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Any business disruption is inconvenient to say the least. But when it means losing time and money, or worse still - customers - it's time to think hard about the whole issue of business continuity.
There are many steps a business can take, from making sure all your essential information is properly backed up and archived, to having alternative office or home working arrangements, to ensure that staff can continue to function. But whatever steps you take, business insurance is a must to help you get back up and running.
Everyday disruptions
So what can you do to plan for the eventualities of business interruptions? Well, you've probably already taken the first step, which is to accept that they are a fact of life.
Businesses have to face a huge range of disruptions each day, and these include train cancellations, road closures, industrial action, airport security alerts, bad weather, staff illness, and even computer viruses that slow down their network.
Such disruptions can impact businesses in many ways, from minor inconveniences to major problems, but the business can prepare itself in a number of ways.
Business as usual
Having alternative distribution channels, for example multiple courier firms, is one example of where you can plan for business interruptions.
Taking the recent UK postal strike last Christmas as an example, the Federation of Small Businesses said that smaller enterprises were some of the biggest losers, because they did not have contingency plans for postal failures.
The federation said 94% of its members exclusively use the Royal Mail, many to send vital cheques and invoices through the post, which is the lifeblood of every business. The remaining 6% who use alternative mail carriers often rely on the Royal Mail for the last mile, and as a result, thousands of small firms were left stranded.
Being flexible
Flexible working practices and 'hot-desking' centres are another way that you can ensure the business continues to function when your main offices are affected, for example by fire or flooding.
Having good Internet connections at home, and web-based access to the company's email, databases and applications could help in such situations.
There are also a number of software service providers that provide important applications over a web connection, so you can carry on working from anywhere, checking email, and even fulfilling orders.
Good to talk
Alternative methods of communication are also handy in the event that you have landline problems.
Every business communicates in a different way, but it is worth considering a good communication strategy that covers landlines, mobiles, email, instant messaging, web-based collaboration and home working.
Are you insured?
However you plan, unforeseen circumstances will arise that affect the business. So make sure you consider business insurance as part of your strategy, because it can make sure you are not out of pocket following a disaster.
Direct Line for Business offers small businesses a number of insurance options that can cover them in the case of business interruptions. The offerings are ideal for sole traders and partnerships owned by individuals who also manage their business.
The products themselves are tailored for different sectors and most have business interruption cover as standard.
We cover residential landlords and commercial property owners and investors. We also provide Shop Insurance for owners of high street, non-chain shops, for example, hairdressers, florists or typical corner shops.
The good thing about having Direct Line business insurance is that your policy can be tailored to cover the things that are vital to your operations, whether that means IT equipment, properties or perishable goods in transit. You just select the options you want in our online quote process and if you're happy with the price, you can either buy online or call on of our UK-based call centres.
Related information:
Debt recovery - resolving conflict amicably and how to deal with recovering debt through agencies or the courts.
Office Insurance - if you're worried about your office premises being damaged by fire, flood or a break in, make sure you take out the right insurance to cover the costs of repair work and loss of sales.
Insurance essentials - there are minimum insurance requirements for any small business - find out what these are for the type of business you're running.
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