Inside Columbus June 2014

“The most valuable gift we can give back to Trinidad and Tobago is to ensure that we are environmentally conscious and work in ways to secure the future of the current and future generation.”

Brian Collins, Managing Director

Message in a Bottle

AThe Inside Columbus Committee

This publication represents a message from your colleagues to you...drink up!

A New Look for ‘Inside Columbus’

A message in a bottle seems counterintuitive for a technology company in the year 2014. However, working at the forefront of technology, where we exist and interact electronically, it seems as though we are losing the type of interaction that makes us Columbus.

Distributing this message in a bottle is our way of removing some of the distance that technology creates and making room for our colleagues by taking the time to recognise and celebrate our achievements.

We are going back to basics to tell our story, featuring and celebrating our people and our accomplishments. This publication represents a message from your colleagues to you...drink up!

Based on your feedback from the Internal Communications Audit, the quarterly Inside Columbus newsletter was transformed into a bi-annual magazine focusing heavily on internal departments and their achievements. Our Committee has worked hard to ensure that each team is featured and the story being told is representative of the entire group.

The magazine will be published in the months of June and December in 2014 and will feature advertisements for each department and a bevy of exciting team projects and accomplishments.

The data we received from the Internal Communications Audit showed that there was an information gap between what employees know about how other departments function within the company.

The Inside Columbus publication is one way in which we intend to bridge that gap by ensuring that the best of the company is displayed and each employee can see themselves and the part they play in achieving greatness at Columbus.

This publication was a labour of love for us and we hope that you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.

The Inside Columbus publication has been a part of the fabric of Columbus Trinidad for the last six years. Born out of the need to keep employees informed about internal news and events, the Inside Columbus committee was formed and has led that charge since 2009. Just like the dynamic telecommunications industry in which we operate, the Committee’s members have changed over the years, but the mission remains the same—to share our stories and celebrate our people.

The June 2014 Inside Columbus Committee is made up of volunteers from various departments throughout the organisation, who worked hard to deliver a publication that is worthy of showcasing the successes that contributed to the company’s overall achievements.

The Columbus DNA Corporate Overview

3,000 employees • 650,000+ customers:

Columbus is one of the most influential companies in the region today!

This is evident in developments such as the successful closing of our US$1.25 billion bond deal, the acquisition of Promitel in Colombia - our largest acquisition to date - and the continued expansion of our infrastructure through co-operative partnerships with Ocean Networks, linking the Caribbean to the Pacific and the alliance with Cable and Wireless, that now allows us to better serve wholesale customers across 42 markets. In the Caribbean, our retail footprint has grown to eight countries in under a year, and we recently introduced St. Lucia to the Columbus brand and we are now welcoming St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

We have set two ambitious goals for our company – to become “Best Service

Provider” and the “Employer of Choice” in the region. These goals cannot be achieved without a strong corporate identity and culture in which every Columbus employee plays an important role. At the corporate headquarters it is our role to direct, coordinate and guide the entire operation so that we achieve our stated goals.

At Corporate, we are comprised of different departments, all of which work closely to reinforce our values and vision. John Reid our president and chief operations officer leads our team. He is supported by an executive team comprising: Michele English executive vice president and chief customer officer; Andre Foster, chief information officer; Darren Richer, chief technology officer; Rhea Yaw Ching, corporate vice president of sales and

marketing; Debra Thomas, corporate vice president Human Resources; Denise Williams, senior director of corporate communications; Opal Neil, senior director of regulatory affairs; and Raelene Rydzik senior director of content.

The most important assets at Columbus are our employees. Our Human Resources department is headed by Debra Thomas Debra and her team are building a master plan to ensure that we become the Employer of Choice across the region.

Debra is currently sharing the framework of this plan with the various country teams to ensure that each operation has a voice in this process. She is also leading a multifunctional team to define our values and roll out an active campaign to bring the “Columbus DNA” to life. Most recently, Human Resources organised and led a

successful “Telecom Mini-MBA Program” to help strengthen the leadership of our Company.

As our ceo Brendan Paddick says, “Columbus does not serve hundreds of thousands of customers a day, Columbus serves one customer hundreds of thousands of times a day.” Michele English executive vice president and chief customer officer and her team are now focusing on the overall assessment and development of a strategy to significantly enhance our Service Delivery and become the “Best Service Provider” in the region.

Michele is also leading the Project Management Office (PMO) and is focused on ensuring the PMO has the required resources to effectively execute corporate projects, manage information sharing, and to track progress on large in-country

We all embody the “Columbus DNA” in everything we do, and bring those principles and values to life in our daily work.

projects. The overall goal for Michele is to ensure that service to both our internal and external customers is the best in the region.

Communications is central to buy-in from our internal and external customers. Denise Williams and her team have developed a corporate communications strategy with the vision of developing a strong and inspiring corporate culture with engaged and committed staff, as well as multiple external advocates who value and include us in community, national and regional decision making and actions. She is currently working with local teams to implement this plan throughout the Company. The team will improve internal communications while at the same time, enhance our corporate reputation by building stronger relationships with key stakeholders, such as the media and government entities, and improve our CSR and sponsorship activities.

Rhea Yaw Ching’s department spearheads the strategic revenue generating and consumer engagement areas. The Marketing & Sales department is currently in consultation with executive team and country executives to create a roadmap for revenue generating products to develop and expand upon. Rhea and her team ensure that our customers are able to access the most innovative products in the market at the most competitive prices.

The team is currently focusing on ensuring that all our customers have the same great Columbus products and services and she and her team are responsible for initiatives such as the successful Game of Thrones regional promotions across the Caribbean.

Andre Foster who has responsibility and oversight over Columbus’ corporate IT and its IP-based Service Provider Networks, and Darren Richer who oversees all aspects of the company’s delivery of retail broadband enabled services, both keep the company on the cutting edge of technology. Both teams are working to deploy platforms and support systems across the region to enable us to develop products and services that will keep us ahead of our competitors. A priority for these two departments also involves developing the necessary processes, documentation and reporting to address/respond to systemic challenges on the network. Each corporate department in our organisation is critical to our mission. At the core of these functions are dedicated Columbus employees, who see a need to make technology easy and accessible to all citizens in the region we serve and exceed the expectations our customers. We all embody the “Columbus DNA” in everything we do, and bring those principles and values to life in our daily work.

100% of the money received from broadband customers who opt for printed bills will go to the Fondes Amandes Reforestation Project F low act

Columbus Pioneers

– our first employees

by Janelle Pascall

On Monday, November 2nd, 1992, Shadrac Singh and Renwick Boodram walked into the offices of ‘Trinidad and Tobago TransCable Company Limited,’ becoming the company’s first employees. They were not aware of it then, but they were creating history and cementing their stamp onto the Columbus landscape. Twenty-two years later, this dynamic duo are still employed with the organisation, now known as Columbus Communications.

Over the years Renwick said there have been vast changes in the development, implementation and enforcement of policies and procedures as it relates to employee benefits, company assets and safety. He has seen the employee body evolve into a rainbow community spanning every race, gender, age group and skills set. However he said the biggest change he has seen is with our product portfolio.

“He is my oldest friend. We’ve known each other for about 25 years, we go to the same church and we have worked together for 22 years.”

(Renwick)

“I could never have dreamed of the variety of products and services we offer today, our company has impacted the country in a way few other companies can.”

Reminiscing on the early 1990’s, Shadrac pointed out that the company’s operations were based out of the Head End in Tacarigua. “We ran the entire country out of a 10 x 8 room. It was so cramped that we had to physically turn sideways to adjust the receivers.” He says the industry has always been fast paced and he has never experienced a dull moment since 1992. While admitting that there have been a lot of positive changes in the last 22 years, Shadrac misses the close knit nature of yesteryear. “Today everyone is so separated by department. While know everyone is hard at work; we lack the unity that makes us more effective.”

by,

about and from

Brian Collins, Managing Director

building longstanding relationships with all key stakeholders in the public and private sectors.

9.00 pm - Arrive home…….with dinner! 11.00 pm – Time to hit the sack but not before I send off more emails. Some people like to write down notes before bed so they can sleep easy, I have to email straight away. I apologise in advance!

Did you know?

• I am a huge Trekkie. I prefer the old Star Wars episodes, the newer versions are a bit watered down

• My wife is Jamaican and my two children Sam (3 years old) and Lola (7months) were born in Trinidad

A Day in my Life

I was recently told that most of my day is spent getting updates on employee and other business matters but the organisation does not know as much about what my office does. While some days are more hectic than others, Friday 9th May 2014 was particularly busy. Welcome to a day in my life!

6 am – Rise and Grind. I get ready in about 20 minutes and spend about one hour helping my son Sam get ready for preschool. As many of you with kids would know, preparing them to leave the house is sometimes a job in itself.

7.15 am- Leave home and brace myself for the commute into POS. I don’t think would ever get accustomed to Trini traffic.

7.45 am - Drop Sam to school.

8.00 am - Arrive at work. I like to start my morning with Blue Mountain coffee, read the local newspapers and review my daily performance metrics – Sales for the month, Subscribers, Pending/Completed orders, VOD/PPV Sales, Service levels etc.

9.30 am–1:00 pm - Captain’s Table Workshop in Cunupia. Meeting with employees each quarter in this no holds barred session keeps my ear to the ground. Employees are very open and I appreciate all of the good and not so good feedback.

1.30 pm - Arrive at the Victoria Square office. I never do lunch unless it’s a business meeting, so have a subway sandwich at my desk…..again

2.00 pm - CBS meeting to discuss sales, strategy and market dynamics. This team

is really doing some fantastic work and we are trying to do a better job communicating their plans and successes.

4:00 pm – Call with our Corporate office in Florida to give an update on business in the Southern Caribbean and get information about what the other Columbus markets are doing.

4.30 pm - Meeting with HR on company and other employee related matters

5.30 pm - Attend Julianna Antoine’s retirement party. 22 years of loyal service with the company. Thanks for all your support and hard work.

