How To Help Your Business Survive A Winter Emergency

With February in full swing, many Canadians are feeling the winter blues. By this time in the calendar, most of us have had enough of the snow and cold weather. Add COVID-19 to this already-unfortunate mix and you have what is arguably the dreariest time in your company’s history. Has business been particularly slow for you lately? If so, you’re certainly not alone.

As if things weren’t bad enough, there’s always the chance you will have to contend with a winter emergency. Anything ranging from a snowstorm to broken windows to finding your heater in disrepair can wreak havoc on a business already enduring a tough time. Are you prepared in the event of a winter emergency? What do you need to do to help your business survive?

Develop an emergency preparedness plan.

The best way to handle a winter emergency is to be prepared for it well in advance. Do you have an easily-to-access first aid kit on your premises? Is everyone on your staff well aware of where the emergency exits are? Do you have ample supplies?

“You will need enough supplies to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours following a major emergency, as City services will be affected,” says Vancouver.ca, “Prepare an emergency kit for your workplace with supplies including food and water.”

Communicate with your employees and customers.

Honesty is the best policy. Never forget that the ways in which you treat your customers will always mean more to them than the quality of your products. Let everyone know about the goings-on of your business following a crisis. Will you be closing down for a period of time? Are your hours of operation changing? Will you focus more greatly on ecommerce? Don’t leave any members of your team or customer base in the dark.

“Preparing your business for a winter disaster starts with having a predetermined way to communicate with all employees to let them know if the store or office will be open that day,” says Constellation.com, “Let customers know if and when you’re closing. If you will be closing early due to a winter storm or blizzard, or not opening at all, use social media channels to relay that information. If you have a store-front, make sure to post a sign notifying your customers of your closing as well.”

Create a business continuity plan.

Once the emergency is over, life must go on, right? So must your business. But picking things up where you left them isn’t so easy. It’s vital you have a plan in place to help your business to recover in the event of a disruption to normal operations. According to Vancouver.ca, your business continuity plan should include plans, measures and arrangements to ensure the continuous delivery of critical services and products.

As well, your plan needs to identify necessary resources, including personnel, information, equipment, legal counsel and infrastructure protection. It must also include checklists, protocols, and contact information as well as an emergency communications plan. This entails how you will communicate with key stakeholders, staff, customers and clients, suppliers and shareholders.

For many years, clients of Synergy Merchants have utilized our unique merchant cash advance program to help them get through emergency situations. For more information about how we can help your business survive a winter emergency, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-718-2026 or email us at info@synergymerchants.com. You can also apply online for a free, no obligation quote!