If your office has no communications, how would you continue working?
Aim for 100% continuity
When considering implementing a telecoms business continuity solution you should aim to ensure that the service you provide to your customers and suppliers is as close to normality as possible. By achieving this you minimise any negative effects of the disruption. Yet many businesses are settling for second best rather than 100% continuity.
Better than most but still not 100%
Gareth Howell (blogger on Business Continuity UK) had such a situation when BT disconnected lines into his office in order to fix a fault. With 5 minutes warning Gareth was able to get onto his company website on his laptop via his 3G modem and had his calls re-directed to a service in Luton. The people in Luton then informed him that someone had called and he was then able to return their call.
I applaud Gareth for having the foresight to have both systems and processes in place to cope with disruption to communications. However I do wonder why, when the technology is available, Gareth chose to have his calls re-directed to other people than have his number re-routed to his mobile phone or other landline phone which he could use.
In the same way that Gareth’s incoming calls have been re-directed to Luton via his local BT exchange, they could just as easily be re-routed to his mobile phone.
How do you re-direct your incoming calls during a disruption? The same way as Gareth or something different?
Hi
As I said on my website in response to a similar comment (see http://bit.ly/bxBiYD), my phones are permanently set to redirect to the answering service on busy or no answer for a number of reasons that I listed in the comments.
I know that some people prefer to have calls redirected to their mobile phones, but I’m not one of them. Apart from anything else, mobile reception can be pretty patchy hereabouts.
Thanks for the reference though. As a business continuity consultant, it would be pretty bad form not to have this sort of risk covered
Hi Gareth,
I can see that from an individual point of view that the re-direct to the answering service is suitable for you. What kind of services do you find your clients or businesses looking at business continuity are currently using, if at all?