Picture this: you’ve poured your heart and soul into your business—late nights, early mornings, gallons of coffee—and suddenly, disaster strikes. Be it from fire or flood, windstorm or debilitating hail or water damage, the physical toll to your infrastructure and areas surrounding can have rippling effects that halt operations and cause an unbelievable headache that can spell financial trouble for weeks, months, or years to come. Enter the hero of this tale: Business Continuity Planning (BCP).
BCP is the strategy that ensures you’re not scrambling in panic mode when disaster hits. The goal is to elevate your organization to a level of preparedness that mitigates the exposure to business income loss and extra expenses that comes with such interruptions.
What’s at Stake?
When the unimaginable happens, property insurance swoops in to cover the damage to buildings, inventory, and equipment. But what about the income your business loses during downtime? Or the added expenses—like temporary office spaces or specialized equipment—needed to stay afloat? While most commercial insurers offer some coverage for lost income and extra expenses, there may be gaps, waiting period deductibles, or limited carrier appetite in the absence of a mitigation strategy. That’s where a well-crafted BCP can save the day.
Documenting Your Plan
If your BCP is the superhero, documenting it is the trusty sidekick that makes you shine in the eyes of insurance companies. A detailed, well-organized plan that highlights your risk mitigation efforts shows insurers that you’re not just crossing your fingers and hoping for the best—you’re actively managing your risks. This can lead to better terms, lower premiums, or even access to broader coverage.
Think of it as your business’s resume: the more prepared, responsible, and proactive you appear, the more attractive you’ll be to those offering coverage. Plus, having documentation in hand can make the claims process smoother if disaster does strike, giving your superhero cape an extra swish of efficiency.
Business Income Loss Prevention Tips
Let’s get practical (and a little light-hearted) about avoiding the dreaded downtime and financial hiccups.
- Backup everything: If your data is as valuable as grandma’s secret cookie recipe, treat it like one. Invest in cloud storage, external drives, and any other backups to ensure you don’t lose your business’s brainpower.
- Diversify your supply chain: Relying on a single supplier is like betting your entire dinner on one fragile egg—it can be a recipe for disaster. Establish relationships with multiple suppliers to keep your operations running even if one drops the ball.
- Prepare remote work capabilities: Create a remote work game plan so your team can keep calm and carry on from home. Maybe you have some experience with this from 2020!
- Set up alternative locations: Scout out alternative facilities just in case. It might not be a tropical getaway, but at least your team can stay productive during repairs.
- Identify critical equipment: For manufacturing risks or otherwise, documenting equipment or other items critical to your business and having a strategy for sourcing replacements can mean the difference between coasting in for a smooth landing or being caught with your cape down.
- Get familiar with business interruption insurance: This superhero gadget fills in the financial gaps for lost income. Don’t forget to understand the terms—things like Ordinary Payroll, Extended Periods of Indemnity, and Waiting Periods aren’t as thrilling as saving the world, but they’re just as important.
Collaboration Empowers Planning
While BCP may feel like the job of a CFO or Risk Manager, involving those closest to the work itself may prove invaluable in identifying alternative processes and strategies that limit downtime. Collaboration brings creative ideas and gives more employees a feeling of ownership and incentive in getting things back up and running when disaster strikes.
Approach BCP as a team-building exercise—because nothing bonds a team like deciding what to do during a zombie apocalypse scenario. (Caveat: while untested, zombie apocalypses are probably not covered by standard property insurance.)
BCP Brings POM: Peace of Mind
In the unpredictable world of business, continuity planning is your best insurance against the “what ifs.” It’s not just about surviving disasters—it’s about thriving despite them. The Risk & Safety professionals at Holmes Murphy can provide key resources to help guide the process and create more resilient customers. So, grab that utility belt, prep for the worst, and dare to hope for the best. After all, your business deserves its superhero moment!
