A business continuity plan can help protect
your business from unexpected changes
Betty has been your company’s payroll
clerk for a long time. She’s reliable, gets
things done and payroll is one less thing
you have to worry about because she’s
happy to take care of it all. In fact, you
have no idea what you’d do without her,
until one day you’re unexpectedly forced
to realize this unfortunate reality.
In addition to the personnel hole she
left, you’re now facing a significant gap
in your company’s operations because
Betty was literally the only individual who
knew every aspect of your company’s
payroll function. What now?
Prepare For The Unexpected
Among small businesses, it’s all too
common for a single individual to be
responsible for an entire business func-
tion without anyone else knowing or
fully understanding what they do. If that
individual abruptly leaves the company
for any reason, you’re thrust into crisis
mode, which likely includes dealing with
unpaid bills, missed deadlines, payroll
grievances, the need to pay interest or
penalties, and even the loss of custom-
ers and revenue.
How do you protect your business
against this scenario while ensuring you
never miss a beat? A business continuity
plan is a great place to start.
How A Business Continuity Plan
Can Protect Your Business
It’s easy to fall into complacency
when times are good, and when your
business is running like clockwork.
But change – especially unexpected
change – is always lurking in the shad-
ows. As such, you should be prepared
for anything. A business continuity plan
outlines what you need to do to con-
tinue operating successfully amid a
crisis. Potential components of your
plan might include:
• Cross-training employees – To
ensure continuity of a specific
business function, consider cross-
training two or more employees in a
particular area. That way, if a person
is out unexpectedly – or even takes
vacation – there’s a trained back-up
who knows the job.
• Developing a procedures manual
– A procedures manual is a step-
by-step document that outlines all
critical functions of a business. It
allows you to document everything
you do as well as how you do it.
• Implementing a customer re-
lationship management (CRM)
system – A CRM system can provide
your team with a single location
to gather and share information.
For example, an account manager
might input notes about a customer’s
account in CRM. Then, if some-
thing were to happen to the account
manager, notes and information are
readily available to anyone with ac-
cess to the company’s CRM, allowing
you to go on servicing the customer
without too much disruption.
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