7.00pm - Meet and greet at the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) 10th Anniversary function at the Queen’s Park Oval. Stakeholder Relations is something we take seriously at Columbus and we are working towards

• I might gain some enemies after some people read this but my favourite football team is Liverpool FC and I think Luis Suarez is the best player in the League right now. I am backing Germany for the 2016 World Cup and Belgium as my surprise package.

• My favourite Trini dish is doubles from a vendor in St. James however after living in Jamaica for 5 years, love brown stew chicken with rice and peas and salt fish with cabbage as well.

Good synergy: Kirtia Arthur Kirtia has been with Columbus since September 2010. She joined the company as Brian’s executive assistant shortly after he did in July of that year. She is responsible for effectively managing Brian’s calendar, prioritising meetings and coordinating regional logistics for our senior corporate executives. Kirtia usually anticipates Brian’s needs and in turn their working relationship has flourished because he trusts her judgement and can depend on her to deliver work at a high standard. Their working relationship is built on a solid foundation of confidence and inter-dependence.

Kirtia says “Brian is a perfectionist and takes a very thorough approach to everything he does, so that has forced me to become a lot more detailed oriented. In the four years that we have worked together, have witnessed his transition into fatherhood and his increased conviction as a manager.”

Columbus

Trailblazers

Fearless women in ICT

To say that Columbus has some of the best and brightest in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is a grave understatement. Most of us are not aware that we work alongside women that can stand head to head with the best IT professionals on the international scene. At Columbus Sajida Boodoo, Rhonda Mc Rae and Shivani Ramlal are rising stars; the only women in their respective teams they are breaking the mould and challenging our perceptions of what it means to be an IT professional in today’s world.

by Janelle Pascall

Women in ICT

The Sneakers Girl

Name: Rhonda-Ann Mc Rae

Title: Solutions Support Analyst

BSc Information Systems and Management Metaswitch, Audiocodes and Titan Certification

Currently pursuing CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Ruckus Wireless Solutions Engineer (WiSE)

Rhonda-Ann Mc Rae is all quiet confidence—a woman who knows what she is about and who can articulate it comfortably.

After repairing an old computer at home, she became the resident computer technician among her family and friends and her love for the IT blossomed.

After a short stint as the IT technician in her family’s hardware company, she joined the Columbus family as a Network Operations Centre (NOC) Engineer. For two years she was a part of a team responsible for monitoring Columbus Trinidad’s production network and for providing first level troubleshooting support to Columbus Business Solutions (CBS) customers.

Not one to pass up an opportunity for learning and career advancement, Rhonda then interned in the Transport and Telephony department as a Transport Engineer before moving to what is now the Solutions Implementation team as a Solutions Support Analyst. “I wanted to try something new. Currently, I work on the deployment and training of corporate customers on the Cloud Voice Solution. The Environment is so dynamic

“Put your best foot forward because it is

a reflection of you. I want to do the job and do it well.”

at Columbus. We are always testing new equipment and services to better our customer experience.”

Outside of the office, you can find her enjoying the outdoors or hanging out at the beach. “I am not the average female; don’t wear makeup or do my nails. Give me a pair of jeans, T-Shirt and sneakers any day.”

The Analytical Ninja

Name: Shivani Ramlal

Title: Business Intelligence Analyst

Bsc in Information Technology

Oracle CRM on Demand Certification

Don’t let her warm smile and friendly demeanour fool you, Shivani Ramlal is an analytical ninja. She joined the company in 2011 as an intern in the Media Services

team, charged with the responsibility of uploading on demand videos. When the opportunity presented itself, this quick learner eventually began customizing and automating reports for the Sales and Marketing team. After the CBS department was formed, she was offered the position of the CBS reporting analyst, responsible for all of their reports and customisations on the Oracle CRM on Demand system.

In December 2013, Shivani was jointly approached by David D’ Oliveria, VP of CBS and Shawn Clarke, Regional Manager of Business Intelligence to join the Business Intelligence team as a Business Intelligence Analyst. She says “It’s a great asset to the CBS team to have a Business Intelligence perspective on their commercial data and it’s fantastic for me because the work experience is invaluable.”

“Each time am presented with a challenge, I can produce multiple solutions. never doubt myself until I am down to my last two solutions. In order to succeed in this business you have to keep your doubt and confidence levels at the right balance.”

Shivani says while she recognizes that there is a gender gap in the IT field it does not affect her or her work. “I am very confident in my ability and it comes across in how I carry myself in the team. I have a lot more to learn and I am always open to advice and mentoring. It also helps to have great bosses!”

The Digicel Girl

Name: Sajida Boodoo

Title: Network Systems Integrator, Network Services BSc - Business Computing (First Class Honours) CISCO Certified Network Associate Juniper Network JNCIA CCNP Switch

Sajida Boodoo was totally ‘green’ when she joined Columbus in 2011 as a Network Services intern. She has moved up in the company, led various network projects and is one of the company’s experts on the Digicel 4G network (one of the largest projects that Columbus manages). Today

“The things we do at Columbus you cannot find anywhere else in the country.”

she is known as the ‘Digicel Girl’, stemming from her intimate involvement in the team that designed, built and currently maintains their 4G network.

Sajida remembers her start at Columbus as a baptism by fire, as she was thrown into what was the largest company project at the time. As the only female on the team, she said it took a while for her to get accustomed in the male dominated environment. She said, “being the new one, the learning curve was steep but I enjoyed the work so much. It was love at first sight.”

As for her future goals, she says she plans on staying in the technical field. “I want to do more specialised certifications and get more exposure. The things that we do at Columbus, you cannot find it anywhere else in the country. No other company in Trinidad is doing what we’re doing. I plan on getting my MBA soon, then move into Management.”

This self described “girly girl” says she would not change the composition of her team for anything. “I lucked out! I found an amazing team where every member looks out for each other. Sometimes even get the guys to talk about some of my girly stuff—they hate it but they like to indulge me!”

by Bradley Ramcharan

The Network Infrastructure Team or NI Team (The Highway) The NI team is responsible for maintaining the Columbus network. Like an actual highway someone is responsible for traffic control, warning signs, policing to identify abusers who violate the speed limit or unlicensed drivers (hackers), upgrading, expansions (creating new lanes for traffic flow), best path to your destination, and solutions to make your ride smoother.

The infrastructure needs to be managed and maintained just like those deteriorating paved roads with pot holes. This is accomplished by carrying out regular Schedule Maintenance Operations (SMO’s) & Emergency Maintenance Operations (EMO’s).

Network Services: IT and Network Services

Ministry

Road

“We want M.O.R.!”

So picture this, you’re cruising down the Western Main Road on your way to a bess fete in Chaguaramas. As luck would have it there is standstill traffic by the Boardwalk because somebody swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid a pothole. Then ... the car starts to buck and your engine cuts off ... no gas ... leaving you sitting there with a chorus of horns blaring behind you. The closest gas station is in Port of Spain and now you’re missing Machel’s performance! Murphy’s Law is in full effect! Suddenly the voice in your head begins to ask these questions: Is my oil good? Does the car have enough water? Is the battery in good condition? You don’t have the answers. Wouldn’t it have been nice if someone fixed the road, if a speed limit was set or if you noticed your gas light?

Just recently, this team spearheaded the migration of Cunupia Cisco 4507 to a Cisco 4510. This Project was completed to accommodate the expansion of Columbus Service Delivery team. The completion of this project required long hours of testing, pre-wiring and configurations.

The Information Technology Team or IT team (The Mechanics) This is probably the most popular team within the department; the mechanics, the oil changers, servicers of the traffic lights & the highway cameras for all our internal road users. IT sustains, manages and distributes the tools and equipment needed to operate within the network. They secure all systems and network devices, as well as optimizing their operations, to provide the best and

quickest environment for their users. It is not always an easy task being responsible for servicing 700+ workstations, digital office equipment, operating systems and servers but they do a fine job at it. This team recently migrated 741 employees from cc.tt to the Columbus.co domain.

The Network Operating Centre or NOC (Vehicle Dashboard) The NOC can be compared to a dashboard in a vehicle. This is where indicators or the various car components that make up the overall structure and inner workings of the vehicle are monitored and displayed for ease of view and alerting. The NOC ensures that all systems and components are not in an alarm state and there are no accidents.

Our Network Services teams ensure that we provide networking efficiency and stability (the roads), as well as carefully considering other factors that can affect your journey from point A to B. Such factors include mode of transportation, the best route to take, how payments for services rendered would be made or received and monitoring the vehicles and the road way for hazards. We are also in charge of vehicle maintenance and upkeep, vehicle upgrades or downgrades and innovative ideas to ensure the network operates at optimum efficiency.

For example, your Engine light, Oil, temperature of your engine, seatbelt, ABS, speed and gas light. The overall health is of the network is of paramount importance.

The NOC achieves this by carefully and constantly looking at the gages/displays/ monitors for anomalies or warnings. The NOC is the first response during accidents or network outages to alert the necessary teams to regain network stability.

This year alone, the team was responsible for the rebuilding of a contact database for Fiber Commercial customers and upload into SCCD after our legacy database that housed this information crashed in February 2014. By the end of March they successfully acquired, stored and updated 2014 contact information for 250+ customers.

The Transport & Telephony Team (Pavers) The Transport team, as the name suggests, is responsible for paving the roadway between destination points A to B using fibre optic cables and special equipment to maximize the throughput of traffic and services along these roads. They are also responsible for creating redundant or alternate paths to your destination. For example in the event of a fibre break (a damaged or blocked road/ bridge), this team will open a special route to eliminate downtime while repairs are on-going. They ensure that the Internet and all circuits are always operational.

On the Telephony side just as white lines are needed on the paved roads, they ensure all switching components for Voice traffic are operational and continuously check for issues affecting voice calls for our customers in tandem with the NOC. With invaluable user support from IT they also ensure our Call Centre platforms operate efficiently so we are in constant communication with our customers.

In 2014, they supervised the migration of Cisco Servers UCCX and CM to Virtual

Machines. This migration reduces downtime for the Call Centre as the Virtual Machines take a shorter time to boot. It reduces the carbon footprint and it allows for easy scalability within the programs. It also provides the ability for a virtual lab environment to test possible issues.

