Downtime is bad for business. If there’s a reason why you can’t work, then this means you’re losing money until the problem is resolved, you’re getting backed up, and you could even lose valuable clients. That’s why it’s important to look for ways to avoid downtime as much as possible. Simply follow the tips below to reduce your businesses’ downtime.
Make sure there’s support in place
Something went wrong at work? You need to have a plan in place for every eventuality, so when things go down, you know exactly who to call. For example, putting IT support in place ensures that if a server goes down, someone will be out to fix it ASAP. If you have machinery or other manufacturing equipment running 24/7, then you’ll need to choose a support package that reflects these hours.
Invest in quality tech
You can often save money by buying cheaper products, but the problem with this is that breakdowns tend to be more likely, and cheaper products don’t come with good warranties. If you invest in quality brands, they’re likely to last for longer and you get better value overall. When you’re buying gadgets for the office, keep this in mind. If you buy cheap, you often buy twice.
Some areas where you should definitely look for quality products include:
- IT equipment
- Servers and networking equipment
- Manufacturing items
- Phone and communication gear
This means that things are more likely to run smoothly and you’re less likely to suffer from downtime.
Ensure employees know what to do
You can’t be around 24/7, so you need to know that if something goes wrong, the next in command will be able to deal with it. Make sure employees are well-trained and able to deal with any issues that come up. You may want to run training sessions for your supervisors, or even do a drill, so that when things go down, they call the right people or do the right things.
Keep a list of emergency contact numbers
In addition to the people who provide your IT support and other services, you should make sure you have the emergency details for your industry bodies and anything else relevant. For example, those who work in agriculture should have the USDA headquarters emergency telephone numbers in case you need to make a report. It’s important to keep these details somewhere to hand, as you may not be able to look them up on the internet when you need them most.
Downtime is bad for business in so many ways, so make sure you minimize the time your business spends being out of action. While some downtime is unavoidable, a lot of it happens for things that are easily preventable. It’s important to look at some of your reasons for downtime and how they can be avoided. In cases where downtime can’t be avoided, you need an amazing plan of action to get back on track, and everyone in your business should know how to pull together to get back in action.
