As 2021 progresses, nearly every state and territory across Australia has been impacted by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to remind our customers Polonious is here to help.

Last year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Polonious implemented our Business Continuity Plan with regard to pandemics. All staff were instructed to work from home unless required and avoid public transport.

Additionally, this meant all internal and client meetings were conducted online and any non-essential meeting which cannot be conducted online was cancelled.

As the situation in Australia and around the world continues to be very challenging this year, Polonious is supporting its customers with their case management requirements, including:

  • Polonious is a cloud service and development and support continues to be conducted remotely
  • Customers can continue to manage their cases without the need to meet in person
  • For interviews, virtual interview platforms can be integrated with Polonious for even more social distancing

Conducting interviews during COVID

We noticed that during the pandemic it has become harder to conduct some of the day-to-day activities of an investigation (such as interviewing people) due to restrictions around movement and in-person contact.

To help facilitate the interview process, Polonious recently integrated with Simple2Connect, a video interviewing tool which will let customers interview, or run other meetings, with case participants without needing to physically meet.

The Simple2Connect integration allows you to send a scheduled, or immediate, meeting invitation to participants, which they can join on any device by clicking a link, without needing to download any app or client software. The video can be recorded and, at the end of the call, it will be automatically uploaded to Polonious.

This makes it much easier to conduct interviews during COVID lockdowns, while also providing a true, auditable record of the interview, and it even saves travel time for investigators.

Virtual interview platforms like Simple2Connect are good solutions for anyone charged with conducting recorded or non-recorded statements, alive and well checks, examinations under oath, property damage inspections, activity checks, and remote depositions. They have been used in all types of claims and investigations, and the efficiency gains and operational advantages have been impressive.

For more information about the benefits of virtual interview platforms, see this article by Polonious USA President, Rick Shepherd.

As we head towards 2022, we want all our customers and partners to know Polonious is here to support you with your business requirements, even if we will be spending less time meeting in-person.

If you have any further questions, please make contact with either of our system managers;

Nicholas Fisher – nick.fisher@polonious.com.au
Ralf Weinand – ralf@polonious.com.au.