Roadside assistance during the bushfire crisis… and then the floods
Australia’s summer of horror veered from one extreme to the next. First, catastrophic bushfires engulfed much of the country for months, only then for the welcome rains that finally fell in February to create new disasters for some areas, with damaging, life-threatening floods.
This brought a range of challenges for roadside assistance, including road closures, evacuations, and highly distressed motorists. It also enabled our dedicated staff and provider network to demonstrate how we go above and beyond to help broken-down motorists, regardless of the circumstances.
During the height of the bushfire crisis in early January, on ‘Armageddon Saturday’, a member of a firefighting team was on his way to the frontline to help protect his community from the oncoming fire. However, his ute couldn’t be started, and needed an urgent clutch replacement. The closest mechanic was over 30km away – which was further than would normally covered under his roadside assistance program. But this was no normal situation.
Understanding the urgency, we allowed the longer tow, and Digicall Assist’s provider BF Towing came to the rescue, delivering the vehicle to the mechanic for urgent repair. The customer could then quickly get back to fighting fires. He was kind enough to express his
appreciation in a Google Review:
Throughout the bushfire crisis we were able to help everyone who called for assistance. While Australia battled the very worst of conditions, we’re proud that we continued to deliver our mission to provide the very highest level of service and care to our clients and their customers. Despite often working under duress in adverse conditions, our people and technology stood up to the test to help when it mattered most.
After the fires, came the floods. While the rain was welcomed with jubilation in many parts of Australia, the flash flooding in early February brought new challenges, and saw new records set!
Record-breaking assistance.
Mondays are always the busiest day of the week, and Monday 10 February broke the record, with the extreme weather resulting in 33% more calls for assistance compared to an average Monday. Many motorists found themselves stranded after attempting to drive through flooded areas; others had their car breakdown after receiving notification to evacuate.
As with the bushfire events, we did not have any instances where we could not help. Flash flooding, road closures and evacuated areas added up to challenging circumstances for roadside assistance, with providers needing to navigate fallen trees, overflowing roads and delays due to detours.
It’s certainly been a summer that Australia will remember. It’s a privilege to play a small part in helping people when crises loom, and lives are threatened.
Want to experience the Digicall Assist difference for yourself? Contact Geoff Ohlsen at Digicall Assist to understand how we can support you with B2B roadside assistance.
