In the wake of the torrential downpour and subsequent flooding of various neighborhoods around Toronto, our phones have been busy with calls from small businesses looking for temporary office space rental. A great deal of the calls were from small businesses who operate from home or storefront-level locations that were damaged by the flooding. But there were also calls from businesses who were without power or telecommunications that needed a day office or some team space to keep their companies running. In fact, we even had some calls from some of our own virtual office customers looking to inquire if the power outage or flooding would effect the ways their calls were handled. One individual even wanted to make sure that his boardroom reservation was still in place.

Unlike larger businesses with disaster recovery plans and back-up office locations they can move to or be able to shut down for a few days while they recover, most small businesses cannot afford to close their doors for even one day. This is why Telsec has staff who can assist businesses with a disaster recovery plan that will have them back up and running in only an hour or two. This disaster recovery plan could be as simple as offering a day office or temporary office space for a few days or even longer. Even their telephone number can be set up so that it runs through our trunk lines and into our telephone system. When their customers call their business line, the call is answered by our profession receptionist who handles the call the way the business has instructed her. It could be to transfer the call to the office space they are working in, to another number like a cellphone, or even to tell the caller they are not available and send the call to voice mail.

Even if your business was not affected by this storm or its after-effects, it is never to late to come up with your own disaster recovery plan – even if that plan is to call Telsec when disaster strikes your business. We have a blog called How Would Your Company Recover From a Disaster? where you may want to read more about disaster recovery planning. One of the most important issues regarding your disaster recovery plan is to establish a practical strategy on exactly how you intend to recover and move forward. You might want to check out Has your Small Business Planned its Data Storage and Back-up Strategy?