Application Support/Development or App Support (Toll Booth Operators) This team manages the products, systems and services that are available to our commuters, for example the use of toll booths on the road. They are responsible for the provisioning and billing of transactions that takes place in the background to ensure order and tracking of information when each vehicle passes through the toll booth. This team manages the products and services available to customers and provides billing and provisioning support to employees and customers. They also look for inefficiencies in the aforementioned processes and try to improve and provide various progress reports.

So far this year App Support supervised the the Implementation and maintenance

of credit card payment option via My Account /Web Self Care (WSE). Payments are made online, subscribers save on late fees as they are able to view and pay instantly rather than solely relying on the post office. This is an on-going initiative that will positively impact the company’s revenue and save some trees in the process.

Technology and Service Department Technology changes, new systems emerge and there is a constant demand to have the best the market has to offer. But who decides what’s best for the road and the vehicles on it? Who tests these new cars and car systems before implementation?

This team is responsible for researching, testing and procuring new services to enhance network efficiency and stability. They test and manage these new services before passing them over for implementation to the various teams.

They recently introduced Proteus Call Accounting, a tool developed for Cloud Voice customers to track call logs and manage costs.

Solution Implementation

This team along with the help of our hardworking Sales team, license new vehicles to join the road, service vehicles either by make additions and removals to the features of the car and provide vehicle rentals. This team is responsible for all services delivered to customers via fibre.

This is achieved by terminating fibre installations, completing and configuring switch installs for new customers, Metro E backbone configurations, Internet and Metro E upgrades, downgrades and disconnections, Cloud voice and SIP services and F-spot installation and maintenance. They also provide competent and reliable support for customers.

The Solutions team led the roll out and migration of GPON to existing customers in Trincity and West Mall. GPON allows us to save time, money and fibre since one fibre is run to a location and split into multiple fibres providing services to a various customers at one location.

Operation BSP (Best

Service Provider)

The Technical Operations team is an elite group, similar to the much revered Seal Team Six in the US Navy. Our troops are specially trained to execute on predefined tasks on a daily basis. At times, it will be required of them to act on intuition and to make on-the- spot decisions to ensure their mission is accomplished.

by Aneil Sankar

Technical Operations Sales & Marketing in full effect!

dispatched to attend to any related trouble tickets. They will diagnose and provide solutions to problems faced on any of our triple play services. This team is headed by Sgt. Reynold Alexander (aka Smooth).

Who will sit on the

Once you have chosen Columbus as your triple play guardian, we will secure your physical connection with no fear or favour, no matter the cost; we’ve got your back. This force is commanded by General Shadrac Singh (VP Technical Operations) who has Private Tynnesia Frank as his office assistant. Private Frank also assists with the day to day running of the department.

If it’s to ascertain your strategic position on the battle field, we will ensure that you are found, noded and also assist in uploading you onto our grid. This “Audit” team reports to Sgt. Randolph Ramoutar (aka Ken-e). Audit is also responsible for inspecting and policing the plant for any anomalies associated with civilian accounts. Sgt. Ramoutar’s staff includes Private Mayanti Mahase and Private Vishanna Nandalal.

Once our nodes are constructed and the necessary equipment is present at the base (Head-End/ Hub), our first Battalion, code named “Maintenance”, led by Sgt. Reynold Caton (aka Chisel) enters onto the field to assist in the activation of these said nodes. This requires real time communication with base to ensure that the plant is civilian worthy and fit for duty. Our Maintenance team will meet with each node, which usually accommodates an average of 150 homes to certify its optical input and RF (radio frequency) output levels

are all within the operational range for proper functionality.

Carrying on, our base will release these nodes for the services they have been activated to accommodate; this is usually for Cable TV, Internet and Voice services (triple play). At this point our 2nd Battalion (Installation comprising of two divisions, In-house, led by Sgt. Ricardo Mohammed (aka Rick) and Contracted, led by Sgt. Aneil Sankar (aka Aneil) will hit the ground. These troops will receive their written directives from the Dispatch team daily where they are deployed to convert our existing residential and/or commercial civilians to the new digital experience, install new inhabitants and/or repair the physical installation that may have been affected by day to day combat.

This team is trained to handle any task put to them, may it be through air, water or land, our installers will make it happen.

In the event we are faced with extremely challenging situations, our Site Survey team will assume command and visit the locations to provide workable solutions or escalate where necessary. Private Daniel Mohammed is charged with the responsibility of coordinating such efforts but is under the watch of Sgt. Mohammed and Sgt. Sankar.

Due to the highly technical nature of our infrastructure we require constant monitoring internally and feedback externally by civilians to ensure we meet the expectations of our population. In the event there are any interruptions in the delivery of this package and a resolution can not be met via the telly, our specially trained team of “Service” troops will be

In a case where plant signal levels are not within the acceptable range, our Maintenance team would be called in to tackle these issues. Also, in the event of any plant outages, our Maintenance crews are deployed to aid in the restoration of services.

If all else fails and all hope appears to be lost, there is always the “big-gun”, Major Vishwarnath Singh (Field Engineer aka Vish), is a highly decorated officer that can attack any problem and provide a solution.

Special clearance granted

• All techs are acquainted with military code: A – Alpha, B – Bravo, C – Charlie...this will be used to communicate accurately when information is transferred verbally.

• All of our techs are versed on the use of installation artillery such as extension ladders; positioning, climbing, extending, pull down and mounting on vehicle

• 100% of our techs are males. Females hardly ever apply for the position but from the few that have been contracted; they did in fact match the skills of the males in every aspect.

• We have an average of 80 full time technicians on staff. Due to the high demand for our services and the wide geographical areas that we cover, we also contract an average of 120 skilled technicians.

• We have approximately 15,000 customer field interactions per month

• It takes all types to create this dynamic organisation, however, because of the nature of our jobs, our team members have the following traits in common: Patience, Resourcefulness, Politeness, Attentiveness, Competence, Drive, and a healthy dose of Empathy.

Iron Throne

FLOW hosts a private screening for Game of Thrones fans

GOT FEVER IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO!

The Game of Thrones (GOT) series on HBO has gripped the twin-island republic, and FLOW fans the flames by inflaming the fans!

On 6 April, 350 lucky FLOW customers and employees got the opportunity to attend a special screening of the season four premiere at Movietowne in Port-ofSpain. On the night of the premiere, fans were invited to step inside the world of the fantasy drama by dressing the part, posing with their favourite characters and even sitting on the Iron Throne which was constructed especially for this screening. Guests vied for special prizes, including replicas of the Iron Throne, DVDs of the 3rd season and other exciting gifts.

Cindy Ann Gatt, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Columbus Communications Southern Caribbean said, “Earlier this year HBO shared with us that they wished

to have special screenings of the premiere episode of this season in the Caribbean. We selected four of our FLOW territories in which to host the premiere: Trinidad, Jamaica, Curaçao and Barbados. We know that many of our customers are huge GOT fans, so we were excited to bring this experience to them. In truth, we wished that all our customers could have been invited to the experience, as watching the show on this large screen with a wonderful sound system was a breathtaking experience. We were happy to do this and we intend to host an even bigger and more impressive event in FLOW territories for the 2015 season.”

Fans and visitors to Movietowne were awed by the transformation into Westeros. At the entrance, knights sat astride their horses directing fans to the opening, which took them into the hall and directly to the Iron Throne. Guided through a hallway lit by cauldrons of fire and marked with shields depicting the sigils of the houses

of the seven families, fans then had the opportunity to sit on the Throne and have their photo taken, as they contemplated the enormity of the task of leading Westeros, complete with sword in hand. Guests were guided into the theatre by ladies in waiting from King’s Landing while the Throne was guarded by the Men of Castle Black, the watchers of the Wall.

Inside the theatre, following the judging of costumes and the distribution of prizes, promptly at 9:00 pm the lights were turned down and the haunting tones of the series’ theme signalled the start of the fourth season.

Game of Thrones is based on the fantasy series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George RR Martin. The story follows the lives and struggles of seven families who are all vying for the right to ascend the Iron Throne which rules the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

by

Challenge 2014

by Christine Isaac

Kerwin Paul makes a Splash as Columbus’ Fitness Star Challenge winner!

How many times this month have your exercise plans failed to materialise?

The Human Resource department has embarked upon a project to improve the overall health of our employees by focusing on wellness initiatives.

The first initiative for 2014 was the Columbus Fitness Star Challenge, used to encourage physical fitness and wellbeing among employees. All employees were invited to participate in the six-week challenge by first submitting their personal fitness goal and providing their Body Mass Index information as evidence through a BMI slip.

At the end of the challenge, 17 employees from various teams throughout the company emerged as winners, with a total of 87.6 pounds lost between them.

Kerwin inspires the Arima CCRC

Kerwin Paul, Senior Customer Service Representative of the Arima Customer Care Retail Centre (CCRC) was the eventual winner. Kerwin decided to commit to this challenge by working out at the gym and he was able to lose

14.6 pounds in 6 weeks.

Kerwin explained that for several years he wanted to become fit, but was never committed to the work required to achieve his goal. The Fitness Challenge gave him the added push he needed to start his journey with the encouragement of his colleagues. Kerwin made healthier eating choices, joined a gym and attended spin classes twice each week. His consistency with this healthier way of life allowed him to lose the pounds.

Winners row

On Friday 14th March 2014, Senior Human Resources Manager for the Southern Caribbean, Roberta Sampson and her Human Resource Team visited the Arima CCRC to surprise Kerwin and congratulate him on his accomplishment. Special prizes were also awarded to Melissa Mollineu of the Outbound Sales Department and Charlene Mitchell–Dempster of the Human Resource Department, for their commitment to the challenge. All winners received prizes sponsored by Nestle Trinidad and Tobago Limited, VEMCO Limited, HADCO, Glaxosmithekline and Carib Brewery.

Human Resources

Winners of the Congratulations Kerwin! Kerwin decided to commit to this challenge by working out at the gym and he was able to lose 14.6 pounds in 6 weeks.

StarChallenge

2014

Construction & Engineering

by Karen Antoine

Our Construction departments were responsible for activating 24 nodes, planting 888 poles, strand completed 35, Fiber 31 and coaxial cable 45. Four nodes under New Build in the Las Lomas and Kelly Village area passing 348 homes. We substantially surpassed these figures last year but were hindered this year by delays in building approvals. Nevertheless, negotiations are advancing and we should see progress soon.

