Hurricane season is upon us yet again, and Dexcomm is ready to do what it takes to ensure that our partners are safe, secure, and in operation. Now is the time to have an in-depth review of your emergency plan. As you know, businesses must be ready for any contingency when facing natural disasters. When preparing a disaster plan, make sure that you take into account the following checklist:
- What company operations are most necessary to keeping you going?
- What are your mechanisms for payroll continuity, for making emergency financial decisions, and for keeping your accounting records on-going during the recovery?
- Do you have an emergency management hierarchy that will deal with succession of decision-making in case company leaders aren’t immediately available? FEMA suggests that at least one person in the succession tree should come from outside of the company headquarters.
- What outside businesses—wholesalers, suppliers, shippers, etc.—are critical for your daily operations? Make sure that you have “go-to” companies in case your primary partners go down.
- You need a continuity of operation plan (COOP) that can deal with contingencies. For instance, what should happen if your facilities are not accessible? Do you have the ability to use another building? Is it possible to work from home?
- Perhaps the most vital component of a plan when responding to an emergency is communication. The Department of Homeland Security recommends that you create a contact list that includes all of your employees, business partners, and clients. It is also recommended that you keep a copy of this list off-site.
A telemessaging service is the perfect place to store that contact list. In fact, a quality answering service can provide a vital information hub for your business as you try to ensure the safety of your employees and keep your operations up and running. The telemessaging company should be able to offer services that cover all of the Department of Homeland Security’s recommended preparations in regard to communications, such as secure SMS forwarding services for your employees to stay in touch when the going gets rough. They should also have facilities that simply do not go off-line, even in the worst storms. Give us a call now to see how Dexcomm can be the backbone of your hurricane preparations.
