Benefits of a Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans

January 31, 2017

Unicom offers Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans

This ensures that your business processes and procedures remain uninterrupted through crisis or outage.

A 2014 Forrester Research and the Disaster Recovery Journal partnered to field a number of market studies on business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR). In one study, “The State of Business Continuity Preparedness”, the top 4 risk scenarios include;

Natural Disaster/Extreme Weather
IT failure
Power Outage
Telecommunication Failure

Forrester also found that in 2008, 77 percent of organizations had documented BC plans (BCPs). In 2014, the percentage jumped to 93 percent.

There is no doubt that every organization should follow best practices to have a BC plan but they also should have a Business Impact Analysis. The BIA should identify the operational and financial impacts resulting from the disruption of business functions and processes. Strategies are then developed to mitigate losses – protocols; procedures put in place and tested on a regular basis. An Emergency Management Plan – EMP is implemented. Time-consuming and resource-driven an EMP must be managed and maintained to be effective when needed. A vital element of the EMP is Crisis Communication.

Crisis Communication > focuses on Instruction and Mobilization
Communication Continuity > focuses on Core Operations and Out-of-Normal Situations

Unicom provides both but let’s focus on the first step – Communication Continuity. Businesses and organizations of all sizes, small single locations to multi-location, local, regional and global must have Communication Continuity to sustain business processes. A Communication Continuity plan ensures the business is sustained. A Communication Continuity framework is also the foundation to establish a dynamic EMP.

What is an Out-of-Normal situation?

When working with our clients we define it as anything that impedes your business processes and normal communication with your customers, staff, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Your operational core is the chief concern and the interruption could be partial, intermittent, or complete. The issue causes heightened stress for your staff and impacts routine communications with your customers either in not getting through or left on hold for periods of time. Our experience lines up with the research by Forrester, common situations that activate a communication continuity plan include:

Employee Shortage
Power Outage
Weather
Telecom Issues
Building Issues
Infrastructure Impairment

An ‘unplanned’ issue becomes manageable when it is identified and has a plan of action. It becomes an ‘out-of-normal’ situation when protocols and procedures in place activate to provide Communication Continuity. Once normalcy is restored, the Communication Continuity process returns to hibernation and remains ready at a moment’s notice.

It may be that your organization has not experienced these service-impacting issues. If so, that’s great – for the time being. If you have then you know how important it is to have a support plan that can be deployed rapidly. Manage the issue or it will manage you. This is what we specialize in. Take a look at your organizations Communication Continuity plan, protocols and procedures and consider what impairment or disruption in communicating with you means to your customers. Please contact us before the next power outage or staff shortage occurs because communicating with your customers is the highest priority.

“By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

About Unicom Teleservices

24-hour answering service company located in Chicago, Illinois. Our professional call center offers Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans.

For 25 years, Unicom has worked with companies large and small to discuss their needs. To understand their processes allows us to determine how we can deliver value.

With Unicom, simply request an answering service quote. Together we can determine if there is a good fit to manage patient phone calls.