The Purchasing team, as part of the Warehouse, successfully saved over $700,000 of costs for 2013 by reviewing quotations, negotiating prices and requesting supplier bid submissions for larger purchases. We are proud that in the last two years our department has developed capabilities towards achieving our business needs.

The Construction department comprises of several sections along with 3 external contracting companies that have supported our internal teams over the last 8 years.

3. The Fiber Splicers then take over and splice all the fiber optic lines and devices. This is intricate work as it consists of fusing the fiber optic cables—essentially glass threads no thicker than a hair that transmit data via light waves—together.

4. Activation (Tech Ops) Once all splicing is completed. The activation team will activate and certify all the nodes within our system to provide service to our customers. Once activation is completed, we can transfer customers from our analog system to our new digital system.

5. QC Department During the entire construction process, our Quality Control Technicians works alongside the teams to ensure that all company standards are met. This ensures that the system will work effectively and provide our customers with the reliable service.

In Q1/2014, our Planning department, which comprises three Planning Technicians and their supervisor, accomplished a total of 624 site surveys for potential CBS customers, which covered a total of 592 miles pole walk. They are few in number, but these guys go beyond the call of duty by travelling from one end of Trinidad to the other; sometimes in one day. They also provide costing, meet with potential clients and print maps for their use.

Our Engineering team successfully designed 34 nodes in St Helena and Kelly Village and designed maps for 64 commercial fiber customers, in which 55 were activated. Time and time again they are pulled into major projects such as the

GPON (2011), IGOVTT (2013) and now the NGC. Despite the short notice, the team manages to meet and surpass deadlines, while accomplishing their regular daily tasks. This team is comprised of a Manager, a Supervisor, two Fiber Designer, 1 RF Designer and 2 Drafters.

The Fiber team consists of the HFC Manager and seven Fiber Splicer’s. These teams working in conjunction with our internal and external construction teams are responsible for all the Fiber Build in Trinidad as well as the repair of our outside plant infrastructure. The first quarter saw them splicing 55 data customers and simultaneously attending to 65 Fiber Outages. All in all: quite a remarkable team!

1. Linesmen are responsible for installation of all Hard Cable lines that comprise of strand, 540, 860 and fiber cables. These technicians physically pull and attach all cables in the FAP (Fiber Access Point).

2. RF Splicers then moves into the area and is responsible for the placement of nodes and splicing in taps and all other devices. The optical node is the device that is fed by fiber optic cable and conveys light into R/F that feeds the outside plant and our customers.

6. The MDU (Multi Dwelling Unit) department is a group of 6 technicians who are responsible for all underground and aerial construction. Besides working on the poles these technicians also fish cables through manholes and conduits to provide service to housing developments, malls and high rise buildings. Their role requires them to get ‘down and dirty’ as they work in manholes and crawlspaces.

7. Outage Respond Team The construction department is also responsible for restoration of all outages caused by damaged fibers and coax cables. Technicians are on call 24hrs and respond immediately once an outage is detected. They ensure that the system is restored in the shortest time possible.

Columbus Communications does business in English, Spanish and French territories F low act

The sweet Sound of

The magnitude of what the Service Delivery team accomplishes on a daily basis cannot be praised and lauded enough. This is a team filled with extremely dedicated individuals who regard going beyond the call as just another day on the job. The four teams that make up the department comprise of our Call Centre - the Regional Centre of Excellence, Technical Helpdesk, Dispatch and five Customer Care Retail Centers. Come and take a walk in their shoes!

Service Delivery

Service

Gold Standard…Trinidad’s Centre of Excellence

When John Reid announced that the Centre of Excellence was to be our regional Call Centre, no team was as prouder than us. We worked hard over the past five years to build our team and improve our service levels, while keeping all of our team members up to date with our rigorous training schedule. We can now boast that 92% of calls coming into the Call Centre are answered within 40 seconds. We currently have 120 call centre agents, assisting customers in Trinidad,

Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In order to meet the demand and maintain our high quality of service, the team will be joined by 64 new Agents by October 2014.

As a team, one of the biggest transitions was the official transfer of calls from Jamaica to Trinidad on May 7th 2014. We project an average of 1820 calls per weekday and that number goes up to 2300 as we get closer to the billing period. To prepare for these call volumes, 41 new Agents were hired between December 2013 and May 2014.

Technical Helpdesk

Fondly known as iHelp this team is responsible for resolving issues our internal and external customers have with our internet and voice services. The diverse and young team marries strong technical knowledge with sound customer service to provide the best experience possible for customers.

On average, each of the 65 iHelp technicians assist between 30-35 customers on a daily basis and over 21,000 customers per month. In preparation for our role as the Regional Call Centre, we increased our team by 28 at the end of 2013; we plan to increase our numbers to 97 by the end of October 2014.

Delivering stellar face to face service

Towers in Port of Spain. This vibrant and motivated team comprises customer service representatives, senior customer service representatives, customer service lobby attendant, query assistant, retail sales agents, housekeeping, customer care supervisor and service delivery manager. On average we have 15 staff per location to meet the demands of serving the customer.

Dispatch

Did you know that an average of 80,000 customers visit our 5 Customer Care Retail Centres on a monthly Basis?

Over a period of six weeks we trained over 170 staff members and remodeled our seating area on the ground floor in our Cunupia office to accommodate 133 seats, up from 81.

Sharing our Sound of Service (customer service training programme) skills with each island and receiving positive feedback from customers about their daily interactions with us has to be one of the major benefits of our jobs.

Did you know that an average of 80,000 customers visit our 5 Customer Care Retail Centres on a monthly Basis? While the majority of traffic is driven by the need to make payments, customers also visit with queries, service concerns and sales requests. We pride ourselves on delivering to each individual customer, solid information, superior communication, options and seamless relationship with the intent on achieving increased customer loyalty and satisfaction. Our Centres are strategically located to meet the needs of our growing clientele in San Fernando, Arima, Chaguanas, Tacarigua and Nicholas

The dispatch team can be referred to as the ‘can-do’ crew. A dispatcher’s day can start as early as 6am and end at 8pm, according to the time of day and the number of jobs within the system. This crew, made up of 39 employees manages a number of functions including installation and service routing, Quality Control of work orders, inbound calls and reports and providing installation, service and maintenance updates. The service and installation teams are masterful multitaskers who are responsible for scheduling and confirming installations for our residential and commercial customers. They are quick on their feet and are expected to contact all customers to confirm installation dates, ensure that the installations technicians are on duty and ensuring call confirmation on the status of all install jobs. This team is also responsible for dispatching technicians to rectify maintenance issues with our plant and confirming that service is restored to our customers.

What’s Poppin’?in CSR

by Monique Mata

Standing strong on our Pillars of Social Commitment.

At Columbus we believe in the social commitment philosophy that views businesses and society as interlinked rather than separate entities. Our Social Commitment Policy calls on us to enable nation building through community development and the development of social assets, as such we have identified four areas through which we will seek to make an impact on national development. The overarching themes that guide our initiatives are ‘Bridging the Digital Divide’ and ‘Fostering Prosperous Communities.’ However, narrowing our focus helps us to make more strategic decisions on the projects we undertake and as a result we have identified four pillars – Promoting National Identify through Arts and Culture, Building Economic and Social Assets through Sports, Community Engagement and Enabling Learning through Technology.

Promoting National Identity through Arts and Culture

• FLOW Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival

In 2014, we renewed our sponsorship as presenting sponsor for the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival for another three years until 2016.

Enabling Learning through Technology

• Free cable and broadband services for schools and NGOs

Every public school across Trinidad that falls within our digital ready areas has been offered our cable and broadband services, free of charge. There are over 370 schools now connected under this program and were recently upgraded from 5Mbps to 25Mbps broadband connections

Building Economic and Social Assets through Sports

• FLOW Youth Rugby League

The FLOW Youth Rugby League is the first of its kind for the company and the South/Central region alike. The Rainbow Club provides an alternative for extracurricular activities to the youth of south/central by introducing discipline through the sport of Rugby. This initiative not only focuses on the sport but also on developing life skills as well as preparing the youth to compete for sporting scholarships and other opportunities for advancement.

Community Engagement

• Lady Hochoy Vocational Centre

Between 2012 and 2014, Columbus has given varying support to the Lady Hochoy Vocational Centre but we were especially happy to have refurbished their IT Lab with brand new desktop computers and high speed internet access.

Employee Volunteerism

As we move further into launching Columbus’ Environmental Strategy, we have since partnered with the Fondes Amandes Reforestation Project. The Project was started in 1982 by Tacuma Jaramogi and his wife Akilah. The couple set up a system to fight bush fires around their Fondes Amandes home and an agri-business project that included the planting of forest and fruit trees.

Inspired by their work, our Managing Director Brian Collins came up with the concept of the ‘Flow Forest’ with the aim of having each employee plant a tree. On World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5th the first 100 members of staff went to the hills of Fondes Amandes to plant new saplings. Additional tree planting days will be instituted so that all employees have the opportunity to be involved in this very important project.

Finance and Administration

Tacarigua CCRC... The Happiest Team Alive Crunching

#HTA

by Janelle Pascall

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” - Mahatma Gandhi

On March 20th 2014 people from all over the world celebrated the International Day of Happiness by posting fun videos on social media platforms, dancing to the infectious Pharell Williams song, aptly named ‘Happy.’ The people of Trinidad and Tobago are a famously happy bunch, we continuously ranked high on the World Happiness Report released by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and are known worldwide for our hospitality and penchant for liming.

Within Columbus, the employees at the Tacarigua CCRC say they are happiest when they can give back to the community.

Since 2009, this vibrant group has been independently raising funds to assist those in need, in and around the Tacarigua area in which they operate. The team, headed by Qulan Outridge has led her team in community outreach by assisting orphanages, survivors of abuse, victims of robbery and fire, the differently-abled, single parents experiencing financial difficulty and homes for the elderly.

