Unexpected interruptions can cause big losses in business. For this reason, it’s important to have a reliable plan in place to mitigate any potential risks. In this blog article, we will discuss what a business continuity plan is and why it’s important for all businesses to have one.
What is a business continuity plan?
A business continuity plan is a set of actions and processes, outlined in a document, that helps your business to ensure operational stability in the event of an unexpected disruption.
Business continuity plan vs disaster recovery plan: what’s the difference?
Even though they are similar, there are a few key differences. Here are just a few:
Priorities – A business continuity plan focuses on a business staying open during a situation, with the aim to minimize the impact on daily operations. Whereas, a disaster recovery plan is used after the disaster has taken place.
Focuses – A business continuity plan focuses on the business as a whole, including staff and suppliers, to try to prevent an emergency from happening. On the other hand, a disaster recovery plan looks at the specific elements that were affected, such as IT, and getting systems back up and running as quickly as possible.
Timing – A disaster recovery plan will be used after the emergency has passed, however a business continuity plan will come into effect as soon as you realize your business will be affected by an incident to minimize the risk of shutting down completely.
Why is it important to have a business continuity strategy in place?
It’s important to have a business continuity strategy, as it will allow your business to continue to serve customers during an emergency. Having a clear strategy will outline the steps to be taken during a crisis, as well as after, to reduce business downtime. Being able to effectively implement a business continuity plan also ensures customers feel safe in the hands of your business and reduces the risk of them moving to a competitor.
What are the benefits of a business continuity plan?
There are many benefits to having a business continuity plan, including:
Future-proof your business
It’s important that your business remains open in the face of the unexpected and, in the worst case scenarios, it can take days or even weeks to get back up and running. By having a business continuity plan ready to go, you can rest easy knowing you’ve made all the necessary arrangements to support your business when it needs it the most.
Look more professional
If your business is impacted by a natural disaster, having a business continuity plan in place means you can publish an emergency number for your employees and customers to call and provide or receive updates – it’s crucially important to keep an open line of communication open during times like these.
Be ready for the unexpected
If you’re having an issue with your website server or a natural disaster has hit, having a business continuity plan with an answering service means that none of your customers will be left hanging, as your phone calls will be answered by calm and professional individuals who will explain the situation and take messages on your behalf.
How to create a business continuity plan
Putting together a business continuity plan can be an overwhelming task and you may not know where to start. To help, here’s a few key tips and steps you will need to consider:
- A business continuity plan does not need to be complex, it just needs to contain the crucial information that will keep your business running, including staffing requirements, potential costs and how and when to update stakeholders.
- When creating your plan, you will need to assess any vulnerabilities across each department. This would need to include any possible threat to business functions and finances.
- You will also need to focus on communication and response times to customers as well as staff, this could include having email templates available or scripts to follow when people call.
- Having different roles and responsibilities in place for different team members will need to be included in your business continuity plan too, to ensure every step is carried out and implemented efficiently.
Why VoiceNation?
Communication is key when it comes to a crisis, so it’s important not to forget the importance of your calls during times like these. For this reason, and hundreds of others, you should consider making VoiceNation part of your business continuity plan.
We’ve got the best receptionists and leading tech to make sure your business keeps running in the face of the unexpected. To discuss our pricing packages, reach out to our team today!