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Business Continuity – Check out the latest BBC news on the disruptions to UK business and travel here.

Sound Business Continuity planning is essential for maintaining the flow of products and services to businesses and people during severe weather such as that which is gripping the UK this week.

Heavy snowfalls, icy roads and pavements disrupt all forms of transport, increasing journey times or preventing travel altogether.  Businesses also suffer loss of revenue and increased costs due to damage and disruption when vehices collide or slip off roads, potentially resulting in loss of life.

Frozen switchgear delays trains, fire hydrants fail to operate and pipes burst leading to extensive damage in unoccupied properties.

People slip and trip or succumb to colds and flu leading to increased absence and further damage to revenues and programme slippage.

Through careful consideration of what is important to your business it is possible to mitigate against all of these potential disruptions and perils.  Insurance claims cut little ice with disappointed customers who themselves may have lost their customers or irreperably damaged trust and their brand allowing competitors in at a time when every £ or $ counts.

You may think that business continuity planning is an expense that you cannot afford during a recession – think again.  The cost of innovating and acquiring customers then building a trusted brand through marketing and effective customer service runs into years and hundreds of thousands of pounds but can be lost in a few days.

Business continuity consultants can quickly identify policies, strategies, plans and training that will protect your business from loss and disruption this winter.  I certainly wouldn’t do business with suppliers that don’t have audited business continuity plans and neither should you if you want to stay in business.

Business Continuity – you know it makes sense.  Call 08456 434775 today and forget business disruptions.

As we approach the onset of autumn its a good time to consider how your business could be disrupted by severe weather events such as strong winds, heavy rainfall, lightning strikes, snow and ice.

These severe weather events are in my observation becoming more regular with climate change and even businesses that have mitigated this risk before may find that their current risk controls are no longer sufficient.

Earlier this year we experienced a 1 in 200 year snowfall that caused significant disruption to London and other areas as public transport was disrupted and thousands of staff were unable to get to work safely.

We have also experienced major, area wide floods in the UK for the past few years therefore it is reasonable to expect a similar event this winter.

Having recently moved home to an area that is fitted with flood gates to counteract the winter spring tides I am deeply aware of the combination of wind and waves that could end up flooding my home and what measures have been put in place to prevent that.  I am also aware that sea levels are rising however and that other parts of the Island that I live on are not protected – indeed some may be sacrificed to the sea as required by the Environment Agency during the course of the next 50 – 100 years.

So what can you do to protect your business?

Well, you can start by ensuring you understand the types of severe weather events that would cause you an intolerable degree of disruption using a business impact analysis and then establish some form of warning and indicating system to predict when the risk is highest so that you can put contingency plans in place.

As well as countering the actual hazards – flood, snow, ice or wind – you need to consider the effects of that hazard – loss of staff, supply chain disruption, fewer customers on the street, cancelled flights etc and the asymmetric threats (or known unknowns as Donald Rumsfelt might say!).

So the greatest impact from a severe weather event might be reduced cashflow leading to a withdrawal of credit at a later date which prevents you from obtaining a keen wholesale price (since you have to order smaller volumes) which in turn affects profitability, so you can’t afford your rent and end up losing the business!  A rather gloomy view but pretty realistic for a newer business or one that doesn’t have strong cash reserves – we’ve just lost a well-established local cafe (20 years) because the landlord has asked for a higher rent and the business couldn’t or wouldn’t afford it in the current financial climate.  In this case it seems that the landlord had a better offer from a large coffee franchise but the outcome was the same.  Cash is King!

If you’d like to learn more about protecting your business from severe weather or help with controlling risks, call us for a free 30minute consultation.  It just might keep you in business!

@Veterus

08456434775