Passionate and firm in her resolve, the CCRC Supervisor said “In order to be

able to meet the needs of the community the staff do our own fund raising for the purchase of food items, toiletries and stationery. In some cases, the team would also contribute clothes and books.”

Although Qulan leads the group, all of the decisions are unanimous, a true team effort. Employees often bring cases of people in need from news stories, or suggest homes that require specific items and the group would vote to determine which cases they would take on. Senior Customer Care Representative, Marissa Paul says since their outreach is an ongoing initiative, they created a Donation Box, located in the back of the office. “The funds acquired go towards financing our efforts. Though the majority of the funds come from the CCRC staff members, we encourage other co-workers and peers to make contributions.”

It is clear that this close knit team, works hard both in the office and during their freetime on this outreach program. As such, they do not find the time to lime and celebrate as a group, so they created a ‘Fun Box,’ that is used to collect money from employees to fund their office limes.

Camille Thompson, Senior Customer Care Representative explains, “We have a birthday club, Fun Smoothie Fridays, sporadic breakfast and brunch limes, and our popular end of the year office soiree. These events constantly keep our team motivated and provide a much needed break from our high stress jobs.”

There is no doubt that the Tacarigua CCRC is a happy team. They work hard, play hard and they give back to the community.

Qulan says the joy derived from giving back is indescribable and gives credit to her team for their steadfast commitment to this initiative. “Happiness is the lasting impression that our efforts have on us as a team and the recipients of our outreach.”

Some of the Tacarigua CCRC’s Projects:

• 2013 (ongoing) - Small periodic donations to an unemployed and financially challenged young man just coming of age from the St. Mary’s Children’s Home, Tacarigua

• 2013 (ongoing) - Small periodical contributions to a struggling single parent of one, who is trying to make ends meet by selling fruit plates, San Juan

• 2013 - Yvonne’s Paradise, Home for the Elderly, D’abadie

• 2012 (ongoing) - Donation to a struggling single father of four facing financial challenges, Tunapuna

• 2012 - A woman whose house was gutted by fire, Tunapuna

• 2011 - The Margaret Kistow Children’s Home, La Horquetta

• 2010 - St. Mary’s Children’s Home, Tacarigua

• 2009 - The Cyril Ross Home, Tunapuna

by Alana Conyette

the

Numbers

The financial gate-keepers that keep the Columbus ship afloat.

Many people view the Finance department as the team that makes payments. Although this is one of our many services offered, we are responsible and supply much more than payments. We are ultimately responsible for maintaining the financial viability and health of the company for all its stakeholders, including you the employees.

Although our team is located at Victoria Square and Tacarigua, we operate and communicate as One Department. Our FA team is comprised of qualified, competent, trustworthy, dedicated, and loyal employees. The turnover of staff in our department is low, with some of us being here since the days of Transcable... that’s fifteen years and counting.

Our FA team is made of sub-teams according to the relevant functions:

rent. Also, we facilitate synchronicity throughout Columbus by providing billing support to other departments such as CBS, Marketing, Construction, and Service Delivery.

The Revenue Assurance (RA) team proactively identifies and mitigates/ maximize various sources of potential revenue leakages/opportunities to ensure that all revenue-producing events are captured, processed, and accounted in an accurate and timely manner. We currently focus on three main areas: (1) Business compliance of establishing policies, procedures and systems that minimize the opportunity for leakage; (2) Ensure that reporting of key revenue and expense risks are correct with given margins of error; (3) Voice Fraud Management for the Southern Caribbean Basin.

“We have a birthday club, Fun Smoothie Fridays, sporadic breakfast and brunch limes, and our popular end of the year office soiree.”

The Revenue and Accounts Receivables (RAR) team is responsible for administering superior customer service internally and externally with the ultimate goal of generating revenue and sustaining cash inflows. This involves the accurate and timely reporting of Revenue, Debtors, and cash received in accordance with IFRS, tax, and TATT standards. These reports play an integral role in the decision making process, and are an essential part of our financial statements presented to the organisation’s directors and shareholders. The Debtors and cash inflows managed are used to fund capital and operational payments such as: fixed assets, salaries, programming fees, and

The Capital expenses and Inventory (CpI) team is responsible for the accurate and reliable recording of all our long terms assets (Fixed assets, Intangible assets, and Capital Work in Progress) and Inventory. A long-term asset is one that has an estimated revenue-generating life greater than 12 months, for example our distribution plant, Headend, motor vehicles, and furniture. Once an item correctly identified as fixed asset and is use, it will incur monthly depreciation or “wear and tear”, which is recorded in the financial statements.

Our Operational expenses and Accounts Payables (OpAP) team is responsible for proper recording and management of the

While we work diligently at the jobs required daily, the celebrations are never far behind. We love to eat...and that we do. Be it via our breakfast mornings at Victoria Square (lots of food) or our birthday festivities (ice-cream, cake and snacks, yaaaay)... we love to celebrate! From our lunches at Victoria Square (we were not kidding) the time is always taken to unite the teams.

expenses, liabilities, and local & foreign payments on a timely basis to allow smooth operations. Also we help preserve the relationship with our suppliers, other companies within the Columbus group, as well as our Programmers. This team is one of our critical check points in our financial process, as they ensure that internal controls for disbursements are in line with the Company’s guidelines, and manages the cash flow of the company.

When the company needs to understand where its financial performance will be within the next five years, they rely on our Forecast & Budgeting (FB) team They are responsible for observing Flow’s trends periods of time and varying market conditions. A common trend is the significant growth in our subscribers as a result of the vacation months throughout the year, when students are away from school. The Budget Team also take into consideration the overall plan & growth of area of the company and find ways to incorporate these plans into the budget. Each department plays a critical part in the company’s strategic growth.

The Taxation (TX) team is responsible for the accurate reporting and adherence of the company to all tax legislations of

Trinidad & Tobago and IFRS. These include Corporation tax, Payroll tax, VAT, Withholding tax, and deferred tax. The Tax team ensures that the correct amount of tax is paid on a timely basis to the Government. When calculating the corporation tax, we start with the accounting profit before tax and remove all non-deductible expenses, replacing them with tax-allowable deductions or tax uplifts, to arriving at the correct amount of tax payable. This approach ensures that we comply with our Statutory obligations, while at the same time optimise our cash flow and maximise our after tax profits.

The Financial & Management statements (FMS) team is responsible for the preparation of the monthly financial statements, which comprises the balance sheet, profit and loss and cash flow for the period. The team ensures that these statements are accurate and are prepared in accordance with the IFRS to ensure these accounts are a true and fair representation of the performance of the company. The FMS team pulls together the work of all the different areas in Finance and represents the culmination of their efforts in these statements, which are relied upon by the Company’s stakeholders.

The Journey from Inside Flow

Sales and Marketing

by Timu Richens-Debisette

Did you know that the first Columbus Trinidad staff newsletter was published in 2009 and was called ‘Inside Flow?’ We talked to Renuka Ramlogan about how it all started.

At the time, Renuka Ramlogan, Karen Antoine, Karen Mohammed and Camasha Forde-Letren were all part of the founding committee and they are still championing the cause to keep employees informed.

“In 2009, our focus was to build content for employees and to better educate the teams internally,” Renuka remembers “Later issues of Inside Flow were created by an expanded newsletter team which was responsible for re-branding the look and content of the newsletter to include a larger number of company-wide updates.”

So how do you create a newsletter that is accessible to all employees, including our technicians and field staff, that they would look forward to reading? The committee worked hard to get the newsletter just right, and developed the publication issue by issue, one story at a time.

Inside Columbus has, over the years, provided essential communication and education for our employees and has assisted us in understanding the many

activities that occur. All of this was done while providing key company updates, all while allowing us the opportunity to recognise individual departments and employees.

“A major reason for the newsletter’s continued success is the presence of a representative from each major department, which meant that we were able to keep abreast of departmental updates,” Renuka adds. “These updates added great value to the publication over the long term.”

“We would like to recognise each employee that served on this committee over the years for their ideas and contributions,” she says. “As the newsletter continues to grow and evolve, am sure that employees will benefit even more.”

to Inside Columbus

We’re March! on the

This Sales Battalion, armed with their sales weapons of vast product knowledge, superior tactics and countless medals of honor, prepare themselves to conqueror yet another sales war.

The Cavalry – Retail Team

They are the first line of defense with agents manning all five Retail Centers as well as the Courts Megastore flagship. They are tasked with the responsibility of handling all walk in sales and providing customers with accurate information, top of the line products and excellent state of the art services.

The Infantry – Outbound Sales

With strategic planning and bayonets fixed, the aim is on increasing residential sales in all service sectors (cable, broadband and voice) on both the digital and analog platforms. Joining forces with comrade Pricesmart, Trinidad, they set up sales events at different Scotia Bank offices throughout Trinidad, as well as the Brian Lara Promenade and City Gate in Port of Spain.

Support Staff – Inbound Sales

The Special Operations Group –Marketing

This, Special Operations Group, has the technical and tactical maneuverability, which they use to deliver well planned missions to increase sales by managing all internal and external promotions. They are responsible for communicating all updates and changes made to the digital channel line- up, as well as the broadband, voice and digital products and services. They hold full responsibility for ensuring the image of the company and all our brand guidelines are consistent, accurate and cutting edge.

Internal Affairs – Media Services

This Squadron is responsible for a multitude of digital media services for internal, residential and commercial customers. They maintain and give customer care support for Video on Demand (VOD), Pay per View and Subscription on Demand (SOD) services. They are all responsible for the monitoring, updating and maintaining of Flow Zone (Channel 99) and Mosiac Channels 600-602.

low act

FFlow Forest – 100 trees were planted in St. Ann’s on World Environment Day on June 5th 2014. We intend to plant a tree for each Columbus employee

With their sales senses tingling they prepare to do battle with the heavy influx of sales calls that comes in via the IVR on a daily basis. They tackle these calls with precision, their advanced knowledge of our sales products and prices are delivered with deft accuracy, as the bring into their sights the ultimate goal of keeping the service level at eighty percent (85%) and ensure all their sales targets are met.

They are currently working on the launch of IPTV and Video on Demand services both in St Lucia and Barbados by July 2014.

