How Can a Business Continuity Readiness Plan Help Your Business Weather a Hurricane Better?

BY:

Hurricanes are unpredictable. Some come ashore with the roar of a lion and the bite of a kitten, leaving little damage in their wake. They may shutter businesses and restaurants for a day, while the winds and waters churn, but do little lasting damage. Others, though, forever change the landscape of the cities they impact. Levelling neighborhoods and putting many small and medium-sized businesses out of commission for days, weeks, or even months while rebuilding takes place.

DOWNLOAD OUR BUSINESS HURRICANE
PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST

CLICK HERE

If you own a small or medium-sized businesses in an area where hurricanes are possible, or even likely, it’s a good idea to take heart and make plans, now, for a time when you may not be able to operate from your physical location for a long period of time.

Hurricane Katrina

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, it wasn’t only the widespread devastation and destruction of property that was the problem. It was also the limited access to builders and supplies necessary to rebuild. Local builders had to prioritize and most of them choose to make million dollar plus projects their priorities. The same thing happened in the aftermath of Sandy. In both instances, many small and medium-sized businesses decided against reopening.

What Happens in the Aftermath of a Major Hurricane?

Many business buildings are damaged after storms like this blow through. It can take a long time to clear out debris, make repairs, find replacement equipment, meet code requirements, etc. Unfortunately, during the weeks when your business is out of commission, the needs of your customers continue on – as do the needs for your employees to earn an income.

What happens is customers, not knowing what’s going on with your business or how long you’ll be out of business, find new businesses to patronize and employees go to work for someone else. This leaves you back at square one once rebuilding is done and you’re ready to reopen.

How can a Business Continuity Readiness Plan Help?

The problem with many of the businesses that did not survive the aftermath of strong storms and long repairs, is that most of them did not have viable readiness plans in place to keep the business running strong – even when the business could not operate at complete capacity.

While some things, like manufacturing and providing some services, cannot be done without physical locations, keeping your customers and employees informed is, perhaps, the most critical step of your continuity plan. Let them know about what services you can supply with a physical location, let employees know about work you have available for them now, and where they need to go to do it. It may be physical labor, like helping to clean out the offices, help with rebuilding, or even shopping for replacement supplies, furniture, and equipment when the time comes.

The key is to protect your investment and your income while you’re still in the rebuilding process.

What Does a Continuity Plan Involve?

Continuity plans will vary greatly from one business to the next. Among the critical aspects of it is protecting customer and employee information; this means offsite data storage. Storing data and files offsite allows you to preserve and protect important documents and records. This means you’ll retain access to them and can reassure customers that their personal and private information is safe and secure. Next, it keeps all the relevant contact information secure; this means you can notify customers by email, phone call, or snail mail about the status of their accounts, your business, and what you can do for them now and in the future.

{company} as a trusted leader for remaining ahead of the latest technology trends, tips, news, and more. Contact us at {phone} or email us at {email} to learn more about what we have to offer you.

Related Blogs

  • A call center agent on the phone is in the middle of this illustration." alt="">
    Integrate ConnectPath CX with CRM to Enhance Customer Experience and Call Center Performance

    Enable both customers and agents to do more Key Takeaways: ConnectPath CX, powered by CloudHesive, offers a way to modernize your contact center with nothing to install and configure, ready in 45...

    Learn More
  • Illustration of skill training concept, man climb up ladder to fix and lubricate gear cogs on his brain head." alt="">
    Enhance Your Customer Service Skills with Amazon Connect Training

    Amazon Connect and ConnectPath CX resources help elevate productivity, efficiency, and more  Understanding the ins and outs of a complex customer service management system helps build employee...

    Learn More
  • Against a turquoise background, workers sit around a table on their computers. In the center, a cloud has arrows that show data moving both ways, with information accessible by everyone present." alt="">
    Boost Your Business Efficiency – How to Integrate Amazon Web Services with Other Tools

    Improve collaboration, communication, and get ready to grow   The speed of business today requires a cloud partner that’s reliable, easy to use, flexible, cost-effective, scalable, fast, and...

    Learn More