Business continuity is still a growing process that needs to improve in some segments of the business world. Far too many reports keep surfacing about how businesses and major institutions aren’t working hard enough to come up with a plan in the event of a disaster. The more that gets put on hold, the more potential there is for a business being hurt in more ways than one. While the business might think of their own welfare first when a disaster happens, they may not stop and realize what customers could think.
Can a lack of a business continuity plan hurt a business’s brand? Take a look at the scenarios where a lack of preparedness could backfire on a company when a customer needs to have something done.
Continuing Business with Customers
Some rare businesses can perhaps get away with not fielding phone calls from customers for a few days. But places like financial institutions need to keep operating or it can potentially anger customers who need to deal daily with their finances. Can you imagine trying to contact your bank about a financial matter and you found out they were out of commission for weeks due to a natural disaster?
Unfortunately, far too many financial organizations are still under-prepared in the business continuity arena. While they may have a basic plan, contingency plans on how to relocate or quickly gain access to equipment is sometimes not taken as seriously as it should be.
This can also happen in more than just financial institutions. Even the smallest business can hurt their brand after working so hard to establish themselves with customers.
The Small Business Can Potentially Be Hit Hard
If a natural disaster hits the only location of a small business, where would they go to relocate and get back on their feet? Without a business continuity plan, the small business could be out of business for months and potentially lose customer support. This might be a tragedy when the business had a brand that was becoming popular and took several years to build.
As harsh as it may sound, a customer may not understand the realities of a business being destroyed in a natural disaster. Most customers expect that a business will keep going in some capacity to fulfill all customer needs. And when the customer only does business online or on the phone, it compounds the problem not being able to see the visuals of what happened.
Because customers expect continuity, all businesses need a business continuity plan. The more comprehensive the plan is, the better to be prepared for absolutely anything.
Here at Continuity Centers, we’ll provide a continuity plan for your business that you’ll feel very secure in having. Our plans cover everything from safe and reliable cloud storage for your data, remote locations for temporary relocation, plus delivery of equipment when you need it.
Contact us and we’ll show you exactly what you need to be prepared so your brand will never be tarnished. Consider that reinforcing your brand can mean proving to your customers that you’re prepared for disaster so you’ll never have a single business interruption.