With sales targets at the forefront and victory in mind we march forward towards conquering all obstacles and surpassing our all targets.

Tech Talk

with Sean Rajaram

Welcome to the Cloud!

Do you use webmail services such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo? Are you storing documents and photos on Google Drive?

Accessing media across all devices? Then you’re doing it thanks to cloud computing. It allows you to store information on a remote server (cloud) and access it via a smart phone, tablet, laptop or desktop.

Out with the old and in with the new Most medium-large businesses have a telephone system, sometimes referred to as a PBX. Not only are PBX systems expensive investments but the set up and implementation phase can take months.

In today’s fast paced environment where time is money, businesses don’t have the resources or time to waste. The Columbus Cloud Voice offering seeks to address these gaps by replacing the PBX with a solution that is remotely hosted and maintained, 25-45% cheaper and able to be deployed within a couple days. When customers pay for a managed service, we are ultimately responsible for ensuring their voice network is functioning 99.9% of the year (teams such as CBS, Engineering and Network Services work extra-hard to achieve this).

Utilizing Metro Ethernet, one of Columbus’ flagship Wide-Area-Network (WAN) service solutions, we’re able to connect customers throughout Trinidad back to the hosted PBX at our data centre. Once connected, customers then have the control to configure exactly what they

require (extensions, hunt and pickup groups, pass codes). Oh, we provide the phones too.

Mission Impossible: 4 days to Equip 4 floors with a Full Voice Solution in San Fernando

When the Solution Implementation (SI) Team received notification from CBS that Columbus won the contract to outfit the new San Fernando Teaching Hospital with a Cloud Voice solution, they immediately went to work. With only four days before the February opening of the multi-storey Complex, the entire team came together to complete this herculean feat. With the Fiber Slicers team working hard on the outside, the SI team was busy installing the switches (a hardware device where phones are plugged into) and phones on the inside. After three long days of working from 8am-8pm, our Cloud Voice solution was deployed and tested in time for the opening ceremony. We have since been contracted to complete the voice network for the multi-storey building.

The mobile application

Yep, we have a mobile app too. Customers enjoy the benefit of using their cloud voice solution anywhere they go in the world. Once a mobile device (iOS and Android) is connected to the internet (wi-fi, data), customers can make or receive calls on their mobile with all charges being billed to their local cloud voice account. Beat that for value!

CBS

– delivering solutions that enable the future

and Kassima hold down the Administrator fort. They’re both looked after by Dianne, lovingly referred to as the den mother.

Leveling the ICT playing field

by Laurence Modeste and Hugh Thomas Columbus Business Solutions

switches, or network devices? Fill out a checklist and upgrade as you need.

Since Columbus Business Solutions was launched in Trinidad in 2012, the local business market has never been the same. Lead by David D’Oliveria, an elite squad of experienced and well groomed individuals were assembled to save both the private and public sector from the ravages of the ICT super villains that stalked and pillaged them for years. Bringing the concept of managed service from an idea to reality.

Sales Team

Commanded by the strong personalities of Laurence Modeste and Graeme Ottley as Sales Managers, the CBS Sales team comprises of best in breed account managers for Private and Public Sectors that the ICT landscape has ever seen. They are dynamic, responsive and strong willed which makes for very interesting interactions yet the team breeds a comradery that fosters growth, knowledge transfer and excellence second to none.

Advocate and Administrator Pool

The Advocates and Administrators provide support and assistance to the Sales team and are critical to the success of all CBS missions. This group follows through on client requests and ensures that the Sales Team stay focused and on schedule with all of their delivery targets. Donna, Natalie, Crystal, Ashamnie, Candace and Ingrid form the advocate squad while Charles

CBS offers the most cost effective way for companies seeking to innovate and expand. The best of breed solutions once available only to the Fortune 500, or perhaps in local terms, the Fortune 50, are now also available to organisations of all sizes at a relatively small fixed cost, per user per month.

CBS focuses on 8 key areas, leveraging the most advanced, scalable and reliable network in the region.

• Connectivity – WAN, LAN, Wi-Fi and of course that glorious Internet

• Unified Communications – Voice and Video Conferencing for pros, you know like Skype Premium without the premium price. And yes there’s an App for that so take your Android or iOS device with you worldwide, roaming? What roaming?

• Content Distribution – Billboards, Menu boards, Cable TV, Marketing and Promotional material, Information blast bundled into one little device that fits in your pocket

• IT Security – Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky and Security Essentials gone wild with intuitive, granular protection of all Internet or WAN traffic.

• Business Continuity – Power outages, communications failures, natural disasters? Not a problem! Redundant connectivity, offsite storage, seamless replication and backup means your services stay up.

• Virtual Desktop – All the computing power you need without the power consumption or physical bulk of the traditional PC.

• Infrastructure As A Service – Need extra IT storage, need communications

• Software As A Service - Perhaps the penultimate managed service. Companies with an Enterprise Wide Payroll system, why spend tens of thousands in upfront costs, maintenance, consultants and training. CBS working with its partners will deploy and maintain what you have and scale on demand.

Perhaps one of CBS’s greatest successes thus far has been its unified communications solution which remains unrivaled in the market place combining best of breed hardware, software and infrastructure that not only provide users with the widest array of features and benefits but also provide significant cost reductions especially as it relates to their Toll (the cost per second for a call). Demand for this solution has led to more deployments in the first quarter of 2014 that throughout all of 2013 and the orders keep coming from the ultra modern San Fernando Teaching Hospital, multiple Government Ministries

and State Enterprises to Private Sector Conglomerates and regional entities. So how does it all come together? The dedicated members of the sales team have worked assiduously to become their clients’ trusted advisors, so it’s less about selling a solution and more about collaborating strategically with their clients to innovatively deliver on business objectives. Once these strategies are fleshed out the sales team works primarily with three other groups –Solution Architects/Pre Sales for design and proposal development, Planning and Construction for infrastructure build out and last but by no means least, (queue the drum roll), the Solution Implementation Team yes the guys and girls painstakingly implementing the solutions designed. Once implemented the teams continue to work in conjunction to ensure appropriate management, support and maintenance. This collaboration with our clients and internal teams is how we at CBS continue to develop and deliver solutions that enable the future.

by Prudence Williams

pinion

– on our way to becoming the Employer of Choice

• Company Image and Competitiveness

“The ear of the leader must resonate with the voices of the people.”

- Woodrow T Wilson

According to the 28th President of the United States of America; Woodrow T Wilson, “the ear of the leader, must resonate with the voices of the people.” By the same token, the management team of Columbus Communications recognizes the value of the employee voice, which is heard through an annual employee opinion survey.

Purpose and process

Formalized in 2008 and spearheaded by the Human Resource Department; the survey is a core mechanism for gauging employee satisfaction levels in the organisation and achieving one of our strategic goals of becoming the Employer of Choice in the region. The survey instrument has a complement of 31 Likert-scale questions, 10 rank-order questions and open-ended commentary sections, which seeks to identify and measure satisfaction along the dimensions of:

• Senior Management, Managerial and Supervisory relations

• Compensation

• Training and Development

• Job Design

• Health and Safety

• Work/Life Balance

The survey is administered through the avenues of online and/or paperbased schemes, and upholds the ethical principles of confidentiality and anonymity. It runs for approximately two months and the data is then analyzed for the entire company and departmentally. Interactive focus group sessions are then conducted with departments to solicit additional feedback and allow for open discussion on the survey questions and results.

Employee communication is paramount and the overall results are shared with everyone to provide insight on the general feedback, areas of strength and the areas that require improvement, which will form the focus of future action plans.

Reflecting on the results...

As aforementioned, a key feature of the survey is that it allows us to benchmark the degree of satisfaction over a period of time. Notably, satisfaction levels at Columbus Trinidad have been steadily increasing—with the highest satisfaction rating being 75%, in the year 2013.

What’s next?

The survey has been instrumental in informing critical people-related decisions; some, more obvious than others. For example, did you know that both the Captain’s Table and Employee Engagement Team were conceived from previous employee opinion survey results? Departments have continued to use the survey information to strengthen processes and improve relations. The voice of the employee truly matters at Columbus!

Based on the 2013 survey results, strategies are being implemented to drive team spirit and camaraderie through the Sports Club and Employee Engagement Team, review our compensation regime, expansion of our offices through the acquisition of the Technical Operations Center and increased training and developmental opportunities through a systematic Training Needs Assessment.

Interestingly, the areas of strength and those deemed necessary for improvement have been consistent over the last three years. As it relates to our areas of strength, employees feel proud of our brand, company image and the vision perpetuated by Senior Management; our products and services are perceived to be strong competitors especially our broadband service, management practices and working environment continue to be positively rated.

As with any growing organisation, there are areas that require improvement. While employees believe in the vision of Senior Management, it is still believed that they (members of senior management) are unaware of their (employees) major concerns. Compensation (a combination of salary and other benefits) continues to be cited as an area for improvement; in addition to team spirit, training and physical working environment.

The HR Team encourages employees to use the survey as an avenue to share ideas and suggestions—let us make Columbus the best place to work! We thank you for your feedback and we look forward to hearing from you again in our 2014 employee opinion survey!

Areas for Improvement

Improved benefits - 65% agreed

Senior Management’s unawareness - 42% agreed

Improved Team Spirit - 50% agreed

Better Training - 57% agreed

Improvement to physical work environment - 54% agreed

Uncompetitive salary - 56% agreed

Eyes on the road...

by Claudia Wilson

phone

What is the craziest thing you have ever witnessed while driving? have seen people do some very strange and questionable things—from women trying to apply makeup, men texting on the highway and people trying to read the newspaper while in traffic

Like many Trinidadians think a lot of us at Columbus have become desensitized to road carnage, even though many of us have witness everything from bad drives, to ‘bouncidents’ to other serious road accidents that resulted in injury or worse. Distracted driving includes activities such as eating, putting on makeup, having distracting passengers and pets in the vehicle, using mobile phones and other wireless or electronic devices. According to the National Safety Council, mobile phones are especially dangerous since they require visual, manual and cognitive skills to operate them. Drivers must recognize and be aware that there are numerous hazards present in both urban and rural driving environments. With all the potential hazards on the road, is being distracted or inattentive worth the risk? Being distracted or inattentive impacts your ability to recognize, react to and avoid the various hazards on the road. Here are some tips for managing some of the most common distractions:

1. Spread the word. Record a voicemail message on your phone that tells callers you’re driving and will get back to them when you’re off the road, or sign up for a service that offers this feature. not on your

2 Pull over. If you need to make a call, pull over to a safe area first.

3 Use your passengers. Ask a passenger to make the call or respond to a text for you.

4 X the Text. Don’t ever text and drive!

Surfing the web or reading your emails while driving are also major no no’s. It’s dangerous and against the law to hold a mobile device in your hand while driving Even voice-to-text isn’t risk-free.

