June 1st marks the beginning of hurricane season. Many states throughout the country are at risk of bearing the brunt of a hurricane. If you are in this path or at risk of any extreme weather, taking precautions to prepare your business is a must.
What Will You Do?
If you discover that your business is in the path of a hurricane or other severe storm, what will you do? Some businesses will close immediately, secure the physical location and head for a safer place to wait out the storm. However, other businesses need to stay open longer to provide help to those affected. Knowing which category your business falls into helps you know what to do in such a case.
Physical Preparations
Preparing your business locale physically is important to minimizing loss. Remove outdoor items that could be tossed around in winds. Secure things that cannot be brought inside. Put hurricane shutters in place, if you have them. Unplug everything to avoid power surges.
Electronics and other small equipment that is valuable and portable should go with you. However, it is quite possible that there are things you will have to leave behind. If so, back up data to cloud storage before leaving.
Information and Service Preparations
In today’s business world, information is often far more valuable and crucial to a business than actual equipment and supplies. That means you need to ensure the safety of your information so that you can resume service to your customers again as soon as possible.
Implementing cloud based technology throughout your business is an important step when it comes to disaster-proofing your business. With systems that are mostly housed in the cloud, you can get instant access to valuable information from anywhere, as long as you have internet access. This means you can be up and running again in no time.
A telephone system that is cloud based, like Halloo, will cover you on a variety of fronts. Using the auto attendant, you can tell callers why you are closed and promise a return call as soon as you reopen. Such systems also require no special equipment in order to function and give a professional impression of your firm. In fact, a cloud based phone system can turn your cell phone and computer into a fax machine, contact management system and complete phone system instantly.
Stay Safe
Just like at home, it is important to have a safety plan in place for your business. Maintain an emergency supply kit with supplies that would be needed in the case of a disaster: non-perishable foods, flashlights, drinking water, cleaning products, personal hygiene items, a radio and more. Many disasters don’t give adequate preparation time and by doing so, there are items for survival in case you or a staff member is stranded.
Invest in the business systems, technology and supplies that will make all the difference in the case of extreme weather. Doing so can make all the difference when it comes to your business surviving and reopening.