This is especially true for organisations’ telecommunications. Some analysts estimate that 80% of commercial transactions are conducted via the telephone yet this is often one of the last considerations, or even overlooked, in a Business Continuity plan.

As a Hemel Hempstead based company, Telephonetics are all too aware, following the Buncefield Fire, of the disruption an unforeseen event can cause. However, the company emphasises that less dramatic events can affect your telephony services including evacuations due to fire alarms and builders chopping through cables. According to the CMI survey 24% of organisations suffered from loss of Telecoms links during the last year.

Telephonetics suggests that the following considerations should be made:

•    How do switchboard calls get handled in an evacuation when staff are unavailable to take the calls? Is a voicemail box sufficient when the duration of the event and the importance of the call is unknown.

•    How long can your business last without taking a single phone call? According to the Henley Management Institute, 60% of companies that experienced a loss of normal telecoms for a period of 10 days ceased trading within a year.

•    How do staff who have been evacuated and therefore have no access to a company phone directory, contact other staff?

•    How are DDI and switchboard calls handled when my primary carrier transfers the entire DDI range to one number at an alternative site? Who will be there to redirect calls from that number, to individuals or departments?

Telephonetics has developed a Business Continuity Solution that in the event of an evacuation or disaster can be invoked remotely to ensure all DDI, Switchboard and Employee to Employee calls are handled effectively. The solution will enable staff to continuing working from an alternative site and stay in touch with other staff and clients thereby minimising disruption and loss of business to the organisation.

Bill Burgar, MD, Telephonetics explained, “Following our own local experiences, we felt that most Business Continuity Plans failed to cover telephony services adequately. Many organisations post Buncefield found that although their telephony equipment was intact, they were not allowed to re-enter their buildings and therefore their businesses could not function effectively. We are providing a solution that can be simply activated remotely to ensure organisations can effectively continue operations with minimal disruption to their customers, suppliers and staff.”

Source: PR Web