5. Know the law. Familiarize yourself with the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act of Trinidad and Tobago before you get in the car.

6. Prepare. If using a GPS device, enter your destination before you start to drive. If you prefer a map or written directions, review them in advance. If you need help while driving, ask a passenger to assist you or pull over to a safe location to change your GPS or review your map/directions.

7. Secure your pets. Unsecured pets can be a big distraction in the car.

8. Mind the kids. Pull over to a safe place to address situations involving children in the car.

9. Focus on driving. Multi-tasking behind the wheel is dangerous. Refrain from eating, drinking, reading, grooming, smoking, and any other activity that takes your mind and eyes off the road.

Fleet Management: more than just GPS

Columbus is walking the talk when it comes to safety, productivity, and efficiency. No project displays this thrust more prominently than the introduction of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to manage our vehicle fleet. Following feedback received from employees, specifically about driver safety, coupled with the company’s commitment towards business excellence, 115 GPS units were installed in our company vehicles in March 2014.

In an effort to remain on the cutting edge of technology and drawing from international best practice, the remaining 127 company vehicles will be outfitted with GPS units. Our short term goals for this project are to achieve enhanced vehicle maintenance and ensure the safety of our valued colleagues, the top priority of this initiative.

Employee safety

Panic buttons are discreetly located within arm’s reach of the driver and these trigger an alert to the emergency response team. The panic button can be used in cases of attempted robbery, fire, attempted vehicle theft, or a vehicular accident where one’s mobility is hampered due to injury. This feature is currently in operation and has continuously been tested both in the field

during normal operations and during simulations.

The data is continually refreshed and the software will pinpoint the exact location of the distress signal and alert administrators who will then try to establish contact with the driver as well as his/her direct manager. Based on assessment of the situation, a judgement call will be then made in the best interest of the driver.

Increased productivity = better service

Since the first units were installed in March, we have had fewer vehicle breakdowns due to improved vehicle maintenance. This resulted in fewer delays in providing customer service on the field. The GPS units also include a maintenance module that alerts the fleet managers electronically of the status of the vehicles as it relates to distance travelled, elapsed time and/or operating time of the fleet.

The GPS Fleet Management system supports productivity, which in turn enables us to deliver better service to our customers. However, no dollar value can be placed on the peace of mind of our drivers now that they have the added confidence that they are carrying out their work with an increased sense of security.

A Dream Team of

Analysis Ninjas

Business Intelligence...the new kids on the block continue to make a splash throughout Columbus

“the Business Intelligence (BI) team has supplied the data to justify almost every major decision the company has made...”

Shawn Clarke is a gentle giant. Not only does he lead a team that are considered the “brains” of the organisation, as it relates to tracking and reporting of Columbus’s busines data, he is also really tall. Standing strong at an intimidating 6 foot 3 inches, Shawn and his team have transformed Columbus by providing the data behind the company’s thrust towards a more scientific approach to doing business.

Formed just two years ago, the Business Intelligence (BI) team has supplied the data to justify almost every major decision the company has made concerning its products and services in Trinidad. Their impact can be felt throughout the Columbus Group, from direct involvement in regional projects, to working on much smaller projects in the specific markets. The team’s role at Columbus is to make sense of the data, by giving insight, identifying trends, opportunities and risks.

BI involves bridging the data gap for the senior management team by making it simpler and easier for them to understand and interpret Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Given that Business Intelligence is a relatively new field in the telecommunica-

tions industry, finding the right people, with the right attitude, experience and qualifications was a difficult task. However, through careful consideration and selection, Shawn has managed to recruit key individuals to complete his team with the additions of Craig Matadeen Shivani Ramlal and Kyle Rudder it was then that the Analysis Ninjas were born. The Ninjas wasted no time in getting down to business, transforming the existing ‘Weekly Executive Report’ into the ‘Weekly KPI Report.’ This move added some intelligence, interpreting and included additional values to the Report, making it simpler for Senior Management Team (SMT) to view trends and make quicker and more informed decisions. This format was so well received by SMT, that it is now being implemented in all other Columbus markets including Jamaica. Now that the team has imprinted themselves into the Columbus DNA, they intend to become the central reporting hub of the Southern and Eastern Caribbean for all their commercial and operational KPIs reporting needs. Shawn adds, “To achieve this, it is imperative for us to have the confidence and support of our main customers, the senior management team

of the three islands we currently support directly (Trinidad, Grenada and Curacao) and all the other markets we have to work with from time to time. Timely, consistent and accurate reporting is paramount; therefore this will continue to be very high on our agenda.”

Shawn Clarke –Business Intelligence Manager (Southern Caribbean)

• Joined the Columbus Family in 2012

• Over 10 years experience in the telecommunications industry

• MBA with a specialisation in Finance

• Bsc in Computer and Information Technology

• Postgraduate diploma in project management

• Interesting Fact – has worked in Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad

Craig Matadeen – Data Analyst

• Joined the Columbus Family in 2012 as an intern in Applications Support working on the Cerillion migration project

• He holds a Bsc in Computer Science His main functions is to ensure that data needs for the BI team are regulated, normalized and calibrated to maintain and guarantee integrity

• Interesting Fact -After working with Shawn on a few projects, he was offered a full time job as a Data Analyst in the BI department.

Gladiators in Suits

Did You Know?

The Business Intelligence team was instrumental in

the pricing and launching of Flow’s “Watch, Talk, Click”.

Kyle Rudder – Business Intelligence Analyst

• Newest member of the BI team, joining the company in December 2013

• Brings with him over two years financial and reporting experience as a Finance Analyst and an Account Technician

• Holds an MBA in Finance

• He is responsible for operational and residential reporting for the Southern Caribbean

• Interesting Fact: Rudder Plays football for a charity organisation called Love Struck FC and is part of an Inter Bank Football League for a local bank.

Shivani Ramlal – Business Intelligence Analyst

• Joined the Columbus Family in 2011 as a Media Services Intern

• Moved over to CBS in 2012 in the position of Reporting Analyst

• She holds a Bsc in Information Technology

• Transferred to the BI team in 2013 where she leads the CBS commercial reporting, customer insight and other ad hoc reports

• Interesting Fact – Shivani recently attained certification in Oracle CRM on Demand, making her an Oracle CRM on Demand Implementation Specialist.

by Janelle Pascall

......Corporate Affairs and Governance

People usually think that communications teams lead a very glamorous existence, filled with late afternoon cocktail parties, media interactions, attending exciting events and rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers in our industry. Our reality, although a lot less alluring, is still jam packed with excitement on any given day from managing our CSR projects.

Corporate and Government Affairs is responsible for directing the company’s visibility and managing the communications strategy for the company and all stakeholders including employees, media, private and public sectors. We are also charged with spearheading the company’s corporate social responsibility by supporting activities that build goodwill and impact citizens and communities throughout the country.

In the last 10 months the Corporate and Government Affairs Team has undergone several changes. There are now more faces and names to get to know as Monique Mata and Kristle Lewis long standing and beloved members of the Columbus family (who are in many ways the backbone of the CGA Team) were joined by Wendy McDonald who was

brought on as Director of the team in July 2013. The team was then extended to include Camasha Letren-Forde Communications Assistant (previously from HR) and Samantha Lezama and Janelle Pascall who joined the company in October and November of 2013. The structure has also been re-organised to include Corporate Social Responsibility (Monique), Stakeholder Relations (Kristle), Internal Communications (Janelle) and Public Relations and Media (Samantha).

At Columbus two things became increasingly important that led to the broadening of the scope of the CGA team—the need to develop a deeper relationship with all stakeholders for the company and the realisation that the Internal Communications function needed specialised focus to ensure that everyone has a level of awareness and understanding of the ongoing work within the company. These functions became even more important as our corporate office prescribed two very important company goals for the coming years, namely becoming “employers of choice” and “the best service provider within the region”.

What

What

CGA has several major projects in train for 2014; in the area of internal communications we have launched communications tools which put Brian, our managing director, directly in touch with employees via Captain’s Table, informal breakfast meetings at Retail Centres, the launch of Brian’s monthly blog and a quarterly video blog. Based on feedback from the Internal Communications Audit, we have revamped the Inside Columbus publication (we hope you like it!) and soon we will be embarking on a project to upgrade our internal building branding. In the area of Corporate Social Responsibility we will launch a fully sponsored Rugby Youth League in South/Central Trinidad and we are also increasing our participation and developing a full strategy for environmental management. This is in addition to our continued support of the Bocas Lit Fest and the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.

Gladiators in suits? Certainly...from the perspective that we will fight tooth and nail to protect and preserve the company’s reputation and to build goodwill with our customers but sometimes we do it in sensible shoes and away from the flashing lights.

Stakeholder Relations have become increasingly important as we seek to support Columbus Business Solutions as they develop business to business relations with the Trinidad and Tobago government and the private sector and we are also streamlining our External Communications Strategy to build relationships with the local media at all levels to increase our visibility in the public domain. Additionally, we are continuing to manage some of the more controversial issues, such as content blocking. The tricky part about working in a department that manages Corporate Communications is that our goals are sometimes seen as nebulous. How do you measure goodwill, reputation and communications strategy success? And how do you change an idea from a negative opinion to positive one? These are the questions that we deal with daily and sometimes the answer isn’t as simple as “It’s handled!” Unlike Olivia Pope we also struggle with ensuring our strategies are ethical and responsible.

society thinks we do.

