Disasters such as power failure, network failure, fire, natural disasters, etc. are all unavoidable. Is your business prepared with a disaster recovery or business continuity plan in case something like this happens?
We’re big fans of being prepared.
We hope you never find out, but do you know the cost to you if your business fails to recover quickly? This could mean not being able to produce your products, or follow through on service agreements. What happens to customer satisfaction?
Communication is vital to a disaster recovery plan
During a disaster, you’ll need to communicate with:
- Employees – to ensure that the disaster action plan is happening, and everyone knows what they should be doing.
- Customers – to keep them informed about orders or service.
- Shareholders and media – so they understand the plan and can communicate to the public effectively.
- Suppliers – to let them know if/how they should be involved.
How to keep communication flowing during a disaster
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service is completely independent of location, so even if your office needs to be shut down for weeks, your communications don’t have to be. With a VoIP system, your options are:
- Move vital team members to a new location that has internet. Plug your phones in and go.
- Everyone can use their mobile apps for business as usual
- Call your VoIP provider and have them forward the main number to another number temporarily.
Cover all the bases
When considering a VoIP provider, make sure they have contingency plans in place. What happens when they suffer an outage? Are redundant systems in place?
Create the plan. Test the plan. And test it again at least once a year and revise as needed.