Thursday 23 January 2014

Does your business have a backup plan?

As a business operating in tough times, it pays to be prepared. Successful businesses have backup plans in place in the event of an emergency. As we enter into 2014, it is time to consider whether your business has contingencies in place: can you keep employees, products and the essential aspects of your business operating regardless of what challenges lie in the year head?

Formulating a backup plan


Your backup plan should have the following features:

  1. Keep your IT department prepared and ready. Having the right IT infrastructure is vitally important to the functioning and management of your business. In the unlikely event of a breach, your information should be backed up remotely on cloud, as well as offline. You should be able to access your company data on-the-go, from different devices to respond quickly to any contingencies. 
  2. Go mobile. The most effective backup plans embrace mobile technology. In the event of a disruption to your business, your employees should be able to seamlessly access their work on portable devices such as laptops, tablets or even their smartphones and continue working from an alternative venue. You should also provide training to your employees so that they know they have these resources at their disposal in the event of any business disruptions. 
  3. Have a communication plan. Communication is critical in the event of an emergency. Ensure that your business has the right software in place to handle business disturbances, avoid loss of data, and keep your lines of communication open regardless of what unexpected event just occurred. 
  4. Stay customer-focused. In an emergency, often businesses get caught up in internal management and damage control that they forget that their customers are likely to suffer too. Keeping up your customer service and insisting on the integrity of your products becomes particularly important during a crisis. Stay on top of your orders, communicate with your customers about any possible disruptions or delays in a timely manner. Use the crisis as an opportunity to show your customers how well organised, prepared and committed your business is to providing them with top quality products or services.  
  5. Prepare an alternative workplace. This does not mean that you have to set up a second set of offices elsewhere. However, it is important that you and your employees know where else you could work in the unlikely event that you are unable to work from your current premises. More importantly, ensure that your IT department knows how to set up remote access to your data to ensure continuity of work.
  6. Keep up the maintenance. Run regular tests, updates and checks on all your machinery, software, or infrastructure. Don't wait for disaster to happen. Have in place protocols and procedures to keep track of your maintenance and repairs. 
  7. Be diligent and committed to your business continuity. Make sure you have the right resources to help you out during a minor disruption or a major crisis to your business. 


Act on it now

Formulate your backup plan with inspHire rental software.

Contact us today to discuss how integrating inspHire rental software into your business could make a difference. Our product is designed to take your business to the next level and keep your customers satisfied no matter what 2014 has in store.

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