What our colleagues think we do.

we think we do. What we actually do.

The famed Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said that the ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ however at Columbus we believe that the whole is great because of the sum of its parts. No one can recognise greatness in employees better than other employees who work alongside them, so when called upon to recognise fellow colleagues for living Columbus’ values, the nominations poured in. While all of the nominees were presented with gift certificates, it was Satyam Mathura’s sterling nomination of Jon Francis that won him (Jon) a trip for two to Miami as a part of the NBA League Pass tour.

Employee Recognition

Jon Francis – Network Services

“Since joining Flow no one has worked harder to ensure that our subscribers are receiving a high quality of service than Jon Francis. Jon owns all aspects of the cable modem infrastructure. He works with the vendor to resolve bugs, leads the engineering team in the design of the next generation cable modem network and liaises with iHelp to get their top 5 reported issues and works on resolutions. In his free time he developed an automated application to perform batch cable modem firmware upgrades thereby reducing the time and effort taken to perform such a previously cumbersome task.”

(Satyam Mathura)

Philomena Poleon – Call Centre

“Philomena is a very humble person and her positive and approachable attitude is well known by other departments throughout the company. She assists in recreating work orders for the dispatch department, she answers getflow emails, she even thinks of our outbound staff and always transfers sales calls to them knowing they have targets they have to reach and as you may know we receive commission but she puts our employees’ targets above herself. That’s a true employee. She is the most committed worker know, she is never late and never absent. do not know of a more deserving employee.”

(Hamillah Gonzales)

Donna Marie Timothy- Allard – Enterprise Sales, CBS

“Donna is reliable, with a fantastic attitude toward work and her colleagues. It would not surprise me or any one in Enterprise Sales if she is most nominated for this chance to win the prize. She has always gone way beyond the call to provide the phenomenal support to me. Quite frankly I would not be able to achieve the level of excellent customer service that I attempt to deliver daily without her support.”(Hugh Thomas)

Vishwarnath Singh –Technical Operations

“Vishwarnath Singh is the ideal Columbus employee. Working alongside him has been a privilege and an honour. Because of his knowledge and eagerness to learn more Vishwarnath is known to be a ‘boss’ with resolving service issues. He often takes ownership of resolving issues that sometimes frustrate customers that threaten to give up the service, thus assisting in customer retention.”

(Mayanti Mahase)

Rianna Joseph – Payroll, HR

“While Rianna is fairly new to Columbus, she is easily one of the most helpful employees. I call on her almost every day for Job Letters, and never has she complained or denied me a request. She is diligent, thorough and totally committed to her job as well as always willing to go above and beyond to assist in any way possible. Rianna brings out the HUMAN in the HR Department!”(Karen Mohammed)

Vishwarnath Singh –“Vishwarnath has always been a person who is willing to go out of his way in assisting technicians on the field or troubleshooting via the telephone. He is a person who knows his technical background and is very much experienced in his line of work and very open in sharing his knowledge. He has shown that he is very committed in what he does and is always willing to learn. He is a very passionate worker whether it is staying late hours in office to complete reports or assist in outages whenever they occur.”

Judea Phillip – Finance

“Judea makes everyone feel welcomed and every new employee in our department can attest to this. She is the welcome party of the finance department. She gives you the formal introduction into all the company’s and department’s activities. She is respectful to everyone no matter what department; one would observe when any of the technicians come to the finance department one of the first persons they would seek assistance from is Judea. Judea has many admirable traits one thing she does that really stands out is on her birthday she treats the entire department. This year she sponsored breakfast for most of the employees at Victoria Square.”(Tracy Tobias)

Mark Ruck – Dispatch

“Mark is very outgoing and always ready and willing to help both internal and external customers, it’s all about the people. He embraces his role as a dispatcher. Everything he does he does it to the very best of his ability whether it is liaising with a customer or even to assisting with an earlier date to assist with a disgruntled customer. In my opinion Mark is the best dispatcher ever.” (Leah Lubin- Ward)

Marion Mc Phie – Payroll, HR

“Marion is always willing and able to assist with any staff concerns. She is VERY passionate in her commitments to both Management and Staff. If call her when I am not having a good day, she is always full of great advice. She shows the utmost respect to all levels of staff (not only Management) and is always open to offer assistance! I can unquestionably say that life at Columbus would be particularly difficult if she was not here. Marion is a shining example of the Columbus Values.”

(Karen Mohammed)

Anneisa Wilson-Morris – San Fernando Retail Centre

“Anniesa started out as a Dispatch Senior where she was most exceptional in her job and she then moved to the South CCRC Supervisor position. She has made quite an impression in the South Office as her skills and expertise have made her a favourite with staff. Her down-to-earth and get it done attitude have made quite an impression on both staff and customers alike. Anniesa has Passion, Respect for All her Commitment is a cut above the Rest. She definitely embodies the Columbus Values!” (Karen Mohammed)

Judea Phillip – Finance

Judea is extremely passionate about her job, especially when it comes to customer service. She is always willing to assist customers on and off the job to resolve any service issues they have experienced. Judea contributes towards enhancing the corporate image by putting the customer first by delivering quality service.

- Yolanda Keane

Perrico Seerattan – SME

“I have known him for 5 months but it feels like five years. Perrico would often stay back and help me with work when I have deadlines. He is honest generous and genuine.”(Christina de Sousa)

“I consider Perrico to be my work brother as he is much more than a co-worker. He has a unique personality and will always provide a comforting shoulder as well as a good laugh when others are feeling down.”

(Teneille Carrington)

Terrence Alexander – iHelp

Tyronn Jeet – Application Support

“Tyronn is a true exemplar of what it takes to be a strong Columbus Champion. He is quite exuberant in displaying the Columbus values of passion, commitment, respect, openness and ownership. It is in my strongest view that Tyronn is very passionate about his work and this is magnified when he resolves any issue that would directly translate into the customer’s satisfaction. For Tyronn respect goes a long way. He is pleasant and respectful to all regardless of someone’s title or position. All employees that know him can vouch for this remarkable trademark.”

(Alexander Gonzales)

Prudence Williams – HR

“He is the most passionate and committed person I know and he always goes above and beyond to help. know employees feel comfortable to approach him for assistance, as his openness is well known. can pass him a query and not look back knowing that he owns it and sees it until completion.” (Karen Mohammed)

“Prudence has developed a positive rapport with the Columbus team as persons are comfortable to seek her guidance pertaining to employee/HR matters. With this in mind, she is respectful to all members and adequately analyses facts in order to make fair decisions. Prudence loves what she does and this translates to her quality of work, her interactions with others and the value she creates to the department and company. She has created a positive impact with those that she works with through her initiatives, team spirit and passion. She has continuously improved the areas that she works on and definitely seeks to ensure that Columbus becomes the employer of choice.”

(Vishanna Nandalal) F

(Renuka Ramlogan)

Flow F-Spot was the first Public Wireless Hotspot, introduced in Trinidad in 2008

Some Columbus Committees Safety Committee

Flow-Scope

Aquarius (16 February – 11 March)

Unpredictable. People think that an Aquarian is as clear as water in a drinking bottle, but as your colleagues will know, you are always seeking new experiences. Each day could bring the new and unexpected. Unpredictable. Looks for new experiences.

Pieces (12 March–18 April): Sensitive. Your colleagues may think that like water your path is ever changing and dependent on the circumstances. But you have will power and hold fast to your goals and ideas.

Aries (19 April – 13 May): Aries is a fire sign and sometimes your energy can bring you into conflict with the natural flow of the workplace. But remember, that your Arian colleagues often need a helping hand to tame their fierce energy.

Taurus (14 May – 19 June) If you are looking for somebody down to earth, you better look to one of your Taurus colleagues. Their cautious nature can be an asset to the task at hand and rest assured that their sense of humour and charming personality will make it easy for you to get along with.

Gemini (20 June – 20 July): As a Gemini, you sometimes feel that you have to do the work of two, or at least that people expect it of you. You have a general aptitude to succeed and a desire to do so. Beware of mood changes as the twins inside of you struggle with each other.

Cancer (21 July – 9 August): As a Cancerian you are productive and studious, but you need to beware of clinging to information from the past. Your natural tendency to preserve needs to be translated into building for the future.

Save the Date

Leo (10 August – 15 September): Is the lucky sign and as such can easily solve problems to which others have no solution. However, beware that in doing so your colleagues could find you aloof or be intimidated as you swish your tail.

Virgo (16 September – 30 October): Your Virgo colleagues are practical, decisive and rational, natural communicators. Beware of asking too much of them and making it hard for them to admit their faults of mistakes.

Libra (31 October – 22 November): As a Libran you know that your calm exterior often hides and impulsive and strong will. Don’t be afraid of rejection and ridicule and rely on your intelligence and charm.

Scorpio (23 November – 29 November): Scorpios can have a difficult time in the workplace because of their intense demands on themselves and on others, of their honestly and passion. However, you will find that if you need help you can always turn to a Scorpio colleague!

Sagittarius (18 December – 18 January): A fire sign, the Sagittarian often plays the devil’s advocate and can be painfully frank and open. Because of you capable nature you must be careful in overdoing things as it may breed contempt.

Capricorn (19 January – 15 February): A Capricorn’s seriousness and aura of responsibility can sometimes lead to burdening them with challenges beyond their experience. They have a need for stability and sense of control.

Events July - December 2014 !

August 25 - 29 TT Film Festival

September 16-30

Cinemas and viewing across the country

Flow is the presenting sponsor of the only film festival in the Caribbean

Columbus Staff Rally

Saturday August 23

Trinidad Hyatt Regency

Flow Energy Sunday

September 19

Chaguaramas (Tentative)

Duatholon

Columbus Day

2nd week in October (tentative)

All Columbus offices Staff End of Year Party

Saturday November 22

Trinidad Hyatt Regency Inside Columbus publication To be distributed between December 8–12

All Columbus offices HSE week

Columbus’ Organisational Chart

Believe it or not—this is Columbus’ Organisational Chart! In our company communication has to flow between all departments at all times. There is hardly an hierarchy and that is why our organisational chart is best depicted as a doughnut. And in the centre of it all is YOU!