Questions to Ask When Your Business Incurs Disaster

5/7/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO: Here to Help

As a business owner and or employee, you obviously have a lot on your plate at any given time; whether it's finances, day-to-day operations, logistics, coworker relations, or anything within the realm of running a business. The list is exhaustive and the world around us often molds our businesses and how we operate.

At SERVPRO of Spartanburg County, we would like to get those gears churning today to get you thinking about the side no one ever wants to face...the side we are talking about is the inevitable fact that eventually, something inside of the well-oiled machine that is your business will experience failure and cause a big mess. Either that or a natural disaster will strike, whether it be a storm or some other type of unforeseeable act of nature.

With that said, here are a few questions you may want to ask yourself to help you in mitigating/preparing for such occurrences, as well as how to be proactive and prepared in the event that disaster strikes.

1. "Do we have an emergency plan outlined?" This is something every business should have, regardless of what it is you do. Disaster does not discriminate, and when it strikes, you need to have a plan mapped out for who to call, where emergency exits are located, and how to properly evacuate the building of any persons inside, if applicable.

2. "If something were to happen, how long could we go without operating before we start to see significant loss in revenues/production/etc.?" Make sure you are aware of how much time lost you can incur before you start to see significant loss in your day-to-day operations. Make sure you have plenty of money and or inventory saved up in case the restoration process takes a while to get your operations back to full capacity. (Just keep in mind, SERVPRO is available 24/7 for emergency services, so if you need your operations back up and running ASAP, we can be there to start the restoration process within 24 hours or less.)

3. "What will happen in regards to my contents if they are affected?" Here at SERVPRO, we are dedicated to giving our best effort to save as many of your contents as possible. If it has any chance of being salvaged, we will work tirelessly to save your contents so you don't have to file it with your insurance company. 

4. "How can I ensure that I am mitigating to the best of my abilities to avoid disaster?" Routine maintenance is always a good choice; looking to make sure your facilities and machinery are running properly is never a bad idea. Constant cleaning and making sure items stay where they belong and not somewhere that could be potentially hazardous is a simple and effective step. Another way to stay sharp is to simply educate yourself. SERVPRO offers Continuing Education (CE) courses on aspects such as fire, water, smoke, and mold damage. These courses are both engaging and informative, which will enlighten you on what to look for in terms of mitigation as well as what to do when disaster strikes, in terms of restoration.

5. "What do we do after emergency personnel leave? What now?" This is where SERVPRO comes into play! If you have any sort of damage from a disaster, do not hesitate to call us. Our mission is to serve you and give our best effort to make it "like it never even happened." As stated above, we are available 24/7 for emergencies, just one phone call away from having the help you deserve and need.