whether in one of our centres or digitally online.

The response to COVID‑19 is still ongoing, and we recognise that the road back will have its twists and turns. But whatever challenges lie ahead, COVID‑19 has only reinforced our faith in people — in our teams, in our clients and in our communities. Down the road, when we reflect on COVID‑19, we should always remember how so many people around the world put the wellbeing of others at the center of their daily lives. At Debt Free Advice, we plan to carry those values forward, and we will always put the health and safety of our clients and teams above all else.

Thank you for all you’re doing to support the COVID‑19 response — whether that’s volunteering, donating, sharing gratitude for our medical workers, or maintaining social distance to protect the health of our communities.

Stay well, stay safe, and we hope to see you soon.

Matt Dronfield | Head of Debt Free Advice